In today’s second bonus battle we have a couple of heavy hitting heat monsters. Honey Locust and Blue Beech. Let’s begin with Thorny......I mean Honey Locust. He offers up an impressive 23.7 MBTU’s of heat potential in each cord and seasons in 24 months. He says once you get past his prickly outer appearance he’s all business and will heat your house like no other. His opponent Blue Beech says otherwise. Also offering 23.7 MBTU’s of heat potential and also seasoning in 24 months. He says he’s the clear winner. I don’t know Honey Locust and Blue Beech, Let’s let the voters decide!!!
Not much of either one around here. I did get some dead standing HL a few years ago. The township crew did most of the work removing the thorny limbs so it wasn't to bad to work with. Good burning wood.
No Blue Beech... But Plenty of Thorny and Unthorny Honey Locust around here... Honey Locust ranks right up there with my Oak and Hedge as the deep cold weather burning woods... Plus love the sweet smell of honey locust on a fresh split....
Googled blue beech because I have never heard of it and show’s up as Carpinus carolinana American Hornbeam aka ironwood
No Blue Beech here that I am aware of, plenty of Honey Locust; thorny & thornless. It splits easy, can be tough to get started but throws lots of heat. Boring insects to seem to like it in the woodpiles.
Only beech around here are yard trees. The best way to deal with the thorns is use an excavator to knock most of them off and collapse the top down so some of the pieces are already split
Never even seen a beech tree. But I’ve burned lots of honey locust. Honey locust burns about as well as anything that I’ve ever fed to my wood stove. I’d take HL over almost any other wood.
This is another TOUGH one. Thanks to FHC i learned of HL this year. Scrounged my first too. The only HL around here that im aware of are hybrid yard trees. Never seen a wild thorny one. Since ive yet to burn any HL, beech gets the nod, although i think HL is a better firewood. Stuff is dense and heavy like black locust. Ill take either in a heartbeat. EDIT: just checked the chart and im referring to American beech...the one that gets big. Commonly seen with initials carved in it. Only have seen a couple small blue beeches. Can i change my vote as ive never scrounged any BB and i voted for it?
Blue Beech aka Hornbeam, Musclewood, American Ironwood, grows like a weed around here. Very typical understory tree but it's rare to see a tree with a diameter greater then 4-6 inches. Biggest I've seen was around 9 inch diameter, cut down by a tree service making room for a septic system. Anything bigger then 4 inches gets reserved for carving, woodworking or tool handles. Only small branches and scraps get burned, but it's among the best heating heavyweights there is.
Never burned either. I don't think blue beech (aka hornbeam even grows in Massachusetts, maybe western mass ) or if it does it doesn't get very big/big enough for firewood. Like tulip poplar isn't a poplar I don't believe blue beech is a beech.
HL was my vote. Hornbeam around here is small as well. Never burned it, Locust either Black or Honey puts out the heat.
Oops, I forgot to vote...I would have went with HL (even though it's not my favorite) since I've never knowingly seen BB
Actually, it would not be a tie if buZZsaw BRAD vote would have been able to be changed...HL for the win...
Actually, it would not be a tie if buZZsaw BRAD vote would have been able to be changed...HL for the win...[/QUOTE] Thats right...i thought "normal" beech and voted that way. HL should get the win as i wouldve voted for it. HONEY LOCUST for the win!
In my part of Pennsylvania we have American beech. Don’t know if that’s the same as blue beech of not. It is definitely not the same as ironwood around here 2 different species to be sure. Most of our farm is covered with American beech. I’ve never cut any honey locust so I’m not familiar. Beech is definitely excellent firewood.
I didn't vote on this one. While I've burned Honey Locust and found it to be of very high value I have no idea how well Blue Beech burns. It's like comparing apples to oranges without ever tasting an orange.
