# Hickory -is it worth it?



## BillLion (Feb 11, 2014)

Last year I made the switch to scrounging and only purchased one cord to help get me through this season (better than 3 or 4 bought like in the past).

Anyway, a tree guy I know is offering to sell me a cord (or 2) of GREEN hickory split and delivered for $200. I've heard so many good things about hickory I'm tempted to buy it. (For reference a cord of split "seasoned" wood typically goes for $250 delivered around here.)

1. Those with hickory experience -is it worth paying for instead of waiting for whatever comes my way?
2. How does hickory stack up against oak?
3. Would you buy or pass? Why?

Thanks!


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## Beer Belly (Feb 11, 2014)

$100 a cord for Green Hickory isn't bad in my book. Not sure about BTU's, but I burned some Hickory a couple of years ago and was happy with it. Still working on getting ahead, ay.......me too, been trying for 7 years, and starting to close in on my goal.


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## BillLion (Feb 11, 2014)

Beer Belly said:


> $100 a cord for Green Hickory isn't bad in my book. Not sure about BTU's, but I burned some Hickory a couple of years ago and was happy with it. Still working on getting ahead, ay.......me too, been trying for 7 years, and starting to close in on my goal.



Thanks! Just to clarify, he's asking $200 per cord. I'm sure I can get a discount (and/or some ash logs thrown in) if I take 2.


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## TimJ (Feb 11, 2014)

If you made the switch to scrouning you shouldn't have to buy wood
scrounge it
it's all BTU's and it all warms the house


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## shoot-straight (Feb 11, 2014)

i dont like hickory much. it splits horribly (i know its already split, but figured id throw that in anyway), seasons slow, and likes to leave lots of coals. do a search. lots of people feel the same as i do. however.... it does have a high btu value. many do like it. powder post beetles are a problem with it as well.


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## Beer Belly (Feb 11, 2014)

$200 a Cord !.....nah....not me


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## woodsman416 (Feb 11, 2014)

I burn a lot of hickory but $200 a cord seems like too much. I've never bought it though.


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## Paulywalnut (Feb 11, 2014)

You're asking mostly pure scroungers here. Hickory is great firewood but it's a three year season wood. The coaling is less when it's very dry, if you have an extra 400.00 it's great wood to have sitting waiting for you. I would pay 100.00 a cord but not 200.00. He will sell it though and get that. Good luck scrounging.


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## PA. Woodsman (Feb 11, 2014)

I don't buy wood as I am fortunate to get so much scrounging, but Hickory is a kick-ass wood. Just burned some last night and the heat it threw put me and the better half off to dreamland-it rocks


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## weatherguy (Feb 11, 2014)

I think about it if it was shagbark, the best wood I ever burned was shagbark, probably the best wood I can get in my neck of the woods. I'd try and offer him a bit less and see if he bites.


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## fireview2788 (Feb 11, 2014)

I like hickory, a lot.


fv


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## Backwoods Savage (Feb 11, 2014)

Hickory is good but at that price, I'd have to do some serious thinking and would probably pass.


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## Studdlygoof (Feb 11, 2014)

I just paid $200 for a load of seasoned split oak. I don't think I would pay that price for something that is green. $100 would have me a little more tempted maybe.


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## Standingdead (Feb 11, 2014)

Hickory is one my favorites, on the level with Oak, but I'd take free silver maple with yard adornments included rather than pay $200 for a cord, it's all ash in the end.


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## BillLion (Feb 12, 2014)

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Hickory sounds amazing, but looks like I'll have to wait to try it out.

I was going to buy a cord, but the seller is trying to find someone to take 2 cords instead of 1. This will avoid him having to unload by hand, so I can hardly blame him. If he does break it up, I'll still take one, but I decided I won't buy 2. 

I did work out a sweet deal on unsplit green ash rounds. I'll hold off on details until it happens...but I'm pretty psyched about it!


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## BEConklin (Feb 12, 2014)

BillLion said:


> Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Hickory sounds amazing, but looks like I'll have to wait to try it out.
> 
> I was going to buy a cord, but the seller is trying to find someone to take 2 cords instead of 1. This will avoid him having to unload by hand, so I can hardly blame him. If he does break it up, I'll still take one, but I decided I won't buy 2.
> 
> I did work out a sweet deal on unsplit green ash rounds. I'll hold off on details until it happens...but I'm pretty psyched about it!



I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot of ash firewood for sale in CT in the near future. I'm in East Haddam, where there isn't supposed to be any eastern ash borers, according to the DEEP, but there's newly dead limbs and what appear to be "D" shaped exit holes on the one ash tree we have in our yard.


