Firewood question

[foaly]

After the December ice storm, there have been hundreds/thousands of people with broken trees on their property. OKC officials have been telling us in the newspaper not to take it upon ourselves to help relieve our neighbors' difficulties by taking their trees/wood to use as firewood as most trees are not good for firewood.

True or am I being hoodwinked?

[ozarkcat]

A little of both - a lot of folks don't realize you can have a lot of creosote build-up if you burn green wood, and end up with a lot of house fires. If you let it season, it should be fine.

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

almost anything burns fine after a year of seasoning might stay away from black walnut i have heard it has a resin that can be toxic , but others say that new epa stoves are so tight that all burns and goes up the chimny none getting back in the house

[Michael Kawalek]

Cat is correct. Green wood is not going to burn well, but age it a year and it will be great. It also depends a lot on the species. Light woods like willow, popular and cottonwood make poor firewood choices. Heavy hardwoods like oak, hickory, pecan, cherry/apple will make fantastic firewood (if it's aged/dried). As a general rule of thumb, use light woods like cottonwood or pine only to get a fire started. After lit, burn the heavy species like oak, larch, or others.
Michael

[Annsni]

I'd be having a field day and get a nice large stack in the yard. Let it age for about a year or so and you should be good. I just wouldn't burn pines but otherwise, it's a great resource for wood for next year!

[WisJim]

There is no problem using black walnut for firewood. The roots of the tree exude a material that is not good for SOME other plants, and the same compound can affect plants if used as a mulch, but there is nothing about walnut that is toxic to people or animals. Actually, nutwoods are usually denser wood and make better than average firewood, but can also be more desirable for cabinet wood or carving.

[Hooligan]

I would certainly argue with the statement "MOST trees aren't good for firewood."

The fact is that MOST all trees will burn, especially if they are allowed to dry out properly.

I wouldn't waste my time, effort and gas/oil to haul a bunch of light wood like pine or poplar or butternut home but I would cut up a poplar or butternut that fell near enough the house and burn it up.

I think your most likely sitting on a gold mine of free firewood!

[greg273]

The majority of trees to be damaged in ice storms are the maples and other soft low-heat value woods. Yeah, you can burn it, properly seasoned, but it doesnt hold very much heat value. I've got a huge pile of it from the ice storms of late 06, its my 'daytime wood', to be used when I can attend the woodburner several times a day. The stuff burns up quick.

[texican]

In my experience, creosote fires are a result of slow burning, air tight stoves... Fireplaces, with an open damper, don't have problems burning wet (hours old cut) wood... you just need a pine knot underneath it to get her going... a green log will burn all night.

We had fireplaces growing up in all of our families homes... green wood was de rigeur... any wood that sat outside for a year would be eaten up by mold, rot, decay, mushrooms, termites, worms... Don't recall anyone ever having a chimney fire.

But, for legal purposes, ( ) I'd recommend you season it at least 2 years ... and only burn wood, with a fire extinguisher handy, and some of those 'fire out' sticks...

imho, storm busted wood is the best for firewood... most of it's been busted up already... if you're splitting with an axe or maul, it's a lot easier to split...

[RichieC]

That open-damper fireplace will also draw more heat up the chinmey and away than it will actually deliver to your home.

Fireplaces are for ambiance, not heat. At least if you live where it actually gets cold.

[brownegg]

If it is free you have nothing to lose and heat to gain. Some species are better than others, however all wood has btu value and fre btu's is the way to go. Pine is ok if split smaller to make a eaisier burn without smoldering so much. I burn some cords of pine every year. Free fuel is a no-brainer, and looking the gift horse in the mouth would be wrong.

[fishhead]

Sounds like OKC officials don't know what they are talking about. It could have health implications of all the city people fired up their fireplaces at once.

[edcopp]

There is a world of difference in the kinds of firewood.

First off it all needs to be seasoned. 6 months to a year is good and 2 years is better yet. If this wood is recently blown down it is most likely not ready to burn yet.

What is your purpose? If heat is your purpose you need well seasoned hardwood. Oak and hickory are among the best, and are sometimes scarce around O.K.C.

If you just want a fire for decorative purposes, a few hours now and then most any kind of wood will do as long as it is properly seasoned. Poplar, and cottonwood are common. Their heat value is minimal, they look nice but do not burn very hot.

So if you are going to spend time gathering wood for firewood, learn the harder kinds and season it properly. You might want to charge for your clean up services, this will help too.

[RoseGarden]

It sounds to me like the OKC 'officials' may have other motives for not wanting people to cut up and use firewood. Could be all sorts of reasons..they don't want inexperienced people getting hurt/killed, they don't want a dent put in the local gas/propane sales, etc. To say 'most' wood isn't good for firewood is questionable at best, and at worst assumes people are stupid. If I recall, there is a LOT of oak and hickory around the general OKC/Bethany/Tinker AFB/Moore/Norman area east to Thuderbird Lake. Just be sure what you're cutting is good for burning. Heck, I wouldn't sit by and let the city/county come by and dispose of it. That's $$$ for the taking, either in terms of what you can save on your own heating bills or what you can split it and sell it for.

[heather]

I'd be on the lookout for a nice downed cherry

[js2743]

Originally Posted by texican

In my experience, creosote fires are a result of slow burning, air tight stoves... Fireplaces, with an open damper, don't have problems burning wet (hours old cut) wood... you just need a pine knot underneath it to get her going... a green log will burn all night.

We had fireplaces growing up in all of our families homes... green wood was de rigeur... any wood that sat outside for a year would be eaten up by mold, rot, decay, mushrooms, termites, worms... Don't recall anyone ever having a chimney fire.

same here texican we always burned green wood with no trouble and most time the door was open a lil it would be so hot inside. but we never loaded the stove up and then closed the vents for a slow burn it was always open. and never had trouble with creosote, have seen the stove and pipe cherry red many a time from green wood.

Originally Posted by greg273

The majority of trees to be damaged in ice storms are the maples and other soft low-heat value woods. Yeah, you can burn it, properly seasoned, but it doesnt hold very much heat value. I've got a huge pile of it from the ice storms of late 06, its my 'daytime wood', to be used when I can attend the woodburner several times a day. The stuff burns up quick.

I second what greg says. Most city people dont plant hardwood trees in their yards. It's mostly trees such as maple, popular, cottonwood, and such. Once seasoned it will burn but will not be your choice wood for heat.

[Hoosierdaddy]

I burn walnut when it is available and seasoned, but be careful when cutting it. I once cut up a Black Walnut tree for firewood, while wearing a pair of pants with a hole in the knee. When I got done for the day and removed my shoes and socks, there was a pile of walnut shavings packed against my ankle. The next day all the skin on my ankle blistered and peeled off. I have a healthy respect for the Juglone in Walnut. and will tell you without a doubt, IT IS TOXIC TO HUMANS!

[cornbread]

How is sweet gum for firewood.

[greg273]

Originally Posted by cornbread

How is sweet gum for firewood.

Very tough to split. The grain is very wavy, at least on the few pieces I ran across. It is heavy enough to be worthwhile, if you can avoid having to split too many pieces...