# Best Burning Wood and Why?



## claybe (Jan 13, 2011)

Please tell me what kind of wood you burn and why you think it is the best.

I use Aspen because it burns clean(er) and just right for my stove insert (burns right at 450 to 500 which is what keeps my house toasty!)


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## thewoodlands (Jan 13, 2011)

claybe said:
			
		

> Please tell me what kind of wood you burn and why you think it is the best.
> 
> I use Aspen because it burns clean(er) and just right for my stove insert (burns right at 450 to 500 which is what keeps my house toasty!)



This is only our second year burning but I'll say Sugar Maple, it seasons in one year and gives off some nice btu's.



zap


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## EatenByLimestone (Jan 13, 2011)

Free wood.  It's the best because it's free.  I never worried about species.  

Matt


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## BrotherBart (Jan 13, 2011)

I think the best wood is what burns right in your stove and that keeps your house toasty. Well, unless it is toasting the furniture.  :smirk:


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## fredarm (Jan 13, 2011)

Dry red oak.  It lights quick and burns long.


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## offroadaudio (Jan 13, 2011)

Black locust - I have a lot of it on the property, it regenerates at an amazing rate (I've often said the best way to grow locust is to cut one down), it burns longer than any other wood that I have used. I believe there may be a hickory that is rumored to last longer, but I've not seen it personally.


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## Thistle (Jan 13, 2011)

BrotherBart said:
			
		

> I think the best wood is what burns right in your stove and that keeps your house toasty. Well, unless it is toasting the furniture.  :smirk:



Agreed.I usually am burning red/black/white oak & some hickory since its what I have the most of.But there hasnt been anything I've turned down when I had the spare time to cut & haul in off season. Its like with  food,some people have favorite foods like generic American 'comfort foods', Italian,Mexican,Thai,French,Chinese,German or BBQ etc. Dont matter to me,my fav is usually what I'm having at that moment,am not a picky eater at all.


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## North of 60 (Jan 13, 2011)

Lodge Pole Pine.  It gives the longest burns.  Spruce then poplar.  Birch is hard to come by(200miles) or else it would be the #1.


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## Todd (Jan 13, 2011)

I like the Oaks best. They may take a little longer to dry out but it's worth it. Long burns, little ash, splits easy and very abundant around here.


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## BrotherBart (Jan 13, 2011)

And as often has been said, free wood burns the best.


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## joshlaugh (Jan 13, 2011)

1.  Free wood.
2.  Sugar Maple
3. Hickory

I would like to find some fence rows of Osage orange to give that a try.  I keep hearing how great it is.  Grows around here but have not had the chance to get any


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## Stump_Branch (Jan 13, 2011)

Im a fan of Oak, state tree here. able to get bunches.
Poop-lar has its place in early season
locust I have wet dreams over
Paper birch, looking forward too
Tried a small bundle of apple and cherry, smell alone makes it worth it. heat and coals only help
have a semi rotten (I think) hickory round. Ill report later

Anything dry really, after trying some bought 'seasoned' stuff, Ill just say anything dry. 

if you have it though, OAK.


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## BrotherBart (Jan 13, 2011)

My favorite wood is Beech. I have big Beech trees but I ain't gonna cut'em just for firewood. But the smaller ones that have gotten whacked by storms were by far the sweetest burning wood I have ever seen.


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## FWWARDEN (Jan 13, 2011)

Sugar maple and iron wood, but I burn whatever I happen to cut down the previous year.  This year I'm burning mostly white birch, which is pretty good, but not great.


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## Stump_Branch (Jan 13, 2011)

BrotherBart said:
			
		

> My favorite wood is Beech. I have big Beech trees but I ain't gonna cut'em just for firewood. But the smaller ones that have gotten whacked by storms were by far the sweetest burning wood I have ever seen.



you have any pictures of this?

Im thinking i know what a beech tree looks like, possibly have a few around these parts. bark that peels off white underneath?


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## Thistle (Jan 13, 2011)

Stump_Branch said:
			
		

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That's White/Paper Birch,possibly other Birches do the same thing,I have no idea though.


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## Stump_Branch (Jan 13, 2011)

Thistle said:
			
		

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Ah beech, birch....must be my confusion

No beech pics though?


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## Thistle (Jan 13, 2011)

Beech  http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2694/4123158294_7a7282c47f.jpg


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## Pyromaniac (Jan 13, 2011)

My vote goes to Osage Orange(aka Hedge Apple). Scored a few cords of it last year and it burns hot like coal with only one year of seasoning. Only negative is that it sparks like a firework show! Next would be Shagbark Hickory and then Oak(it takes a couple years seasoning for it to truly show its glory though!)