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## Cascade Failure (Feb 12, 2014)

BillLion said:


> Last year I made the switch to scrounging and only purchased one cord to help get me through this season (better than 3 or 4 bought like in the past).
> 
> Anyway, a tree guy I know is offering to sell me a cord (or 2) of GREEN hickory split and delivered for $200. I've heard so many good things about hickory I'm tempted to buy it. (For reference a cord of split "seasoned" wood typically goes for $250 delivered around here.)
> 
> ...



Green(ish) oak was going for about$185/cord on eastern CT CL a week ago. $250 is a rip off even in CT. Keep looking.


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## Cascade Failure (Feb 12, 2014)

BEConklin said:


> I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot of ash firewood for sale in CT in the near future. I'm in East Haddam, where there isn't supposed to be any eastern ash borers, according to the DEEP, but there's newly dead limbs and what appear to be "D" shaped exit holes on the one ash tree we have in our yard.



Lisbon too. ALB is suspected as well.

I graduated from Hale-Ray, btw.


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## BillLion (Feb 13, 2014)

BEConklin said:


> I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot of ash firewood for sale in CT in the near future. I'm in East Haddam, where there isn't supposed to be any eastern ash borers, according to the DEEP, but there's newly dead limbs and what appear to be "D" shaped exit holes on the one ash tree we have in our yard.



Interesting. 



Cascade Failure said:


> Green(ish) oak was going for about$185/cord on eastern CT CL a week ago. $250 is a rip off even in CT. Keep looking.



I used to buy all my wood; $250 for was for "seasoned" wood delivered. I actually had decent luck most of the time. I'm now in scrounge mode, but I need to balance $ w/ time savings, so I'm willing to do some strategic purchasing when a deal comes around. For ex: I'm buying the ash green and in rounds at a substantial savings. I'll split it, but I'm thrilled at all the time not spent bucking it up and picking it up (since a minivan is the best vehicle at my disposal).

This season I used 1.5 cord of purchased wood and I'm guessing I'll end up using 3 to 3.5 of scrounged stuff.


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## BEConklin (Feb 13, 2014)

Cascade Failure said:


> Lisbon too. ALB is suspected as well.
> 
> I graduated from Hale-Ray, btw.



I spend a lot of time paddling kayaks and rowing my Adirondack guide boat on Aspinook pond and up the Quinebaug. Last summer I saw what looked like all sorts of sick ash trees along the shore. It seemed as if most of the ash trees up there were suffering - though I didn't get close enough to any to see if they had the D holes in the bark.

The state had those purple "Barney" traps hanging in the trees along 169 up through Lisbon and Canterbury but I don't think they found much because they still don't include those towns having any EAB.

It's the same coming over from Montville, through Salem and into East Haddam - last summer I saw lots of big old ash trees along the roads that look like they were dying off. 

I'm not from East Haddam btw - we moved here recently from Montville, before that Niantic, and I come from Stamford originally.


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## Lakeside (Feb 13, 2014)

For what it is worth-  my experience with Hickory has been marginal. The bugs love this stuff , most of mine is oozing saw dust. I am talking inches of dust after one year of seasoning at this rate how much will be left after 3 year ? 
I think I will be targeting Black locust instead.


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## Hogwildz (Feb 13, 2014)

$100.00 for a cord of Hickory already split is a great price. I don't know bout the rest of the snubs on here, but around here a load of pole length hardwood damn near equates  $100.00 per cord, and it has to be cut and split yet. Not a bad price at all, and burns similar to oak. I have not issues with too many coals myself, so not sure what those complaints are about.
Already split hickory.... I'd jump on that.
I'd take that Hickory of Ash any day of the week. Ash is really nothing special, and the poor man's Oak.

Take a look at the BTU chart and look where Hickory is.... nuff said there.
If someone can't burn Hickory with success, it ain't the wood's issue.
Better BTUs than Oak even. Just give it time to dry, and it will put out great heat.
I'll be hap[py to take all the Hickory nobody wants. Just drop it off, and my Summit will thank you.
I love it. Mix it with oak and wallah...

http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/W/AE_wood_heat_value_BTU.html


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## BillLion (Feb 13, 2014)

Hogwildz said:


> $100.00 for a cord of Hickory already split is a great price. I don't know bout the rest of the snubs on here, but around here a load of pole length hardwood damn near equates  $100.00 per cord, and it has to be cut and split yet. Not a bad price at all, and burns similar to oak. I have not issues with too many coals myself, so not sure what those complaints are about.
> Already split hickory.... I'd jump on that.
> I'd take that Hickory of Ash any day of the week. Ash is really nothing special, and the poor man's Oak.
> 
> ...



