# Which unseasoned wood would you burn?



## rdust (Nov 23, 2009)

I know the obvious answer is none!

Right now I'm burning seasoned white ash and have almost a cord of 2 year seasoned oak after the white ash is gone.  Once those are gone I'm going to be burning less then ideal wood.  I have choices of silver maple, oak, Hickory or white ash.  None of these species are just dropped unseasoned but cut and split since spring/early summer seasoned, the white ash was standing dead cut/split in September.  Of the pieces I've checked most have a m/c in the high 20's or low 30's.  

Of the listed species what will burn the moisture out the easiest?


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## NHFarmer (Nov 23, 2009)

The white ash will be the best


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## gzecc (Nov 23, 2009)

2x white ash- than the hickory (shagbark)


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## smokinj (Nov 23, 2009)

ash then silver maple


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## schwaggly (Nov 23, 2009)

not that I'm an expert but I would mix the unseasoned into a hot stove as you go. If you stretch it out you may make it.


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## jebatty (Nov 23, 2009)

Sorry to say, but I "wood" burn first the wooden head that thought about burning green wood.


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## Duetech (Nov 24, 2009)

There are many proponents for ash in this forum. Btu wise the white ash is very similar to the red oak but apparently dries much faster. Some say it is an "emergency" type burning wood. Go for all the white ash you can get and then I second gzecc on the hickory. I am currently trying to burn some silver maple that was cut and split this summer but is still moist. It doesn't do well in my boiler and I would not want it for the dead of winter but a shoulder season would be okay.


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## LLigetfa (Nov 24, 2009)

I would burn natural gas and save the wood for when its time comes.


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## rdust (Nov 24, 2009)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> I would burn natural gas and save the wood for when its time comes.



If I could get a natural gas hook up I wouldn't even own a wood stove!  I would have nice fires in my fireplace while I was watching a movie and that's about it.  I'm on the pane and don't wish to give them any of my money.  Of course it's a buck a gallon cheaper this year then last year so it won't hurt as bad if I let the furnace run some.


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## rdust (Nov 24, 2009)

jebatty said:
			
		

> Sorry to say, but I "wood" burn first the wooden head that thought about burning green wood.



It's my first year and I'm not the first and won't be the last to do it.  I have 12 cords that I processed this spring/summer so I don't plan to have this issue in the future.  The wood I have on hand is still better then the "seasoned" wood I could buy from a dealer right now.


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## SolarAndWood (Nov 24, 2009)

rdust said:
			
		

> I have 12 cords that I processed this spring/summer



Do that for a few years and you will be one happy burner.


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## stockdoct (Nov 24, 2009)

Get some pallets from industrial companies nearby.  Skill-saw your pallets for 10-14" pieces.   Mix your unseasoned hardwood (20-30% moisture)  with pallet wood  (8-10% moisture)  and you'll have hot temperatures, good burns, and then prepare better for next year.
                     Mike


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## rdust (Nov 24, 2009)

stockdoct said:
			
		

> Get some pallets from industrial companies nearby.  Skill-saw your pallets for 10-14" pieces.   Mix your unseasoned hardwood (20-30% moisture)  with pallet wood  (8-10% moisture)  and you'll have hot temperatures, good burns, and then prepare better for next year.
> Mike



I can get all the pallets I want from my shipping department at work.  I've been using them for kindling to get the fire started and stacking wood on.  I guess I can mix some in to see how they work.  

Next years wood is done and probably the year after, I plan to use 4-5 cords a year and have around 12 right now.  I'll be cutting soon, I just wanted to get an idea on what my consumption would be before I started going crazy with the saw.  I'm shooting to have three years worth of wood on hand, I have no interest in making my wood foot print bigger then that.


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## Tony H (Nov 24, 2009)

Split the silver maple small and it will dry fairly fast.
Any chance you can trade some of your wood with a buddy for some seasoned stuff ?


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## maplewood (Nov 24, 2009)

Tony H said:
			
		

> Split the silver maple small and it will dry fairly fast.
> Any chance you can trade some of your wood with a buddy for some seasoned stuff ?



+1.  Splits are your best choice for now.  Mixing is a good option.  Is the wood outside?  Can you move it in near a heat source, to speed up the drying?
Been there, done that.


