# Burning ash wood



## wallycat

How is ash to burn, compared with oak or maple? That sems to be all that's available in my area righ


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## ScotO

wallycat said:


> How is ash to burn, compared with oak or maple? That sems to be all that's available in my area righ


 Ash is better than soft maple, but not as good as oak.  I'd say right in between.  It puts out awesome heat, burns down to powder, and it seasons fast (around a year C/S/S).  I have tons of it in my hoard, and I take it whenever I can.


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## rdust

My favorite wood to burn due to it's fast seasoning, easy splitting and nice burning. I personally don't see much difference in the burn times/heat output between red oak and white ash. Not much ash left around here, in a few years it will all be gone.  Currently it makes up at least half of my stacks.


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## Richprint29

Ash is awesome to burn. I heard you could burn it almost immediately after you cut it! And I found that to be true this year. I cut a couple of Ash trees down for a friend recently and split it within a few days. I let it sit for about 2 weeks, then tried to burn it. Guess what? It burned great. I was really surprised, but I guess its true that you really don't need to season Ash. As far as heat value, I always thought Ash was fine. It delivers plenty of heat, and has a fairly long burn time. Although not as good as Oak. Back in the day in England, this wood was referred to the King's wood. Because of it's desirable qualities  mentioned above, only the Kings men were allowed to take it from the forest. I give Ash 2 thumbs up!


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## rdust

Richprint29 said:


> Back in the day in England, this wood was referred to the King's wood. Because of it's desirable qualities mentioned above, only the Kings men were allowed to take it from the forest.


 
_"Ash wet or Ash dry a king shall warm his slippers by"_


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## wood burning cop

ash makes up about 80% of my wood stack and oak is the other part.  it burns great and dries quick and splits easy.  i like it and it seems to put off good heat.


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## jdp1152

rdust said:


> _"Ash wet or Ash dry a king shall warm his slippers by"_


 

That king didn't have an EPA stove!


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## Ralphie Boy

I concur with all of the above. I've got many cord of ash, than's due to the 'little green monster.'


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## WhitePine

Richprint29 said:


> Ash is awesome to burn. I heard you could burn it almost immediately after you cut it! And I found that to be true this year. I cut a couple of Ash trees down for a friend recently and split it within a few days. I let it sit for about 2 weeks, then tried to burn it. Guess what? It burned great. I was really surprised, but I guess its true that you really don't need to season Ash. As far as heat value, I always thought Ash was fine. It delivers plenty of heat, and has a fairly long burn time. Although not as good as Oak. Back in the day in England, this wood was referred to the King's wood. Because of it's desirable qualities mentioned above, only the Kings men were allowed to take it from the forest. I give Ash 2 thumbs up!


 
In August, I bucked up, split, and stacked a small ash that my neighbor dropped in February. Less than an hour ago, I resplit a couple of pieces and checked the moisture content. It was at 25%.

What did you burn that ash in?

Backwoods Savage will be along shortly to conduct ash school.


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## rdust

WhitePine said:


> In August, I bucked up, split, and stacked a small ash that my neighbor dropped in February. Less than an hour ago, I resplit a couple of pieces and checked the moisture content. It was at 25%.
> 
> What did you burn that ash in?
> 
> Backwoods Savage will be along shortly to conduct ash school.


 
25% is completely burnable even in an EPA stove.


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## swagler85

Yes backwoods recently posted a thread about burning green ash. In reality any wood can be burned green, put enough air and small splits in an old stove and you can make it burn. That does NOT mean that this is safe or efficient. Just boil the water out and send the heat up the the chimney


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## Backwoods Savage

Richprint29 said:


> Ash is awesome to burn. I heard you could burn it almost immediately after you cut it! And I found that to be true this year. I cut a couple of Ash trees down for a friend recently and split it within a few days. I let it sit for about 2 weeks, then tried to burn it. Guess what? It burned great. I was really surprised, but I guess its true that you really don't need to season Ash. As far as heat value, I always thought Ash was fine. It delivers plenty of heat, and has a fairly long burn time. Although not as good as Oak. Back in the day in England, this wood was referred to the King's wood. Because of it's desirable qualities mentioned above, only the Kings men were allowed to take it from the forest. I give Ash 2 thumbs up!


