How does Cherry compare to Sweetgum

[teutonicking]

The charts that I have looked at say that cherry is not much better that Sweetgum, Poplar, and Pine. In my experience it is a lot better. It is not near as good as oak but I was surprised to see it closer to what I consider junk wood. Am I missing something here?

The BTUs may be close, but Cherry is way better for other reasons. It splits easily, seasons quickly, smells better, and is beautiful wood to have in your stacks. I got a load of cherry a few months ago and the grain was so nice I almost didn't want to use it as firewood. Sometimes I just stare at it out my window.

Sweetgum is the most difficult wood I have ever tried to split (and I was using a 22 ton splitter). It is incredibly
spongy when wet, and its very stringy even when dry. Its sort of like splitting four cords of wood and only getting one cord for your effort. If you don't have to split it, I would take it. The stringiness allows it to light very easily. It also makes a lot of fluffy ash.