Attached an Osage picture. It will dull a chain pretty nicely too!


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## chvymn99 (Jan 13, 2011)

Free is good...   But Hedge (Osage Orange) is my favorite followed by Hickory, and then Ash.


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## lowroadacres (Jan 13, 2011)

I can't recall coined the term "gotten wood" here on the forum but it stuck with me.

For me I have burned lots of different wood locally but mostly I have burned poplar and box elder.  Having turned the corner this year with being prepared with firewood ahead of time the Ash I am using is fantastic.

I find that whatever type of ash I am using ( I know that there are at least three kinds) has a ton of heat in it and it holds coals beautifully.  I hope to start gathering Oak this year that is blown down and beaver killed knowing of course that unless the moisture meter says it is dry enough it will stay out of my stove.  

As near as I can tell the Ash I have access too is a better bet than the oak because of the huge difference in drying time.


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Jan 13, 2011)

Thistle said:
			
		

> Its like with  food,some people have favorite foods like generic American 'comfort foods', Italian,Mexican,Thai,French,Chinese,German or BBQ etc. Dont matter to me,my fav is usually what I'm having at that moment,am not a picky eater at all.


  An opportunitarian


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## scottandlorig (Jan 13, 2011)

Well, I'd have to say the best for us is Ash. Why? Not just because it has almost the same BTU per cord rating as Oak, but because it was free!!  Years worth on the ground behind me all bucked and ready for splitting!


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## gyrfalcon (Jan 13, 2011)

claybe said:
			
		

> Please tell me what kind of wood you burn and why you think it is the best.
> 
> I use Aspen because it burns clean(er) and just right for my stove insert (burns right at 450 to 500 which is what keeps my house toasty!)



If you're keeping your house warm with what you've got, why worry?

That said, something (inaccurately) called "black birch" here in the NE is by far the best I've had-- hot as heck, little coaling, and dries in a year.  Most of what you get around here is Sugar Maple, and it's weak tea compared to the black birch.  When I can't get BBirch, American Beech (here called "blue beech") is my firewood of choice.  Shagbark hickory is also fabulous, but does coal more and is almost impossible to get here in volume, as is Hophornbeam, another great hard, high-BTU hardwood.

In my climate and with my too-small stove, ash is good only for shoulder season, alas.


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## modo (Jan 13, 2011)

Any species of oak is probably my favorite, as there is an abundance of it around here anyway.  Love the hickory also for the dead of winter (now) but don't cut as much of it because it is so tough it doesn't get blown down as much.  If I cut where a woods gets logged I try and stock up on it though.  Can't go wrong with a good mix of either one.


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## Bigg_Redd (Jan 13, 2011)

EatenByLimestone said:
			
		

> Free wood.  It's the best because it's free.  I never worried about species.
> 
> Matt



x2


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## Oldmainer (Jan 13, 2011)

Hi Folks...I burn a mix of hard wood...oak...birch...maple...cherry...etc. off my own wood lot. I also burn eastern white pine... which I burn mostly during the day and in the spring and fall.  I'm retired and at home so I can tend my stove all the time. My wood is seasoned anywhere from six months to one year before it is burned. Stove is a large Allnighter and is located in the basement. House is a ranch. My son burns the same wood as I do...which I c/s/s for him as well as for myself. He and I clean our own chimney's during the firing season.  Franklin


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## Stump_Branch (Jan 13, 2011)

lowroadacres said:
			
		

> I can't recall coined the term "gotten wood" here on the forum but it stuck with me.
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> For me I have burned lots of different wood locally but mostly I have burned poplar and box elder.  Having turned the corner this year with being prepared with firewood ahead of time the Ash I am using is fantastic.
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..careful Beavers wont usually go after Oak, they like softer woods. Mostly Poplar, which has a tendency to look like an oak this time of year.


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## billb3 (Jan 13, 2011)

the Beavers rarely  appreciate the morning wood, either ....


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## Cluttermagnet (Jan 13, 2011)

Overall, it's hard to beat Red Oak. Only well seasoned, of course. That's what I'm mostly getting lately.

Hickory splits, the few I've gotten, burned wonderfully. Very heavy wood, good coaling like Oak.