 
Welcome to the forum Rich.

That is an old wife's tale about burning it right away. Yes, it can be done but it should not be done. If you split that ash and stack it for a couple years you'll be amazed at the difference.


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## BobUrban

Good stuff - due to the BUG I am burning a lot of ash as well as some maple but because there is rarely, if ever, only maple in the stove I cannot compare.  All my oak right now is 2-3yrs out but I am sure most would take oak over ash if given the oportunity.  But very, very few would turn down ash.  One of the better woods for a lot of reasons and quicker seasoning is one of them.  A year in single stacks exposed to the wind and sun and it is heating my home well.  The stuff that has 18+ months is better and I am so looking forward to testing Dennis' findings and burning it 2-3+yrs seasoned as I have 90% ash in my stacks and I am adding it by the cord as we speak.  Split a cord or so today


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## Backwoods Savage

swagler85 said:


> Yes backwoods recently posted a thread about burning green ash. In reality any wood can be burned green, put enough air and small splits in an old stove and you can make it burn. That does NOT mean that this is safe or efficient. Just boil the water out and send the heat up the the chimney


 

Right on Swagler. I'll never forget that winter when we burned freshly cut ash. Not good memories at all.


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## Backwoods Savage

BobUrban said:


> Good stuff - due to the BUG I am burning a lot of ash as well as some maple but because there is rarely, if ever, only maple in the stove I cannot compare. All my oak right now is 2-3yrs out but I am sure most would take oak over ash if given the oportunity. But very, very few would turn down ash. One of the better woods for a lot of reasons and quicker seasoning is one of them. A year in single stacks exposed to the wind and sun and it is heating my home well. The stuff that has 18+ months is better and I am so looking forward to testing Dennis' findings and burning it 2-3+yrs seasoned as I have 90% ash in my stacks and I am adding it by the cord as we speak. Split a cord or so today


 
Hey Bob, if you really want a test, give it 6 or 7 years! We've done that many times.

Like Bob, we've cut a lot of ash and still plenty to cut. All our ash trees are dead.


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## BobUrban

Dennis if I continue on my pace of 10+ cord CSS'd each winter and burning 3-4 per season I should be there in 5 years with wood that has been aged like fine wine!! Living in the sticks has its benefits - I, like you, have room for a lot of wood and no one around to complain that I am filling the yard with stacks. Best part is that the more I get CSS'd the less I have to mow all summer. I just take a trip around the stacks with the sprayer a time or two per summer to keep the grass and weeds from growing up in there and I can just ride my mower around them


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## Hearth Mistress

All we have is ash here too, ash s pretty much ALL we have. While some folks cut it and burn it the same day, my stove doesn't like it. I have done it, in a pinch with some pallet wood but right off the saw, it's usually 25-28%. I spilt it small so it dries a bit faster but even when I bring some fresh cut in the house, it gets under 20% in about a day. Until an hour ago, I never had anything else to burn, it's kept us warm for a year now


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## schlot

Seems everyone likes Ash. Can't wait to use some next year. I put up about two cords of it, so I will be eager to see how it does.


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## WhitePine

Hearth Mistress said:


> All we have is ash here too, ash s pretty much ALL we have. While some folks cut it and burn it the same day, my stove doesn't like it. I have done it, in a pinch with some pallet wood but right off the saw, it's usually 25-28%. I spilt it small so it dries a bit faster but even when I bring some fresh cut in the house, it gets under 20% in about a day. Until an hour ago, I never had anything else to burn, it's kept us warm for a year now


 
Under 20% in a day? Is that testing a resplit or the old edge? I have noticed the exposed surface dries very, very fast.


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## Richprint29

WhitePine said:


> In August, I bucked up, split, and stacked a small ash that my neighbor dropped in February. Less than an hour ago, I resplit a couple of pieces and checked the moisture content. It was at 25%.
> 
> What did you burn that ash in?
> 
> Backwoods Savage will be along shortly to conduct ash school.


