What's your favorite campfire wood?

[svk]

OK, that does it. I'll start cutting up all that junk pine that I have at the drop site. Nobody wants it. Been lying there for over a year. Maybe I can split the stuff, wrap it up, and wipe the tar off my hands. Rubber gloves might help. Never thought I'd see the day. Gasp!

After a year most of the sap should be dried up. That's how I deal with balsam if I don't throw them right into the burn pile.

 

[Dash Ooter]

Whatever is closest to the fire.
As long as its dry.

 

[moondoggie]

You burned locust in a campfire pit when you could have heated your whole house with it? Maybe that's why the food all got burned up. The locust was trying to talk to you. Trees have their own language.

So what are you really trying to say ole boyeee?

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

many days I plan to work outside, first thing I do is fire me up a nice campfire... even if in middle of summer! cedar kindling, pine kindling... then oak... usually oak but I like cedar stix for outside campfires if I have it... or whatever if its a clean wood... heck, I even have some roots for outside burning... once fire going good... even wet. I am all for smokier the better!!!

 

[tla100]

Silver maple for the win.
View attachment 351673 View attachment 351674

WHoooooooooOOOOOO.......x2 on the Silver Maple. Sweet smell and cooks a mean azz steak !!!!!

Plus, when it is getting late, just throw one more log on the fire so I can finish my beer........wellllll, been there and done that

 

[tla100]

I took mostly pitchy hemlock over to the kayaking camping session last week. I had also delivered a wet Scandihoovian Candle to friends in the desert about 6 weeks ago. I was amazed to find it much lighter in weight and we burned it too. Firewood bundles were available for $6 at the campground. We didn't have to buy any and stayed 5 days.

I sure hope you did not move Firewood across state lines? I might have to check your state out, I always thought it was wet all the time, not a dessert? Sounds like a great place to make a new start.

 

[wood4heat]

Whatever it is it has to be dry! Nobody likes playing musical chairs driven by smoke! That said my absolute favorite campfire wood is ponderosa pine. I grew up camping and hunting in central Oregon. To me that's just how genuine campfires are supposed to smell. Anything else feels like an imitation camp fire!

 

[Oldman47]

I sure hope you did not move Firewood across state lines? I might have to check your state out, I always thought it was wet all the time, not a dessert? Sounds like a great place to make a new start.

It sure does. I might have to move there.

 

[svk]

It sure does. I might have to move there.

 

[Cody]

A few years ago we had quite a few ash logs that were hollow, those quickly became my favorite to burn. Perfect ones were ones which only had 3-4" hollow in the center, burn all damn night and you could throw a few splits in once it had burned out a bit. Anything that isn't oak or elm, that stuff gets burnt for heat. I like playing with fire too so something that burns quick and allows me to add to it is nice.

The nice thing about them hollow logs was they kind of kept the heat away too, so on those hot summer nights you weren't sitting 100 feet away from it just to keep from sweating.

 

[Marine5068]

If I'm actually out camping, then I scrounge firewood nearby. I prefer softwoods for campfires as they light fast, burn hot and loud and dont last too long when youre tired from hiking and fishing and just want a couple hours of sippin time before bed. Ontario has some great woods. Cedar (Yellow, White and red aromatic), pines ( White, Jack, Scotch, etc) Juniper, lots and lots of Spruce( White and Black) and lots of hardwoods too.
For the fire pit at home, mix of softwoods with a bit of Maple uglies thrown on if needed. The wood stove gets the good splits of soft wood kindling and hardwood fuel.

 

[unclemoustache]

Anything as long as it's fairly dry.

Camped in TN one time - campground was selling wood for about $1/stick. I expected that, but I didn't expect it would be cut the week before. The whole stinkin' campground was stinky from smoldering wood. Jerks. I called a local firewood dealer to bring over some seasoned wood. Will do that first next time. Also talked to the campground owner about it.

 

[TreeswingerPerth]

Anything I can find free / dry , and close to where I want my fire .

 

[robson1015]

I like used tires, railroad ties, phone poles, plastic, just about anything....

 

[Cody]

Anything as long as it's fairly dry.

Camped in TN one time - campground was selling wood for about $1/stick. I expected that, but I didn't expect it would be cut the week before. The whole stinkin' campground was stinky from smoldering wood. Jerks. I called a local firewood dealer to bring over some seasoned wood. Will do that first next time. Also talked to the campground owner about it.

It's been awhile but I'm not even sure campsites will let you bring your own wood anymore around here. Consequently you don't see too many sites full either.

 

[WoodTick007]

Personally, I like burning any wood that someone else has cut, and brought. . .

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

It's been awhile but I'm not even sure campsites will let you bring your own wood anymore around here. Consequently you don't see too many sites full either.

>Consequently you don't see too many sites full either

not even on the 4th of July?... g-zzz next thing you know, there will be a camping spot surcharge if u don't buy their wood! min 5-pak. I remember many times as a youth stopping at US national parks on our way back n forth across the USA. campout. fun stuff! I have been in every state in the Union. Dad was in USAF on west coast, WA and Grandma and Grandpa were on the east coast, NJ ... and one time Dad would take a northerly route, come back southerly... etc etc, well, you get the idea. sometimes when we stopped for the night, mid afternoon... let us kids stretch our feet sort of thing, we would make a campfire set up for night fall... all we needed was to scrounge wood from the park. all over the place. we dint cook on it as he always had a 2-burner Coleman stove.

 

[Cody]

>Consequently you don't see too many sites full either

not even on the 4th of July?... g-zzz next thing you know, there will be a camping spot surcharge if u don't buy their wood! min 5-pak. I remember many times as a youth stopping at US national parks on our way back n forth across the USA. campout. fun stuff! I have been in every state in the Union. Dad was in USAF on west coast, WA and Grandma and Grandpa were on the east coast, NJ ... and one time Dad would take a northerly route, come back southerly... etc etc, well, you get the idea. sometimes when we stopped for the night, mid afternoon... let us kids stretch our feet sort of thing, we would make a campfire set up for night fall... all we needed was to scrounge wood from the park. all over the place. we dint cook on it as he always had a 2-burner Coleman stove.

I think Memorial Day and Labor day might actually be bigger for the campgrounds but I couldn't tell you, don't go anymore. Just know that when I drive by there don't seem to be as many. I think around here camping has changed into how big of a trailer you got any more.

 

[svk]

I know in NY the firewood just has to be local or kiln dried. Camped in both the Catskills and Adirondacks. One of our campsite neighbors bought a cord of wood ($175 delivered, mostly oak) and split it with several other campers. I was smart enough to walk more than 50 feet off the road and scrounged all I needed.

NYS campgrounds have a strict limit of 6 campers per site which makes things tough with a family of 7.

I believe MN state run campsites require wood from a DNR inspected vendor (which itself is a joke). Private campgrounds don't care.

 

[Jere39]

I like sassafras. Soft end of the hardwood scale, smells great, burns great, and no one (who knows) wants it in their heat stove. Always have people sitting around who like to tend the fire, and Sassafras burns fast enough that they stay busy. Cooks a great hotdog.