I've also burned Maple (probably Norway) and Cherry a lot.  Even Tulip (Yellow) Poplar gets a nod here- properly seasoned it gives a lot of BTU's. Good mixed in with Oak.

Have also been through some Mulberry and some Mimosa here. I liked both a lot.

Yep, free wood is the best, for sure. ;-)


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## Gunks (Jan 13, 2011)

Scrounged red oak.  It's free.  It's easy to split.  It burns long and hot.  What more can one ask for?


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## Thistle (Jan 13, 2011)

billb3 said:
			
		

> the Beavers rarely  appreciate the morning wood, either ....


  time to look for a new beaver then maybe  ;-P


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## smokinj (Jan 13, 2011)

Mix hardwoods with some pine kicker when needed! Cant merry just one! The wood playboy....lol


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## firefighterjake (Jan 13, 2011)

Equal opportunity burner here . . . I guess I don't really have any particular favorites . . . as long as it is dry and well seasoned it burns and keeps me warm. I like apple and cherry for the smell when processing . . . sugar maple, beech and yellow birch are some of my better BTU woods that I burn since I don't have a lot of oak, locust, hickory, etc. on the family land . . . I suppose if I was really forced to pick I would say I like white ash -- splits like a dream, seasons nicely and provides a good amount of heat.


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## Thistle (Jan 13, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> Mix hard woods with some pine kicker when needed! Cant merry just one! The wood playboy....lol



Go Hef go... :lol:


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## Stump_Branch (Jan 13, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> Mix hard woods with some pine kicker when needed! Cant merry just one! The wood playboy....lol



i have heard of an Ash hoe, but a wood...


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## smokinj (Jan 13, 2011)

Stump_Branch said:
			
		

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Yep fat med shinny I dont care if it make me a hoe....It all feels warm and fuzzy!


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 13, 2011)

The title of this thread, "Best Burning Wood and Why?" really maybe should have been a bit different. Some of the best burning woods are not always available to most folks. Perhaps you should name the best wood in your area as that would be more meaningful.

As for us, right now it is white ash and that is because of all the emerald ash borers killing all of our ash trees. However, if I were blessed with some good oak, then that would no doubt be my favorite. Still beech is another one but all the beech on our place now are just little things and they take a long, long time to grow. Even slower growing than oak. Apple is one of the best woods too but one does not usually find very large apple wood nor is there much that is straight. I could go on and on but won't.


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## Adios Pantalones (Jan 13, 2011)

Dry oak is hard to beat in my area, and by far is the hardwood to which I have best access.


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## jlove1974 (Jan 13, 2011)

hickory, white oak, red oak, and ash...in that order

The reason? Check any BTU chart. I would put ash over red oak for the simple fact
that it seasons faster.

But I have been burning more hickory than ever as of late, and you just can't beat that smell, or those hot glowing coals in the morning.
It's awesome firewood!

And I realize I am very blessed to have all of these at my disposal, and for free


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## basswidow (Jan 13, 2011)

In my 3rd year and I've had a large variety of woods to burn.  My favorites:

*Great wood:*
Oak (for the heat it gives off)  I wish I had all oak.
Cherry - probably my favorite - easy to find - splits like a dream - good heat
Ash - good stuff
Mulberry - also great stuff but a rare find

*OK Wood*
maple - a decent score but more of a so-so wood.
Black Locust - stuff doesn't impress me

*Least liked*,
Tulip Poplar - it's a light weight waste of a scrounge.  Why bother
Elm - I avoid it for the headache of splitting it and the BTU's aren't great.
Beech - another light weight wood - doesn't give off much in heat.
sumac - It grows on my property and when they fall - I'll cut them and burn it.


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## mellow (Jan 13, 2011)

Favorites:
White Oak and Black Cherry for me, I can't find much Red Oak.  

Most Used:
I burn sweetgum and maple more than anything, they usually season within 8 months when I split them small and burn good.


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## smokinj (Jan 13, 2011)

basswidow said:
			
		

> In my 3rd year and I've had a large variety of woods to burn.  My favorites:
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> *Great wood:*
> Oak (for the heat it gives off)  I wish I had all oak.
> ...




Think somethings wrong Beech is one of the very best btu's you can get. You may have the wrong I'd? I would run beech 100 percent of the time if more was around.


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## thewoodlands (Jan 13, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

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Good catch smokin, I'll take that beech.


zap


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## firefighterjake (Jan 13, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

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Thinking the same thing . . . love the beech . . . and it tends to be a heavier wood.


