I burn box elder during shoulder season. I don't notice the smell at all when splitting or burning. NOTHING smells as bad as ELM when splitting . I was just telling Backwoods Savage the other day I tried splitting some elm and just couldn't take it. Between nasty stringy splits and the smell I think that trailer load of elm is on its way to local compost pile !
I was tryin' to remember a time I came in from cuttin' wood where my honey didn't think I smelled like dogchit... Welcome to FHC axeman ... lots of good folks here.
I havent noticed any smell at all from the elm that I've cut. But maybe that's because I'm too distracted from all the cussin' and carrying on that comes with splitting elm. As for box elder, I havent cut any yet. Too many ash trees to process before I would even think about spending time on box elder-- gotta get em before they rot!
Elm, wait until it is dead and most of the sap is gone before cutting and splitting and then it is a totally different story. We've had many years when that is all we burned and got along just fine. Even split it by hand. Box elder, we've burned some off and on when cleaning up someone's yard or one time my father-in-law had some by the barn he wanted out so we cut it and burned it. No problem. But it is not like oak...
I actually seek out a cord of Box Elder or cottonwood for the shoulder seasons. Its easy enough to process imo and doesn't over heat the house. And saves on the primo stuff for the frigid weather! As far as smell goes, it wasn't horrible but noticable while processing and didn't smell once it was seasoned and brought in next to the stove.
It actually doesn't do that bad in the middle of winter either. I've got a small stove...........only 1.8cu.ft., but I've been heating my 1100sq.ft. house with mostly (probably 50%) box elder since I've been burning!!!! And for you's guys that say box elder stinks when you burn it...........................why are you "outside" sniffing the air??!!
Burned it before and no it isn't oak or locust but it isn't worthless either. Not sure what this stink talk is I've never noticed it.
I won't bother with cottonwood. There's so much box elder at my buddy's woods that I could be kept warm for every shoulder season I'll ever see. It's easy to get to as well. Now that I've got a 4Wheeler down here it will be even easier, but that wheeler opens up more of those 24 acres. Who knows what we'll find?
