Beech is my absolute favorite wood to burn. If I could I would burn it exclusively. It burns hot like oak and holds a good burn time and dries up fairly fast. Before I got so far ahead I had no problem burning beech with 12-15 months dry time on it. It's a great fuel wood in my opinion. The majority of my log loads I process are 75% beech.
Like I say, I don't think I would recognize a beech. In the 90's, I took a ride with someone to their camp east of Marquette on the way to Gladstone. Once off the highway, he saw me looking at the trees (yeah, even back then) and said that they were beech.
I've messed with weighing splits and came to the conclusion that there is close to zero difference in moisture content winter vs. summer. The one in particular was a pair of red maples, similar size and diameter, measured splits cut from about 8' up and were growing about 30' apart. (And growing in VT.) Cut one in December when it was about zero out. Had a few splits weighed within minutes, repeated the following July with another tree. Let them dry till they stopped losing weight and then put them in a 170 degree oven for several days when the Mrs was away. And learned that the oven turned off automatically after 12 hours or so. They both came out to be about 85% on a dry basis. There was no major difference. I'd even go as far to guess that if you find a difference it will be more influenced by seasonal precipitation or drought. Get a long dry summer with stressed out trees, the tree's weight will be down. Wet fall, the tree will suck it back up.
Paul bunion, How did you season it, or do you just use your favorite rub when baking beech? I burn a ton of Beech, depending on where it's growing, it can be very branchy. I'm not real scientific about drying wood, but it is way faster than oak. Like other's 12-16 months and it's ready.
This is my unofficial, non-scientific take on it. I would think that if there was a difference in weight in summer versus winter, the paper mills who buy 9000 cord per day apiece, would change their prices to reflect it. Granted supply and demand has a lot to do with that much volume moving into their yards too, but I would think something that significant happening seasonally would get them to change pricing.
For the last 5-6 years I have burned almost 95% beech. If CSS in the early spring it will be ready in 6-7 months. By far my favorite wood to burn. Has a nice blue flame also. Can't beat it. I would take it over oak any day and be happy to get it.
I had some a couple years ago and tried it after a year of seasoning and i still got sizzle and i split it small for my bbq wood. So needless to say i didnt even try the larger splits for the stove. i gave it another year and it was really nice, lots of heat and quite nice for grilling.
I know this is an old-ish thread, but I've been burning beech for about a week now, CSS'd just about 3yr and it's been burning great. I'd take as much as I could. A poster mentioned a blue flame. I'm not seeing it.
Glad Bill2 brought this back up..was wondering about beech but hadn't done a search yet. Know where 2 trees are that should be easy cutting, at least the limb wood, that storm Michael brought down Oct '18. I imagine they could be burned real soon if wanted/needed.
Our goto at the camp has always been standing dead barkless red oak...however we cleaned up some blow down back in 2018 that included a lot of beech. I commented to Loon earlier this fall on how impressed I was with the beech. I found it burned as long or longer than the oak and I definitely thought it burned hotter. I figure it was down for a year before we css. It was then another 12-14 months before burning. I have usually overlooked the dead beech due to the abundance of standing dead oak at our disposal but I have definitely changed my opinion and will not be passing on a dead beech from now on
Yeah, I don't know of any dense woods that dry in less than two years, but maybe there are some. Bill2 doesn't list his stove; Maybe he's burning the one-year Beech in an old Fisher with the air wide open.
I have a Regency High Efficient wood stove and I burn basically one year old wood(early spring CSS and start burning late November thru march April. So it's 7-8 months drying time when I first start burning and almost a year when the burning season ends. Now I am talking about American Beech-not Blue Beech also known as ironwood which I don't have around here. Beech burns hot, coals great and I'd take it any day over Oak. JMO
Yeah, looking at "The Guide," I see that American Beech is in the Beech Family (as is Oak) and American Hornbeam is in the Birch Family. And then there's Eastern Hophornbeam (Birch Family also.) I'm getting confused..
