So two tears ago my mom and dad had a pretty bug bradford pear that was storm damaged. Very common for these trees. I went over and cleaned it up and got rid of all the brush then split the wood. It was definitely a weird wood and the splits didn't really follow the the grain. It kind of broke more then split. So today I loaded up the stove with a full load of bradford to see how it burned and I really wasn't impressed. It took a while to light and take off from a good coal bed. Once it got up to temp I shut down the air and let it cruise. Right now I'm getting a good 10-12 hours of good heat with what I normally burn, but the bradford was done much sooner and left a decent bit of ash. Overall I really don't think its that great and wont be adding any more to the stacks unless its going to be for firepit use.
It could be, I was really thinking it would do better being in the fruit tree family. I have some more left that I could try. For now I am planning on just mixing it in with the other good woods I have for colder weather.
Good idea. I bet it would be a good for smoking or on the bbq. Ive had smoked trout on the mind the last few days. Also picked up a duck today that I want to smoke, and fruit wood sounds like it would be a good bet.
I have had it and it burned hot and long, really liked it. It was from my dad's stacks that I inherited when he passed so I am not sure how long it was seasoned but absolutely great wood to burn for me.
I think the BTU chart here shows an average drying time of 2 years..... may have needed a scooch more time to really dazzle ya?
I too have had a very positive experience with the pear, I thought it burned well, hot and what I noted most was the fragrance and the blue hue of the flames, coaling was excellent in my experience-just my .02 Happy New Year to all
Swags, it has been several years so long might be relative to each type of stove, but it sure burned hot. Several other posts on different forums I have seen over the years have generally given Bradford Pear good reviews as a firewood. Good luck with yours, nothing seems universally agreeable anymore with anything it seems, haha!!!
Stuff doesn't split, it explodes! Got into the habit of covering the lower region with the right hand while operating the lever with the other.
That is good to hear I had one come down last spring and after reading your original post was starting to wonder if it was a waste of effort to process. Just gonna let it sit in the stacks and give it a try in 3-4 years.
Not a waste of effort if it heats the house and saves money on the dino fuel bills. Bradfords usually don't get very big here though. The heavy snow here gets them.
I was burning some Bradford pear yesterday too, and was very happy with it. My guess is it's been CSS about 2 years, but honestly I've lost track. The splits aren't huge. Something else I've noted before, that's worth repeating: it's really nice stuff for turning if you have a lathe. I've turned a couple of small bowls from it, and also made a fleet of carving mallets for the students at the shop that I help to run. Those mallets have held up beautifully despite a lot of abuse... probably for the same structural reasons that make it difficult to split. The stuff just dents where other woods would splinter.
Glad to hear more positive experiences... Driver ,, it's worth your time...the coals burn purple/blue and smells great-I would compare it to the very rare to burn apple, they grow like weeds here though they arent very strong as TurboDiesel said. The aroma is very nice-def a nice addition to the stacks, even in small amounts-compared to poplar and the like-its a keeper far better
