I'll soon be removing what I believe is some sort of a crabapple tree from my yard. It got me wondering... For the sake of this discussion, let's stick with deciduous trees. Clearly some species are more desirable than others for heating, but I'm curious - are there any species that one should absolutely not burn in their home?
Poison ivy. Edit: sorry, that is likely an annoying response. I am not aware of any tree specifically that you should not ever burn. Perhaps there are poisonous varieties or some that may cause allergy problems in some people?
I am allergic to pine.....sometimes I get some skin irritation from carrying an armful that goes away quickly, but its the smoke that really gets to me, messes up my eyes, sinuses and throat/ears for a day or so, how ironic is that since we only burn pine..... Also I read here somewhere that oil from poison ivy can transfer to logs and some people are highly allergic to that smoke even downwind of it.
I understand the Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) isn't very desirable. Some have described it as smelling like burning tires and others have stated it smells like burning trash. I know I have come across some that left a stench on my hands that wouldn't quit, but couldn't identify the wood since it was already burning. It is entirely possible that it was the Tree of Heaven since I have felled quite a few for friends. I could have sworn I left it all but it is possible a piece or two made it into my stacks.
I was told by others here at FHC that weeping Willow wasn't any good, or worth the work. I had no experience with it and had an opportunity to get some, so I asked for comments.
That's exactly why I was asking. I don't burn wood as a primary heat source, but rather for supplemental heat when it gets very cold and I want to take some load off of the geothermal system. That said, I don't go through much so I don't seek out wood specifically or fell trees for the purpose of firewood. Everything I burn either comes from neighbors or friends who are removing trees from their yards, or from the local yard waste recycling center. They take limbs & such that gets mulched up and used around town. They don't want or use larger pieces of wood, or bucked up trees, but they'll still allow folks to drop them off and then they're fair game for anyone who wants to pick them up. I get a lot there; I swing by fairly regularly to drop stuff off and I always leave with a truckload of wood. As a result I end up with a little bit of everything. And then as I mentioned, I'll be removing a crabapple here shortly and figured I would add that to the wood pile. This all got me wondering if there is anything to avoid.
Crab Apple is good heavy wood, after all it is an Apple. I myself got some last year and am glad to have it.
Never ever ever ever use or touch, or hell even look at the manchineel tree. Every part of it is poisonous and will hurt you. The bark, sap, leaves so I would imagine the smoke would be horrible as well.
White oak is the worst. You should put it out by the side of the road and hope that someone takes it. What was your address again?
Our tree dump is great source for scrounging too. Besides poisonous vine cover wood or wood you or your family is allergic to, I think all others are fine. Some just better than others. For me, I wouldn't bother with cottonwood or willow unless I was hard up...which in my early days I was!
