What Wood Do You Burn In Your Stove?

I'm surprised you mentioned burning cottonwood, I did a few years back, and it seemed to burn up too quick and not give off much heat. Am I missing something there?
And I agree about the locust and the hedge, great for holding nighttime fires.
One of the good things about ash, is it has the lowest moisture content when green of any eastern hardwood. As you probably know, its also light,and it splits and burns well. I am definitely in favor of easy splitting wood, as I rely on the 'monster maul'. So elms and gums are at the bottom of my firewood wish list...

Free, dry(seasoned), easy to get.

Otherwise, whatever I can get to keep the house warm, type of wood doesn't matter much, oak/black locust are nice for the 8hr burns at night, and just about anything will keep the house warm during the day.

Creosote is a product of the burning process, to minimze its buildup in the appliance or chimney, learn how to burn properly, the wood supply gives its best btu when you follow best burning practice as well.

I used to cut and burn Oak and Hickory from tops that were left over..now I just get the ends from the stave mill. Nice White Oak with no bark, which means hardly any ashes.

I like locust or oak, sugar maple works okay, but silver maple isn't worth much.

We burn the scourge of Texas, mesquite. No shortage here.

Oak, walnut, and cherry.

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"They laughed, because he was different"

"He laughed, because they were all the same"

I usually don't split the cottonwood down very small. A lot of it that I have is less than 10" in diameter, so I leave it whole.

If anyone wants to come cut any "weeds" they are MORE than welcome to it!

We use the elm for the following reasons:
1. Free, lots of dead standing tree along the fence line.
2. The bases are rotting out and the trees are falling on the fence. Better to fall them in the direction and time when I want. It's irratating when the wind blows them over the fence (breaking the electric wire) or into the hay field (just before harvest).
3. Since the doctors put the metal plates in my arm, I can't swing a maul. So I chainsaw to length and rent a hydraulic splitter once a year for a day.

I am hoping to plant Eastern Red Cedar on 2 acres of very shallow soil. Can't grow anything there now but thistle. IT's very far from the well. Hope that weed "cedar" grows there. I personally believe quality "red" woods will be of high value as mankind continues to turn ag land into strip malls and subdivisions.

In the wood pile I have red oak, white oak, elm, ash, hickory, cedar and a great big pine knot that I chunk off small pieces to start fires.

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Usually oak...after the ice storm here I went door knockin and have 2-3 years of free wood piled up...about 1/2 oak and the rest mixed...people were glad too get rid of it....I would load some up and the neighbors would come over and ask if I would take theirs also...it was beutiful....minus the ice damage and no power or water for 11 days!!

Us too (except the horse turds). Pretty much anything but sweetgum..... and even that wasn't because of a lack of trying....

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Brad Bachelor
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"Loving an old bachelor is always a no-win situation, and you come to terms with that early on, or you go away.”
-- Jean Harris

ill be using some cedars for buildin and posts and my deck, but i have plenty so ill probably burn the rest in the stove

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"The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you."

AAAAAAAAA!

Around here, I can't imagine anyone PLANTING those things! They are EVERYWHERE, choking out good pastureland. They last about 2 years as a fence post, and are good for 3 things - (1) firewood, (2) mulch, and (3) bonefires. There are places on this farm that my Dad baled hay on in 1970. Now the weed cedars are so thick, the rabbits need a chainsaw to get through. The only time you see them used as a fence here, is as a decorative one. I have been trying to reclaim some of the pasture a little at a time - one of these days I'll get it done.

*EDIT* I guess there IS a 4th use - my goats LOVE to eat them!

Lots of black locust. It's a weed here. If I don't mow them off every year on the CRP ground. I would be swallowed up in black locust.

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We have now officially entered the twilight zone.

Yeah, during the time of the ice-storm I was out of work, so I had plenty of time to gather 2 or 3 years worth of firewood. The storms last July helped, also, St. Louis looked like a hurricane came through. I spent a few days just gathering oak that fell in one of the local parks... Get while the gettin's good, I say.... most municipalities just piled it up and burned it, so may as well heat the house with it...

Is black locust and honey locust the same? Which is the one with thorns? We've got a few of those around here, mostly down in the bottom ground.

Hickory, oak, ash. I have been known to burn persimmon in the past, when needed. The best thing about it is that it's fairly clean burning and produces tons of coals so you can let it burn down if things are too warm and have plenty of residual coals for lower heat or catching new logs.

I used exclusively cedar for kindling.

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God bless,
Brandon

Visit my blog Watchin' the World Go By

He who cultivates his land will have plenty of food,
but from idle pursuits a man has his fill of poverty
Proverbs 28:19

something missed here............round wood will burn longer than split wood........so don't split stuff you don't have to.........hardwoods seasoned are best........Keep it dry! Keep it dry!

Scott

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farmerscotty, i was thinking about that you answered before i asked thank you

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"The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you."

Honey Locust has thorns and are good to burn also but a pain to cut up. One stick from a honey locust thorn can be quite painful for days.

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We have now officially entered the twilight zone.