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## ISeeDeadBTUs (Jan 13, 2011)

claybe said:
			
		

> I use Aspen because it burns clean(er) and just right for my stove insert (burns right at 450 to 500 which is what keeps my house toasty!)



If Aspen is working for you, don't burn anything else. You'd never be able to go back.

And people that rank Maple as so-so are prolly not burning sugar Maple. Red and Silver ARE so-so. Sugar is hot stuff!


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## Stump_Branch (Jan 13, 2011)

zapny said:
			
		

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Son of a Beech, you beat me to it.


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## woodchip (Jan 13, 2011)

My favourite wood for burning when it's really cold is Hawthorn, a slow growing finely grained very dense hardwood. 
It's so hard, that if cut after standing dead for a while, it's easy to blunt a saw blade, it's almost like cutting into rock.

My favourite for burning when it's milder is Sycamore or Silver Birch. Both burn well and give a reasonable amount of heat.
Silver Birch, when cut standing dead in midwinter, will season enough to burn happily by the following autumn here.

Picture below of Hawthorn, probably not common in USA. It's a small tree, often found only as a bush. 
Trunk diameter is up to about 6 inches 4ft from the ground, usually smaller.


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## thewoodlands (Jan 13, 2011)

Stump_Branch said:
			
		

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I should be getting some beech this weekend if I can get to the downed tree.


zap


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## KarlP (Jan 13, 2011)

When the stove is cold or it is above 40 degrees, I think the best is white pine.  It gets going quick, burns hot, and leaves very little ash/coals.  Perfect for a cold start or a short fire in the early fall/late spring.

When its late in the day and its going to be a cold night, I think the best is mulberry.  Its slow burning rocket fuel.  I can get my stove crusing at nearly 700 degrees for many hours with the primary almost completely closed with mullberry.

If I'm working outside while the stove is burning inside, I think the best is cherry.  It burns fairly long and hot, but I don't need to watch it closely for overfire in the first hour like with a full load of mulberry. It smells reat_ outside.

When the gas bill comes, I think the best wood is the nearly free kind.


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## wood-fan-atic (Jan 13, 2011)

I burn mostly oak(red and white) - I scrounge,and its what I come across most often. But my favorite burning wood is Black Locust. Both oak and locust burn hot and long -  but the one year seasoning time puts the locust over the top, IMHO. Ash and cherry are fall and spring favorites,also. I only have room for about 7 cords on my property, so I dont waste space with softwoods anymore.


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## basswidow (Jan 13, 2011)

zapny said:
			
		

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Oops,  not beech,  maybe birch?  I am not 100% on the ID.  It had a silver smooth bark and bleach white inside.  Split like a dream and seasoned good - but is light like balsa wood.  Not beech....  my bad.  Did look alot like the picture posted though.


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## dannynelson77 (Jan 13, 2011)

basswidow said:
			
		

> In my 3rd year and I've had a large variety of woods to burn.  My favorites:
> 
> *Great wood:*
> Oak (for the heat it gives off)  I wish I had all oak.
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How does Black Locust not impress you??  Its crazy high on the BTU chart, its splits easy, and it seasons fast.  That actually sounds like the PERFECT wood to me!


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## gyrfalcon (Jan 13, 2011)

basswidow said:
			
		

> Oops,  not beech,  maybe birch?  I am not 100% on the ID.  It had a silver smooth bark and bleach white inside.  Split like a dream and seasoned good - but is light like balsa wood.  Not beech....  my bad.  Did look alot like the picture posted though.



American Beech has sort of pebbly blue-gray bark, and the bark on older trunk wood is often sort of pockmarked with small raised round lesions, which are caused, I believe, by some sort of insect or disease that's endemic to beech.  The wood itself is a pale kind of salmon-color, and it's often moderately stringy and twisted.  Definitely more difficult to split than a straight-grained wood like maple.

And you need to figure out which kind of maple you're burning there because there's a big difference between the burning qualities of silver maple, red maple and sugar maple (rock maple it's called here).  Rock maple has the same BTU as oak, but red and silver are well down below that.  And beech is well above even rock maple, one of the best hardwoods there is widely available for burning.

There are a lot of different kinds of birch, too, and some are better burning than others.  The real white "paper birch" dries quickly (also rots quickly) and burns nicely and hot, but very briefly.  It's about perfect kindling wood, I think.


