Wood/Tree ID

[bigealta]

So this (below quote) from the Maine.gov site doesn't make any sense.
If it's true than all the btu charts must either be wrong or we are mis understanding what and how they are measuring btu's and what those ratings relate to.

FROM Maine.gov
"All firewood is not created equal. While it’s true that the energy content of a pound of wood (dry - zero percent moisture), no matter the type, is about the same (8,600 Btu’s), the density of wood makes its wood burning quality quite different."

Here's the link if anyone cares.

https://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/projects/woodheatmaine/downloads/firewoodfacts1.pdf

 

[stoveliker]

Every rule has its exception...

I had the same question about black locust: often large growth rings (indeed fast growing), but BTUs that are "up there".
How?
Maybe because the chemical compounds in the wood is different from that of other trees? (Indeed BL is a legume, Oak definitely is not.)
Extreme example: a pound of gasoline does not have the same BTUs as a pound of 0% wood. Why? Different chemistry.

I'm not sure how mulberry would fit into that, though I could imagine it is farther away from "normal trees" too (given berries, which we mostly see in bushes, whereas most trees have nuts). I have no real knowledge though, but these things do go thru my head when I'm relaxing and pondering life firewood.

 

[CincyBurner]

yes, white mulberry (male).
Red mulberry (Morus rubra ) the native one has leaves that are scabrous (rough like sandpaper) on top and fuzzy/ pubescent on bottom.

I think I understand what Maine extension office was saying. That all wood with all things being equal has the same Btu's for a given weight; however, with wood all things are seldom equal. Wood is never 'completely dry', and some wood, like cottonwood, has greater proportion of air space by volume (less dense) than very dense wood like Osage-orange.
Components in wood, such as terpenes in pines can increase Btu some.