Thanks your input on the hickory! If it was $100 per cord, I'd be all over it, it's actually $200 per. I'll take one if the seller doesn't find a buyer for the pair.

From what I hear about splitting hickory, having it split in advance would be a good thing!

RE: Ash. I have some oak, elm, and a couple varieties of maple drying. Some ash to round it out would be nice, especially at the prices I was quoted for the rounds!


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## BEConklin (Feb 13, 2014)

BillLion said:


> From what I hear about splitting hickory, having it split in advance would be a good thing!



Not all hickory is hard to split. I just finished processing a mockernut hickory that fell in the woods alongside my house during a storm - good size tree, about 22" diameter at breast height with a nice trunk about 50 feet before the first branching. I split it all with my Fiskars X27. It split quite easily in fact.

I've also dealt with some smaller shagbark hickory trees that were a cinch to split as well. I think a lot of it depends on how the tree grew....but that's the same with other species of tree as well. I know I cut a lot of black birch (BTU ratings right up there with Hickory) and most of the time it splits very easily. I did cut one black birch, however, that I could drive wedges through the rounds all the way to the block and they still wouldn't split free of the round.


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## Hogwildz (Feb 13, 2014)

Ah my mistake. I misread and though it was $100.00 per cord.
For me $200.00 would be too much. I have read of some paying $250.00+ for oak and other hardwood cords. I'll still to buying pole length.


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## Beer Belly (Feb 13, 2014)

BillLion said:


> sell me a cord (or 2) of GREEN hickory split and delivered for $200.


I thought it was $100 a cord also......now, that I would consider, but here, $200 a cord would be seasoned


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## hickoryhoarder (Feb 13, 2014)

Hickory is my favorite wood, but each one has its pros and cons. I wouldn't pay extra for it, and no one around here charges more than they'd charge for oak or sugar maple. Hickory burns a little longer than oak (though actually it depends on what kind of hickory and what kind of oak). They both spark a lot, hickory probably more. It's got that nice bacon smell. It seasons quicker than red oak -- I'm burning some now that cooked in my hot driveway for only ten months. I'll wait longer for the oak, maybe 18 months. Oak is easier to split. Shagbark hickory seems to split pretty well when seasoned, but whatever hickory I have now is a little tough to split. For whatever reason, the combination of hickory and American cherry makes a great looking fire -- dancing flames.  You really can't go wrong with various hard woods -- the amount of seasoning is way more important than the type of tree.


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## fireview2788 (Feb 14, 2014)

hickoryhoarder said:


> It's got that nice bacon smell.



HMMMM, does hickory have a bacon smell or does bacon have a hickory smell?  Sounds like a chicken and egg debate to me.  

fv


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## BEConklin (Feb 14, 2014)

fireview2788 said:


> HMMMM, does hickory have a bacon smell or does bacon have a hickory smell?  Sounds like a chicken and egg debate to me.
> 
> fv



Huh? I never had any chicken that smelled like eggs...


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## hickoryhoarder (Feb 14, 2014)

Bacon smells like hickory. Hickory smells like bacon.


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## teutonicking (Feb 14, 2014)

BillLion said:


> Last year I made the switch to scrounging and only purchased one cord to help get me through this season (better than 3 or 4 bought like in the past).
> 
> Anyway, a tree guy I know is offering to sell me a cord (or 2) of GREEN hickory split and delivered for $200. I've heard so many good things about hickory I'm tempted to buy it. (For reference a cord of split "seasoned" wood typically goes for $250 delivered around here.)
> 
> ...



King Solomon would say offer $300 for two cords.


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## Cascade Failure (Feb 14, 2014)

BEConklin said:


> I spend a lot of time paddling kayaks and rowing my Adirondack guide boat on Aspinook pond and up the Quinebaug. Last summer I saw what looked like all sorts of sick ash trees along the shore. It seemed as if most of the ash trees up there were suffering - though I didn't get close enough to any to see if they had the D holes in the bark.
> 
> The state had those purple "Barney" traps hanging in the trees along 169 up through Lisbon and Canterbury but I don't think they found much because they still don't include those towns having any EAB.
> 
> ...



My wife and I kayak the Quinebaug between J.C. And Plainfield often. Saw the sick ash. Missed the traps on 169.


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## Hogwildz (Feb 14, 2014)

My Hickory sparks, but never had Sparking from Oak.


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