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## gyrfalcon (Jan 13, 2011)

ISeeDeadBTUs said:
			
		

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Not really.  Sugar maple (rock maple it's called here in maple country) is about the same as oak, well below beech, black birch, hickory, hophornbeam, etc., as a hot-burning wood.


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## bogydave (Jan 13, 2011)

We have 2 options here. Birch & spruce.
I burn both for various reasons at various times.
I prefer birch, best btu wood we have but spruce burns well also.

Best wood??:
Gotten wood


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## spacecowboyIV (Jan 13, 2011)

For a good fire show Its been a lot of fun burning some good dry cedar in the evenings, but for the heat I have to say honey locust.


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## Thistle (Jan 13, 2011)

woodchip said:
			
		

> My favourite wood for burning when it's really cold is Hawthorn, a slow growing finely grained very dense hardwood.
> It's so hard, that if cut after standing dead for a while, it's easy to blunt a saw blade, it's almost like cutting into rock.
> 
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> ...



There's over a dozen Hawthorns that are native to the Midwest & Eastern US,several more in Western US.I've seen a few scattered specimens in the odd fencerow,prairie or edge of woodland.Not common at all though.They are usually small trees or large shrubs,rarely over 20-25 tall max.Some of the biggest thorns will be 2 or 2 1/2" long,I heard stories growing up that they'd go through a tractor tire sidewall,it wouldnt surprise me none.In the Rose family,related to apple,cherry,pear & other fruitwoods.Quite dense,similar to apple,crabapple & pear,more so than cherry what little I've seen & cut.Takes a high polish,shapes very smoothly also.


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## gyrfalcon (Jan 13, 2011)

Thistle said:
			
		

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## woodchip (Jan 13, 2011)

Our native Hawthorn (Crataegus mongyna) is actually quite a special tree over here. 
It is the tree of fertility, and flowers in May, also known here as the May Tree. 

Strong associations with fairies in many folk tales have helped stop it being cut wantonly as firewood.
I would never cut a live one, not because of superstition, but big ones are quite rare.

The flowers and berries are a known cardiac tonic, and the young buds and leaves have a nutty taste.

The thorns are vicious, and they make great hedging trees. 
The only thing I have ever seen hanging from them at low level is wool, when sheep scratch themselves and bits of fleece come off. 

The Holy Thorn of Glastonbury, which flowers at Christmas as well as May, is a Hawthorn. 

Yes, I like our Hawthorn trees, they really are interesting little trees


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## gyrfalcon (Jan 13, 2011)

woodchip said:
			
		

> Our native Hawthorn (Crataegus mongyna) is actually quite a special tree over here.
> It is the tree of fertility, and flowers in May, also known here as the May Tree.
> 
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> ...



You hardly have shrikes in England anymore.  There's the Great Gray shrike which winters there in small numbers, and the once native Red-Backed shrike has virtually disappeared as a breeding species-- one pair, I believe, in Dartmoor.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/biodiversity/keyspecies/birds/red-backedshrike.aspx


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Jan 13, 2011)

Thread derail, but when I lived in Florida I attracted a pair nesting pair of loggerhead shrikes to my feeder.   I fed them mealworms to begin with, but when that got too $$, cut up beef heart (and I wasn't eating meat at the time :lol.  When their babies fledged the parents would leave them in my shrubs!    It was so cool to watch them hunt lizards.


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## CountryBoy19 (Jan 13, 2011)

Pyromaniac said:
			
		

> It will dull a chain pretty nicely too!


I've heard that from a lot of people, but I don't buy it.

I scored about 4 cords of Hedge/Osage here this past fall and it cut just fine for me. Sure it will dull a chain faster than softer woods, but when you consider how dense it is, it doesn't dull the chain much more than any other wood (relatively speaking).

My favorite woods, I'm not sure yet. This is my first year burning.

Sugar maple tends to leave a lot of coals behind, but maybe that's because it's not ideally seasoned. MC shows 20-22% when I measured it but my HF cheapo meter may be tricking me.

Haven't gotten to try oak yet.

White ash is good stuff

Hedge is wonderful! I didn't have much seasoned hedge, but I had enough to have a few fires with it.

On the plate for next year I have locust and more sugar maple.

The year after that I'll get into my oak. The hedge is my "emergency reserve", being rot resistant should allow me to keep it for a long time.


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## gyrfalcon (Jan 14, 2011)

~*~Kathleen~*~ said:
			
		

> Thread derail, but when I lived in Florida I attracted a pair nesting pair of loggerhead shrikes to my feeder.   I fed them mealworms to begin with, but when that got too $$, cut up beef heart (and I wasn't eating meat at the time :lol.  When their babies fledged the parents would leave them in my shrubs!    It was so cool to watch them hunt lizards.



