Why I Don't Burn Hickory

[Simonkenton]

in the wood stove. I got a truckload of hickory, I am going to roast a pig on a spit in October and hickory is the best.
I split it up 3 months ago and it was clean. But I looked at the pile today and saw piles of sawdust from the damn
bark beetles. I don't want to bring them into the house on a cold January day.
Plus, hickory is very hard to split.

 

[Prof]

I had a wood lot that was primarily hickory several years back. I worried about burning it because it could easily make the stove go nuclear. Were I live now, I have mostly beech and hemlock to burn. The former will still put the stove in the red zone--not as quick as the hickory though. Once the wood dries, the beetles will leave. I do, however, wonder if the holes will make the wood harder to season. I only have a few small hickories at my current place--I'll get back to you in about 20 yrs.

 

[Eman85]

Bugs are the least of my worries, they burn just like the wood and in the cold they aren't active. Hickory is great but it pops like mad especially when you open the stove and the fresh air hits it.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

thats just powder post beetle. Nothing to worry about. Its ok to bring into the house. Its not like the woods going to sit there for months. no larva will be turning into insects.. Youll be ok.. really..

 

[clr8ter]

In my wood stack, this is nothing new. ALL wood can have this happen. It seems to me that around here, the bugs prefer oak. Any oak that's green , particularly big rounds in a pile will have lots of those bugs in them. They're disgusting, but I split, stack, and move on.

 

[Simonkenton]

I burn lots of oak. Never seen these bugs in oak, not red or white.
It will work out for me, I will burn up all the hickory roasting a pig in October. I don't want these bugs in my house.
If the bugs don't bother y'all, have at 'em.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Hickory is an awesome firewood for the cold nights. I would deal with the mess and not worry about the insects. I would not be hand splitting it though.

 

[fvhowler]

Yep, I get powder post beetles in my hickory but doesn't impact the burn. I agree about splitting...by hand, it tough.

 

[mark cline]

Store it outside and only bring in a few pieces to put directly into the stove and mix with other species .

 

[Sawset]

in the wood stove. I got a truckload of hickory

You've gotten hickory in the past, and it's had beatles. What's up.

 

[Simonkenton]

I got this load of hickory, as I stated above, for roasting a pig. Hickory is the best wood for roasting a pig.
Seeing all these piles of powdered bug sawdust reminds me of why I don't use hickory for the wood stove.

If you like hickory, have at it.