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## ikessky (Nov 24, 2009)

rdust said:
			
		

> LLigetfa said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Take it from someone who does have natural gas.  You still don't want to burn it.  Wood heat just feels warmer all around.  Had the t-stat at 68 and was still cold the other day.  Last night, I fired up the wood furnace and even at around 67 degrees, I was much more comfortable than the day before.  My bills from last winter were well over half of what they were the previous year and the house was warmer.

Oh, and I vote for the white ash as well.


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## Backwoods Savage (Nov 24, 2009)

Rdust, it is a no brainer. Burn the white ash. A little of that pallet wood mixed in with each fire will help a lot. It would be similar to what we do with adding soft maple along with the ash.


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## firefighterjake (Nov 24, 2009)

Easy answer (barring the obvious answer that burning any unseasoned wood is not good  ) . . . fact is, many of us are where you are . . . easy answer = white ash. Last year, like most every other newbie, I had some wood that was less than ideal . . . the bad news . . . the good news is that I was mostly using standing dead elm which was dead-dead (had been dead for years, bark falling off or bare) and it got me through most of the winter with good results. However, we had a long winter and I had to dip into my wood that I had in reserve . . . wood I was hoping to save for this year . . . however, this wood was nearly all white ash and while I wouldn't want to burn with that wood all winter long it was seasoned enough by the end of the winter to get me through to the end of Spring with no problems. However, the key was to make sure the fire was good and hot . . . and using pallet pieces definitely helped since the ash still was not seasoned as much as it should have been. In either case if you have to dip into this wood, go with the ash, but be sure to be extra diligent in checking and cleaning the chimney.


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## rdust (Nov 24, 2009)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Rdust, it is a no brainer. Burn the white ash. A little of that pallet wood mixed in with each fire will help a lot. It would be similar to what we do with adding soft maple along with the ash.



Pretty much what I figured.  I know the ash starts out with a low M/C but figured since it was only split and stacked in Sept. one of the others might be better.  

Last night I tossed in a small split of the oak and was surprised how well it burned.  It had a little moisture come out of the end from under the bark but that was it.  I'm going to test some of the other species to see how they do.  I won't need them for another month or two so by then the dry winter air may have helped them along some more.  By January most of my wood will have 9-10 months of seasoning time so I might make out better then I think??


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## ISeeDeadBTUs (Nov 24, 2009)

Oak will be very tough if its not ready.

Find someon that has plenty of immediate wood, but needs some two year out wood. Trade them your oak for their seasoned wood. Get in the woods and gather firewood now! This weather is not going to last forever


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## Valhalla (Nov 24, 2009)

Swap some wood with a local neighbor or
friend that has an oversupply of seasoned 
wood. You do the swap and stacking.  

Stop by a nearby woodburner neighbor.  
Invite them to dinner. Make a new friend. 

Priceless!


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## rdust (Nov 24, 2009)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

> the good news is that I was mostly using standing dead elm which was dead-dead (had been dead for years, bark falling off or bare) and it got me through most of the winter with good results.



Hmmm  I have one standing dead elm with no bark on my property.  I was going to cut it but it's in a bad spot and is bound to get hung up on the other tree's around it.  Maybe I'll man up and deal with it this weekend.  It's a decent sized tree that will probably yield a couple face cords.  It's not around anything so I was going to just let nature take it's coarse and let the pieces fall of it till it was down to nothing.


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## rdust (Nov 24, 2009)

Valhalla said:
			
		

> Swap some wood with a local neighbor or
> friend that has an oversupply of seasoned
> wood. You do the swap and stacking.
> 
> ...



I live in the country and most of my neighbors burn wood.  Unfortunately they're just starting to work on this years wood now.  :lol:


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## Wood Duck (Nov 24, 2009)

I haven't tried burning fresh ash, but everyone says it burns well, so that would be my first choice. After that I'd go with Silver Maple that I split small and stacked in the wind. I figure the maple will season faster than oak or hickory, and I would hate to burn really good woods like oak or hickory before they are ready. The silver maple will never be a really high BTU wood no matter how dry, so you are losing less potential heat by burning it early.


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