 
I burned it in a Harman Oakwood. It burned as good as the seasoned wood i was burning. In fact I proceeded to burn that fresh Ash for 4 days until it ran out. Clean burn, good burn times ( overnight) no problem.


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## Richprint29

Backwoods Savage said:


> Welcome to the forum Rich.
> 
> That is an old wife's tale about burning it right away. Yes, it can be done but it should not be done. If you split that ash and stack it for a couple years you'll be amazed at the difference.


 Thank you for the  welcome. This seems like a really good place for information. All I can tell you about the Ash is what my experience with it was. It was pretty good. It was really just a test to see if what I heard was true. I season everything I burn. I cut and split all of my own wood. I like to give it all 1 year wether it's Ash or not.


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## BobUrban

In a pinch burn the tops and CSS the trunks for a yr or two.  Tops will be rather darn dry if they have been swaying in the breeze for a couple years w/o bark


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## Hearth Mistress

WhitePine said:


> Under 20% in a day? Is that testing a resplit or the old edge? I have noticed the exposed surface dries very, very fast.


I had some we re-split, it was 24 on the fresh cut side when I brought it in, next night, same side, 19. Granted my splits are small, 12-14" but in my living room, with the stove, about 6 ft away, they dry out fast, really.


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## WhitePine

Richprint29 said:


> I burned it in a Harman Oakwood. It burned as good as the seasoned wood i was burning. In fact I proceeded to burn that fresh Ash for 4 days until it ran out. Clean burn, good burn times ( overnight) no problem.


 
That stove appears to have a catalyst. I'm not sure how less than fully seasoned wood affects catalytic stoves, but I suspect someone knowledgeable regarding catalytic stoves will comment on it shortly.


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## WhitePine

Hearth Mistress said:


> I had some we re-split, it was 24 on the fresh cut side when I brought it in, next night, same side, 19. Granted my splits are small, 12-14" but in my living room, with the stove, about 6 ft away, they dry out fast, really.


 
I respectfully suggest that if you had resplit it immediately before measuring, you would have had a higher reading, probably close to the 24% you had the day before.


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## Hearth Mistress

WhitePine said:


> I respectfully suggest that if you had resplit it immediately before measuring, you would have had a higher reading, probably close to the 24% you had the day before.


I think you misunderstood me. The 24 was the fresh re-split side (our neighbor that helps me forgets I need small splits for my stove, not large like he can burn) I measured it when I re-split it, the 19 was a day later, after being near the stove for a day, same side  For the record, he burns ash in his Oslo right after he cuts it. If I do that, I get more sizzle than a pan of bacon!


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## WhitePine

Hearth Mistress said:


> I think you misunderstood me. The 24 was the fresh re-split side (our neighbor that helps me forgets I need small splits for my stove, not large like he can burn) I measured it when I re-split it, the 19 was a day later, after being near the stove for a day, same side  For the record, he burns ash in his Oslo right after he cuts it. If I do that, I get more sizzle than a pan of bacon!


 
Yes that is what I understood. To my knowledge, waiting even one day without resplitting (rerespliting if it has already been resplit) will result in an erroneous reading. As I understand it, the reading is valid only immediately after splitting. It must be taken within minutes, not hours. Anything else will result in a low reading due to the rapid evaporation of the surface moisture as soon as it is exposed to the air. I am suggesting, therefore, that the 19 was not representative of the interior of the split.


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## jdp1152

I've tried to hasten seasoning by bringing wood indoors and putting close to the insert.  I have not had any luck at all.  I have had luck in an open fireplace putting 4-5 splits vertically inside the fireplace...not in the fire, but dang close.  Close enough that I've caught one on fire before.  Mind you I did not test these for moisture, just noticed a drastic reduction in hissing when adding them to the flames after a bit.


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## HJsimpson

This is my first winter heating with soley ash and im really enjoying it. I currently have 21 cords of it and adding more each week so i will get to try some 2 to 3 year seasoned eventually. Splits geat and low on ash but since i have yet to burn or cut any oak i really cant compare. I have another 5 cords of mulberry, hard maple, hickory and walnut but with the amount of dying ash those stacks are not getting bigger yet. Sure beats the white elm i used for the last 2 winters.


