30 minutes into this load of box elder...............4 medium splits. Stove was less than 200*F, but still had some hot coals. This is 2 year old box elder, and it took right off. Had secondaries going inside of 10 minutes; so I started damping down, or she'll try to go nuclear with this wood. Cloudy, mid 30's outside, with no wind, and 70*F+ inside. I absolutely love box elder in conditions like this. In outside conditions like this, when burning box elder, I can damp it down, and get 6-8 hours of usable heat easily. If'n you're new to wood burning, don't pass on box elder. It seasons quick, and is usually quite readily available to who ever wants it. The tree outfits don't want it, and they usually wind up grinding it all; as most folks that buy wood are "wood snobs" and only want oak and hickory and hard maple etc.
This time of year, I'm on and off again with fires so I appreciate the quick heat that Boxelder and all the rest of the middle of the pack hardwoods provide. Takes off quick, off gasses quick for those with cats/secondaries, and gets the stove rocking and rolling in a hurry.
Box elder and it's cousin silver maple are great shoulder season wood. Good qualities to them like you said. Happy burning!
Yup. We've burned box elder many times over the years. Not my favorite but if it is available and needed, hard to turn down.
Hey Gary, I just noticed 2 cords of wood on your signature, do you have a wood stove too or burn in a fireplace?
...and I was just going to say it split easy. Last couple I had were a breeze. Just goes to show you not all trees of the same species are the same.
Well at least what we call box elder isn't easy, got red streaks ribbing through it? Pretty much a weed for everyone around here, stuff twists like crazy when it grows
I don't care for box elder because it's twisted, full of little branchlets, smells bad, and will rot before it dried out if not immediately split and stacked in a covered location. Having said that, it is technically a maple species and provides decent heat. I'd rather not have it in my woodpile but won't turn it down if given to me.
Its my go to shoulder season wood! Always make sure I have a half cord around for each years worth I have. It does leave a rather large amount of ash in the stove but it serves its purpose well!