Further derailment-- I think they're really cool birds.  They sing sort of like a mockingbird, and even in winter.  Apparently, their tactic is to imitate the songs and chirps of other birds in order to lure them within range...


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## HittinSteel (Jan 14, 2011)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> Mix hardwoods with some pine kicker when needed! Cant merry just one! The wood playboy....lol



Yes Jay....... I've got red/white oak, norway, poplar, hickory, ash, cherry and some red elm. I take whatever the summer storms, disease or tree services give me.


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## smokinj (Jan 14, 2011)

HittinSteel said:
			
		

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The only tree I have turn down is a big and I mean BIG Cottonwood 1/4 mile away. Just not worth sharpening the chains that much and oh she stinks bad when split,,,,,,


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## claybe (Jan 14, 2011)

Thanks for all of the responses....I scored some Aspen at a great price and that's what I have been burning lately.  I don't have time to go after free wood right now (something to definitely do this summer) so I am going to be buying more wood to get through the season.  Looks like the majority go with oak which I can get around here....


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## bboulier (Jan 14, 2011)

I agree with those who say:  "Cheap is good!".  But, here is a more nuanced version from the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory:   http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html


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## Pyromaniac (Jan 14, 2011)

slow internet. Let me try again....


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## Pyromaniac (Jan 14, 2011)

Huh. Learned something tonight. Always thought that beech was somewhat of a softwood and not much as a firewood tree. Have quite a few large ones in my woods that I've never thought much of other than being mast for the wildlife. After referencing a few BTU charts after a reading comments here it turns out it is a very nice specimen for burning too! Thanks guys! (I think I was confusing it with birch in terms of BTU's)

I also have to correct my earlier statement that was pointed out that Osage(Hedge) dulls a chain quickly too. It makes you FEEL like you've got a dull chain when cutting. When I was cutting quite a bit last year in a fencerow I would cut on a cherry log after a bit too make my saw (and myself) feel better about itself! I think being denser that it does dull a chain a bit faster but not as much as it feels like when cutting it. That's why I used the 7900 to compensate!


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## krex1010 (Jan 14, 2011)

Best firewood? I tend to go for the stuff that is on the top of the stack.


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## Wood Duck (Jan 14, 2011)

woodchip said:
			
		

> Our native Hawthorn (Crataegus mongyna) is actually quite a special tree over here.
> It is the tree of fertility, and flowers in May, also known here as the May Tree.
> 
> Strong associations with fairies in many folk tales have helped stop it being cut wantonly as firewood.
> ...



Here in Pennsylvania native hawthorn is a fairly common small tree. There are several species and they are hard to tell apart sometimes. I haven't cut any for firewood, but it seems like it would be tough to work with because of the thorns. There is a big one under the powerline near my yard, and one of these days the power company is going to cut it down, so maybe I will have a chance to see how it burns.


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## Cascade Failure (Jan 14, 2011)

krex1010 said:
			
		

> Best firewood? I tend to go for the stuff that is on the top of the stack.



Nope. The top of the stack is just sitting there. 

But, even crappy wood in the stove is doing something for me.


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## basswidow (Jan 14, 2011)

Pyromaniac said:
			
		

> Huh. Learned something tonight. Always thought that beech was somewhat of a softwood and not much as a firewood tree. Have quite a few large ones in my woods that I've never thought much of other than being mast for the wildlife. After referencing a few BTU charts after a reading comments here it turns out it is a very nice specimen for burning too! Thanks guys! (I think I was confusing it with birch in terms of BTU's)



Yeah,  me too.  

Scrounging trees makes it tough to know all the species.  Oak, cherry, and ash are easy for me.  

We have sugar maples in NNJ - I know this because a neighbor goes up to High Point where he has some tree's tapped and makes syrup.  So I'd love to burn a good sugar maple tree.  The maple I have is not sugar maple.  It's a neighborhood type maple tree that got massive and was taken down.  It was a son of a gun to split and just seems to burn so-so.  

I know it ruffles feathers for me to say - my Black Locust doesn't impress me.  I know there are BTU charts, but I swear the black locust in my avatar is what I am burning now and it's been a disappointment.  It does not put out the heat like other wood I have.  Maybe I got a bum tree?  It was dead standing for quite some time.


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