And what about Elm?

Normally, I don't cut Elm for firewood. And about everyone hates to try to split it. If I have to cut an Elm down, to clean up my field or fence lines, I let it lay or push into a burn pile. But yesterday, I cut down an Elm in my field, because I wanted it gone, and I am considering noodling it up for fire wood, since it's close to the house and there will be less mess left for me to push into a burn pile or something.

I see that the btu's are around 19 or so, and it takes 18 months to season. Not that bad, but I have heard that Elm stinks when you burn it in a stove. Some people call it pizzElm around here, because then say it stinks like, you know what, when it is burnt. Is this true? If it does stink, I figure it was because it was probably green when they burnt it, but I don't really know.

Can someone clarify this?

 

Yes it can stink when you burn it (SUPPOSEDLY, when dried thoroughly the smell is almost nonexistent) Yes it can split like a bear (standing dead splits better than green, I’ve only split it that way and it still didn’t split great) BUT... with my very limited experience burning Elm, I’ll say it burns well and has a nice long coaling stage. So try it if you’re feeling ambitious, and decide for yourself if the juice is worth the squeeze. Personally I like how it burns, and I have a splitter so why not take it if the opportunity comes?

 

How would one know (or care) what is smells like in the stove? Standing out in the yard trying to catch a wiff of the smoke?

 

Small project: American Elm

I cut it and burn it or sell it. Never had any complaints about dry wood smelling, but I know wet branches don’t smell good. If you don’t have hydraulics, don’t even bother though, the grain is usually interlaced so it shears, not splits.

 

Get that stuff!!!

 

You didn't seem to have too much trouble splitting it.

I understand about green Elm being hard to split. I am not worried about splitting it, as I will just noodle it. It is green wood, however. So, are you telling me, that because I cut it green, that it won't make decent firewood after it seasons for 18 months or longer?

 

Good point, but when you open the door of the stove? Just wondering about it.

 

I find some splits like a dream while other isn't worth my time. Doesn't seem to matter green or dry/no bark.

 

IME if you buck it up & especially of you noodle it & leave it lay for a while it will split decently. pizz Elm does have an unpleasant odor when green, but once dried it's fine. I'd use it for sure.

 

If it's dry, it doesn't smell bad, It has a sweet smell to it if anything. It burns great and if barkless, there's no dirt or mess. I find that around here, it doesn't matter much green or dry fr splitting, it really can be stringy and stubborn. That stringiness is like built in fire starter.

It really burns great though.

 

When I processed my first load back in March the smell almost reminded me of Nutmeg or something. Never had anything like it before.

 

I love the way elm smells when splitting it. I wouldn't let it go to waste but thats because easy wood is hard to come by. If the btu charts are correct and I had the choice between elm and silver maple, I'd take the silver maple.

 

I burn a lot of Elm because it is one of the few hardwoods around here. When wet it can have a smell but when when dry no smell and no smell when burning.

It makes a good firewood and I take all I can get. I do not try and split it but noodle all of it. I am burning some right now since it has been snowing here all day.

 

Thanks, fellows. Maybe I will cut and noodle some of it up, and see how it burns in a couple of years.

 

I got an American Elm a few years back. It was in the final stage of Dutch Elm Death but still was barely alive. When I cut it in November it was wet, heavy, and did have an aroma. Due to its stringy nature I cut it short, 14" or so. Probably was 30" DBH. When I got home, I'm a hand splitter, and tried whacking some I thought boy did I mess up. Hoped the freezing making splitting tales would come true and let it sit. Every week I would whack a few rounds and test it. After a cold snap and multiple days below freezing for high temperatures about a month later, one day I sat a round up and it was amazing, pop! I started on the small stuff and worked my way up. When I would start to fight it always seemed like I was noticing moist inside and would just give it 3-4 days to freeze more and go back at it until I started finding moisture again and wait. After a couple weeks I had split it all. The freezing at least for this bugger was key. The following year I tried some but it was still sizzler so it sat another year and a half since I had plenty to go on. By the time it was dry it burned nice. If I occasionally threw an ugly on a campfire you would get a whiff of elm, not bad but noticable, but only in a sitting next to an open campfire situation. I have an offering of another elm about the same size this summer and I probably am going to take them up on it, but this time I am aware of the process it will be. Contemplating if it may be worth getting it to rounds and letting it set a full year before splitting that next winter but concerned if it dries down too much in rounds if the interwoven grain may hold it together more or would that be a non issue. Anyone ever done that with elm, and how'd it treat you?

 

I got an American Elm a few years back. It was in the final stage of Dutch Elm Death but still was barely alive. When I cut it in November it was wet, heavy, and did have an aroma. Due to its stringy nature I cut it short, 14" or so. Probably was 30" DBH. When I got home, I'm a hand splitter, and tried whacking some I thought boy did I mess up. Hoped the freezing making splitting takes would come true and let it sit. Every week I would whack a few rounds and test it. After a cold snap and multiple days below freezing for high temperatures about a month later, one day I sat a round up and it was amazing, pop! I started on the small stuff and worked my way up. When I would start to fight it always seemed like I was noticing moist inside and would just give it 3-4 days and go back at it until I started finding moisture again and wait. After a couple weeks I had split it all. The freezing at least for this bugger was key. The following year I tried some but it was still sizzler so it sat another year and a half since I had plenty to go on. By the time it was dry it burned nice. If I occasionally threw an ugly on a campfire you would get a whiff of elm, not bad but noticable, but only in a sitting next to an open campfire situation. I have an offering another elm about the same size this summer and I probably am going to take them up on it, but this time I am aware of the process it will be. Contemplating if it may be worth getting it to rounds and letting it set a full year before splitting that next winter but concerned if it dries down too much in rounds if the interwoven grain may hold it together more or would that be a non issue. Anyone ever done that with elm, and how'd it treat you?

 

Must be that nutmeg state elm!

 

Only if you open the door early in the burn (or you get some smoke rollout while loading) because once the wood is through the first stage of the burn (where the wood is off-gassing and there is strong secondary flame) there would be little to no distinguishable smell after that...