Background - a while ago I got my first score of almost free logs dropped off at my house. It was a mix of trees that the tree guys called 'junk' that cost me just a nice tip to the driver - they said it was mostly poplar and other 'low grade' wood. I took it anyway as it was my first year and I wanted anything I could get and who can say no to free wood eh?
Cutting into it and learning here I found several logs were black birch (nice smell gave it away). I of course stacked this up along with the rest and didn't think much of it other than it was better than the poplar and smelled really nice cutting and splitting.
Fast forward to yesterday afternoon... I've been burning mostly the poplar and some of the birch has found its way into the house too. Also some apple from a CL find. I have been setting the apple aside for a 'cold night' since I figured it was my best wood for that. I decided to try burning a load of just birch to see how it would do... I loaded up a half dozen pieces and got it settled in... 7 hours later I'm wanting to get to bed and it is still throwing off good heat - too many coals to reload, stove sides are 450* (500 on door). House is nice and warm - not cooling down despite falling outside temps. How very odd I think... this gets me wondering and I had to go look up on the ol' BTU charts and that's when I discovered that black birch has a higher btu/cord than apple or oak. Hmm... I didn't realize it was so good! ha. So here I've been mixing it in and setting aside the apple when perhaps I should be doing it the other way around eh?
Anyway - an hour later (after turning up the air more to burn it down faster) I loaded up a full load of apple (it was a cold night) and finally got some sleep... woke up to a very warm house and no need to load the stove until after I had been up for an hour. Totally messing up my schedule here, ha.
Glad I have about a cord of that birch in the pile for this winter.. should help make up for the poplar. I need more good finds like that load.
Cutting into it and learning here I found several logs were black birch (nice smell gave it away). I of course stacked this up along with the rest and didn't think much of it other than it was better than the poplar and smelled really nice cutting and splitting.
Fast forward to yesterday afternoon... I've been burning mostly the poplar and some of the birch has found its way into the house too. Also some apple from a CL find. I have been setting the apple aside for a 'cold night' since I figured it was my best wood for that. I decided to try burning a load of just birch to see how it would do... I loaded up a half dozen pieces and got it settled in... 7 hours later I'm wanting to get to bed and it is still throwing off good heat - too many coals to reload, stove sides are 450* (500 on door). House is nice and warm - not cooling down despite falling outside temps. How very odd I think... this gets me wondering and I had to go look up on the ol' BTU charts and that's when I discovered that black birch has a higher btu/cord than apple or oak. Hmm... I didn't realize it was so good! ha. So here I've been mixing it in and setting aside the apple when perhaps I should be doing it the other way around eh?
Anyway - an hour later (after turning up the air more to burn it down faster) I loaded up a full load of apple (it was a cold night) and finally got some sleep... woke up to a very warm house and no need to load the stove until after I had been up for an hour. Totally messing up my schedule here, ha.
Glad I have about a cord of that birch in the pile for this winter.. should help make up for the poplar. I need more good finds like that load.