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## Blue2ndaries

I really like ash; this is my first year burning it.  I would readily consider swapping out half of my oak cord-for-cord for ash as it seasons quicker than white oak and burns really well.


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## HDRock

WhitePine said:


> Yes that is what I understood. To my knowledge, waiting even one day without resplitting (rerespliting if it has already been resplit) will result in an erroneous reading. As I understand it, the reading is valid only immediately after splitting. It must be taken within minutes, not hours. Anything else will result in a low reading due to the rapid evaporation of the surface moisture as soon as it is exposed to the air. I am suggesting, therefore, that the 19 was not representative of the interior of the split.


 
Ash will drop 5% mc in a day split small ,stacked near stove, and it WAS re split before testing.
A ash tree standing dead, for a couple of years can have a MC of 16%,    cut some down that was 16%,  and burned it a month ago


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## firefighterjake

If I had to pick only one tree species to burn it would be ash . . . it's not up there like black locust, oak, etc. . . . but it seasons quickly, splits like a dream usually and is just a good all-around wood.


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## Backwoods Savage

Hearth Mistress said:


> All we have is ash here too, ash s pretty much ALL we have. While some folks cut it and burn it the same day, my stove doesn't like it. I have done it, in a pinch with some pallet wood but right off the saw, it's usually 25-28%. I spilt it small so it dries a bit faster but even when I bring some fresh cut in the house, it gets under 20% in about a day. Until an hour ago, I never had anything else to burn, it's kept us warm for a year now


 
Cut down an ash and it should be around 35% on the moisture and no way would it drop 5-8% in a day!


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## Hearth Mistress

Backwoods Savage said:


> Cut down an ash and it should be around 35% on the moisture and no way would it drop 5-8% in a day!


Beg to differ, maybe where you live the climate makes a difference but for months now I've been tackling an 85 ft ash tree that fell on our house during Sandy and was removed with a crane, cut into chunks and are now about 30"wide by 35"+ across rounds. On a 27 ton splitter, right off the bar they are measuring 28 at the highest so far.  This was not a dead tree, just huge. Even though it's been cut a few times now, even covered with snow last week, these suckers are dry. I split today, burning now, no sizzle, nothing but BTUs in my little stove.


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## HDRock

Backwoods Savage said:


> Cut down an ash and it should be around 35% on the moisture and no way would it drop 5-8% in a day!


  At 25% MC to start, then split small , stacked near stove, with fan on it, it will drop 5%, but no more,  in 24 hours. If it was 35% to start IDK


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## The Beagler

Great wood...have some I am burning this winter.  More next year.  A lot of dead/dying ash down here in Northern Ky.


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## oldspark

schlot said:


> Seems everyone likes Ash. Can't wait to use some next year. I put up about two cords of it, so I will be eager to see how it does.


 There is nothing like a good piece of Ash.


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## schlot

oldspark said:


> There is nothing like a good piece of Ash.


 
No one more than me! LOL.


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## jdp1152

HDRock said:


> Ash will drop 5% mc in a day split small ,stacked near stove, and it WAS re split before testing.
> A ash tree standing dead, for a couple of years can have a MC of 16%, cut some down that was 16%, and burned it a month ago


 
I just have not had that luck with dead ash yet.  I had a huge one right up near the house when I bought it.  I tried to negotiate having it taken down as part of the purchase agreement, but the previous owner didn't budge citing that it had been that way for years and not dropped a limb.  Had it taken down and the MC was all 25+.  Have two more dead ones bordering the road at the power lines that need taking down.  Might push the town to do it since it's technically on the town easement.  Perhaps I'll have better luck with those.  Much smaller diameter than the 3.5 foot one.  Was actually planning on splitting some from my driveway stacks and from my porch and comparing MC.  Both were cut in March.  One batch was split in August and other October.  I suspect the October splits are in better shape moisture wise since they've been out in the open and it stays pretty windy around here.


