We have quite a lot of hackberry trees here. Last year, after researching it quite a bit, I convinced myself a tree I had cut for a neighbor is sugarberry. It looks alot like hackberry. Has those warty growths. I don't know why I thought it was a bit different from hackberry but, apparently, I did. Can't remember lots these days, lol. Now you talk about split easy, wow! It's wonderful to split, about as easy as anything I've ever seen. The trees grow decently big. The one I cut was about 24 inch DBH.
I have some hackberry in my current stacks and some for next year. I also have a decent size tree that was pushed down last year that Im hoping to get CSS in the next couple weeks. Easy too split. Seasons fast. Not the greatest BTU but not too bad either. I would never turn down hackberry. Have no idea abour sugarberry. Sounds like a unhealthy kid's cereal.
Never processed any hackberry or sugarberry (never heard of it). Fond memory of the hackberry growing in my folks front yard. Thought the warty bark was neat.
Hackberry is pretty good wood. Its not the highest BTU wood but you can get a long, warm burn with it. Once cut it will begin to rot quickly if left unsplit on the ground. I'm guessing sugarberry is about the same as they are related specices. Sugarberry has a more southern range. See: Virginia Tech Dendrology Fact Sheet Sugarberry
I thought I would do a post on sugarberry and remembered that I created a post over a year ago, so, I will just append to this thread. I thought I would pass along pics of another sugarberry that I am busting up. I found it at the dump. Now, they locked the dang gate and I can't get the rest, so, that stuff is going up in flames! This splits so well! I like these species that split easily with an axe! I am posting these pics because I thought this wood is really nice! I wonder if anyone ever makes lumber or woodworking stuff out of it; I will try to remember to look into that because we have tons of these trees around here! One pic is of bark so you can see the warts. Some of a trunk might be smooth but there will be warts galore on some of it. Pics attached
Cool looking wood. I don’t pass up hackberry. It usually don’t split easy though. I’ve had it both ways. It’s good wood just keep it off the ground and keep it top covered.
I have access to some hackberry on my neighbors land and considering if the btus are worth effort. The tree is part of storm damage from back in the summer. Other trees that came down include chestnut oak and white oak which I do plan to get. Is the hackberry really worth the trouble?
I’ve burned a little hackberry before. But next year I’ll really get a chance to see what it’s like. I made a pretty good score on some this fall and there’s quite a bit more to be had. It appears that it will pretty much dry in a year, correct???
It just so happened that I hauled in and stacked a tier of Hackberry, today, and put it on the porch, since I had a spot open up and after reading that Hackberry seasons in about 8 months, I figured it will dry out nicely under the roof on the porch for next fall. It catches a lot of wind there and evening sun. I have never burned it before but it, looks like it will be decent, so I am going to cut it, to burn ahead of some of my other wood with longer seasoning requirements. It does split fairly easy with an ax, unless it's twisted or bad Knotty. This tree had parts that split easy and some that didn't, and I have sort of beat up my hands, using the ax and maul a lot lately, so if it doesn't split pretty easy, anymore, I just noodle it and that goes pretty fast.
That's what I'm thinking but will get the chestnut oak and white oak first then go back for the hackberry. Then I might be set for winter 2023.
