# Anyone burn Boxelder



## wingsfan (Jan 17, 2012)

Does anyone burn boxelder in the stoves. I just got a englander 30 and the wife is now looking at trees in the yard.She hates the bugs so the boxelder have been on her list for a while. I did see it listed on sweeps website. But I never see it mention here much.How long to season it? I have split some from fallin trees for campfirewood, but that gets used right away.How does it burn in a stove also?


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 17, 2012)

Box elder is in the maple family. Most folks don't like it but it is okay during spring and fall. Not good for long time burning like you need during winter months. Even though it gets a bad rap, it is not that bad so long as you give it a year to dry. In fact, you'll probably like the looks of the wood as you will find red in the grain and some can be quite pretty. We had a home once that had 3 box elder trees and consequently had bugs and bugs and more bugs. We cut down one of the trees and that was the end of the problem with the exception of a very few. I say cut it and burn it.


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## Sorghum (Jan 17, 2012)

Boxelder bugs are only attracted to the female tree. The female tree might still have seeds hanging on. The male tree does not attract the buggers. So you might not want to cut all your boxelder's down.


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## Duetech (Jan 18, 2012)

Boxelder is about the same as silver maple. Lower density hard woods to be sure. Small enough splits can dry in a good summer if cut in late winter and get c/s/s and a lot of sun in a good climate. a moisture meter will take the lie out of guessing and direct the ready wood to the stove. It's not spoken of much because it doesn't yield like the better hardwoods even though it still burns. There seems to be a big gap from 17 millionish btu/cord (boxelder and such) and 19 millionish btu/cord black cherry but black cherry has the ups in fragrance too. 19 million will get you in to early winter without a lot of extra trapsing back to the wood pile like short nights on 17 million will do.


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## eclecticcottage (Jan 18, 2012)

We've got some in the stack from the past summer.  Amazing heart colors, some was blood red.  Haven't burned any yet though.


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## oldspark (Jan 18, 2012)

Beats the crap out of cottonwood.


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## Blue Vomit (Jan 18, 2012)

We cut and split this a few weeks ago.

enjoy the color, it fades fast.


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## elijah (Jan 18, 2012)

I've burned a bit.  As stated previously, burns and seasons like silver maple.  I'm burning silver maple and box elder the last few days.  Ignites easily and it also seasoned quickly. 7-8 months, I think, that is in Utah's desert climate.


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## 3fordasho (Jan 18, 2012)

I'm clearing a couple acre lot with lots of it.  Usually ugly, half dead/rotted junk trees.  Anything with punk I throw on the brush pile and that's about 50% of it.  What's left I save for a customer that burns it in a fireplace.  I don't bring any of it home but I have burned it in the past.  As mentioned it works ok for the shoulder season and is better than willow or cottonwood.   When I first moved into my house (25years ago) there was a good sized one leaning a bit towards the back of the house.  First project was to remove it... they are weak, weak trees that fall down all the time.   Back in my scrounging days I took part of a large trunk that was extremely knarley and deformed, center was hollow. The outer 6" was solid but it burned like crap for some reason and talk about hard to stack uglies....


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## wishlist (Jan 18, 2012)

Get that stuff wing. With the warmer weather we had this fall/early winter, it some great wood.  Since its already on your property, I'll say good score!


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## Trail_Time (Jan 18, 2012)

Burn it.  Great as a fire starter or early late season wood.  Burns hot, but fast.


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## BucksCounty (Jan 18, 2012)

I am burning now. Mixing it with oak, cherry, and maple.  Burns quick, but it burns.


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## wingsfan (Jan 19, 2012)

Well as soon as this cold spell breaks, looks like ill have to fire up the saw and splitter.


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## ansehnlich1 (Jan 19, 2012)

I love boxelder threads. I've ripped out, cut, and destroyed every boxelder on my property to make room for decent hardwoods to grow 

The stuff is light, rots quick, and smells bad when burning.

If I see a sprout in springtime I'll rip it out, yep, I've learned to identify the pest in it's first year emergence and simply tear 'em out when I see 'em. 

I'll encourage oak, cherry, maple, walnut, locust, hickory, ash, elm, and even cedar any day over boxelder.

I stopped burning it in my stove and threw it all on a pile and had the nastiest smellin' bonfire you could imagine.

Can ya tell I don't like the stuff???


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## Stubborn Dutchman (Jan 20, 2012)

I've been using approx. 6" rounds as a base course for my woodstacks. I figure they will last a couple of years until I can come up with something more permanent. I cut and split a few trees a while back, helping a friend clear some land for a pole barn. Once seasoned, the splits are light as balsa wood. I mix them in during the shoulder season. We used to call it gopher wood. You know, fill up the stove and go right back out for another load.


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## wingsfan (Jan 20, 2012)

Not to change the subject, but looking at the picture of the boxelder wood reminded me of my neighbor that went missing last year. Her live in had a tree service and a wood chipper. The missing girls sister went digging through the pile of wood chips and came across some chunks of wood with red in it and she was positive that is was the missing girls tissue and took it to the lab for testing..
With that being said, it is nice looking wood and now the wife wants a nice size sliver so I can make a table top for the large size old crock she got from her grandparents


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## Blue Vomit (Jan 21, 2012)

Cool, post some pics when u get it cut.


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## chvymn99 (Jan 21, 2012)

Its burnable, heavy when wet, but light as Balsa wood when seasoned.  Like the others have said, I've burned mine in the early fall with other heavier dense wood.  It catch's fire rather easily, making it a great fire starter.  Now, hopefully yours will split better than mine did.  Mine was twisted splits, smooth though.  The meat of the tree went circular around the tree.  Weird.

Good Luck....


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