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## HDRock

jdp1152 said:


> I just have not had that luck with dead ash yet. I had a huge one right up near the house when I bought it. I tried to negotiate having it taken down as part of the purchase agreement, but the previous owner didn't budge citing that it had been that way for years and not dropped a limb. Had it taken down and the MC was all 25+. Have two more dead ones bordering the road at the power lines that need taking down. Might push the town to do it since it's technically on the town easement. Perhaps I'll have better luck with those. Much smaller diameter than the 3.5 foot one. Was actually planning on splitting some from my driveway stacks and from my porch and comparing MC. Both were cut in March. One batch was split in August and other October. I suspect the October splits are in better shape moisture wise since they've been out in the open and it stays pretty windy around here.


 
Probably not going to have that luck with a big O 3.5 foot diameter,
Sorry , I should have stated , the one I was speaking of ,that I cut down was a , weenie 12"diameter,


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## Applesister

Richprint29 said:


> Ash is awesome to burn. I heard you could burn it almost immediately after you cut it! And I found that to be true this year. I cut a couple of Ash trees down for a friend recently and split it within a few days. I let it sit for about 2 weeks, then tried to burn it. Guess what? It burned great. I was really surprised, but I guess its true that you really don't need to season Ash. As far as heat value, I always thought Ash was fine. It delivers plenty of heat, and has a fairly long burn time. Although not as good as Oak. Back in the day in England, this wood was referred to the King's wood. Because of it's desirable qualities  mentioned above, only the Kings men were allowed to take it from the forest. I give Ash 2 thumbs up!


Ash wood wet and Ash wood dry
A King shall warm his slippers by


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## Kevin Dolan

Backwoods Savage said:


> Welcome to the forum Rich.
> 
> That is an old wife's tale about burning it right away. Yes, it can be done but it should not be done. If you split that ash and stack it for a couple years you'll be amazed at the difference.


Totally agree with backwoods, we burn a lot of ash and it needs to be split and stacked for two years, best for burning in the EPA stoves. A friend of mine has an outdoor stove and told me he cuts and burns green ash in it no problem, his chimney is 4 feet and creosote is not a problem. I have some 3 year seasoned ash in a pile and tried burning it recently and it was still 25% moisture, so piling has its issues rather than stacking. But I love white ash for burning properly seasoned.
Kevin


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## shoot-straight

this is awsome news! i have 2-3 cords of cut ash at the house. i plan on using it next year, i hope to let my oak/locust stash sit for another year.


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## oldspark

Yep you can burn green ash that has just been cut and you can also burn old tires, dont make it right.


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## Backwoods Savage

Hearth Mistress said:


> Beg to differ, maybe where you live the climate makes a difference but for months now I've been tackling an 85 ft ash tree that fell on our house during Sandy and was removed with a crane, cut into chunks and are now about 30"wide by 35"+ across rounds. On a 27 ton splitter, right off the bar they are measuring 28 at the highest so far. This was not a dead tree, just huge. Even though it's been cut a few times now, even covered with snow last week, these suckers are dry. I split today, burning now, no sizzle, nothing but BTUs in my little stove.


 


HDRock said:


> At 25% MC to start, then split small , stacked near stove, with fan on it, it will drop 5%, but no more, in 24 hours. If it was 35% to start IDK


 

Okay.


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## AJS56

oldspark said:


> There is nothing like a good piece of Ash.


 
Amen.  As many have said in many ways here, ash kicks ash.


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## Cohis

wallycat said:


> How is ash to burn, compared with oak or maple? That sems to be all that's available in my area righ


One of the ol time wood burners I talk with, told me that the theory of burning "green" ash efficiently only applies if the ash is harvested during the winter months. His claim is that ash sends more sap than other species back to into the ground after the leaves fall off. 
Through recent experience I'm inclined to agree, because some ash I harvested this spring (5 mos. ago) is burning poorly, like I would expect greenish wood to burn. Cant wait to drop an ash this winter and see if it burns differently.


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## Bioburner

Ash is a highly sought wood in our area and if cut in winter to length will dry well over summer and split easily to dry down very fast in our area. Can be the perfect wood to burn a year after cut.


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