What's the story on it as a firewood? Splitting, seasoning time. Does it light easily and burn readily, just not put out much in BTUs? In the river delta bottomland here, it's a common tree and they grow big. Sometimes you see one with a big stem, in diameter and length. Just curious if it's worth getting, if it will just produce a decent flame. Or is a PITA for some other reason.
Full of water when cut and heavy. Get it split and stacked and a year later it is much, much lighter (and the stink is gone). It then lights of easy and burns hot but not for long periods, meaning it is not a good overnight type of wood. Yet, we have one member here (Redneck, who live in MI) who burns mostly cotton wood and gets along just fine. I have burned a goodly amount of it in years past and would have no problem burning it again if need be. But, I would most likely be mixing it in with something like oak. One of my concerns with only cottonwood is the fire could really get going and if not watched, it could get out of hand. Of course I mean if it has been dried decently. Again, it is full of moisture and stinks when green but the stink goes away when dried. It is hard to light off when it still is loaded with sap but easy when dried. If you plan on selling, I would sell at a discount to be fair with the buyer.
Burns better than snowballs. Heavy when fresh cut green. Splits like a block of clay. The blade of the hydro sinks in and wrings out water before the log pops apart. Dries super fast. Doesnt coal like higher BTU woods. Im using splits of cottonwood from late August in bundles right now. Had it stacked for good sun and wind exposure. Its been ready for a few weeks. Ill take it over gum or sycamore. Not something I aggressively seek but if easy and all I've got to score I'll take it. Given the current status of my bundle wood inventory (low on dry splits) ill be seeking more of it. I mix a split or two in a bundle.
I've used poplar here n there in the past, but not in huge quantities...but I cut down 2 dead/dying standing hybrid poplars in the back yard this past spring...been burning some of that here this fall, and I have to say, I've been impressed! By n large the splits are heavier than I would have expected, and burns longer than expected too...not as good as ash, but headed that way! "Ash lite" maybe. Certainly wouldn't call it "gopher wood" like some do. Leaves some coals, not tons though. I won't be turning it down!
Cottonwood has to be one of my more preferred "trash" species to burn. It burns better than tulip poplar (a more complete burn with less charcoal left behind) and is comparable to bigtooth and/or quaking aspen. I'm a fan, although I wouldn't want cords and cords of it taking up real estate.
Pound for pound? Bring up a heaping buZZsaw load of cottonwood, and I'll give you about half a face cord of BL in return.
I don’t see a lot of cottonwood BUT I am a fan of our poplar, grows fast, dries fast, splits easy.. mixed with ash got me through many a winter when other wood was still drying
Not bad lumber either! During all the 2020+ craziness, a local builder was buying his framing material from an Amish sawmill...local poplar was cheaper than buying pine from the usual channels! Someone got a stronger house out of it too!
I wouldn’t buy a house that I knew was framed with cottonwood, wouldn’t even consider it. But around here Douglas Fir is King for Lumber or Firewood. As Lumber, Cottonwood is acceptable, kinda, for light duty pallets, I wouldn’t use Cottonwood for Lumber for about anything but pallets and dunnage Doug
I burn a fair amount of ‘peripheral’ firewood, try not to be real picky. That means Cottonwood as I come across it, usually right here on the property. I do mixing most often, that could be the lighter wood to get the fire going, then mix with oak or maple as required. Of course at bedtime, the good stuff goes in. Then as was posted here, say it’s 40 degrees out, light wind, it’s easy to get the house warmed up with a modest fire. I’ll burn Box Elder, Aspen & even White & Red Pine. It’s a lot easier to scrounge firewood if dry Elm is acceptable. If only interested in Hickory, gets tough to fine free wood.
It burns hot and clean. Some of it can have some really twisted grain making nice splits a challenge.
All comments are pretty much spot on with my experience with it. One thing I didn’t see mentioned, is it can be pretty stringy to split if it is less than dry, at least in my experience. There’s lots of it available around here, but it takes the same amount of effort to make it firewood as it does other “better” wood so I don’t mess with it much. I think it’s best use is for a bright fire to sit around drinking whiskey and talking smart!
I burn 90% cottonwood. Today it's 25° out and 75° in. Last night was 22° out and 76 in at 8 o'clock loaded stove and went to bed work up at 5:30 71° in. Furnace at 65 just in case.
Yep, it’s really good for campfires It’s not a long burning wood, so it’s not like tossing a big split of oak (Whatever that is ) and not being able to go to bed for 6-8 hours because it’s still burning, and if DRY, it does burn down clean with little coals or ash Doug
I’ve burned a fair amount of cottonwood, I miss having some around. I liked it for shoulder season and starting quick hot fires. Good for morning wood. I would load the stove first thing in the morning to get it going hot, by the time I left for work it would be burnt down so I could load with longer burning wood. I cut some spruce thus fall, I wonder if it has similar burning characteristics?
Spruce will probably be similar to Hemlock or White Fir, closer to Douglas Fir than Cottonwood. more BTU’s and burn time than Cottonwood, I would expect, but less than Douglas Fir Doug
campinspecter remembers burning cottonwood many, many years ago. He said it had a lot of flying embers so anyone with a wood shingle roof should be aware of this. Any Spruce campinspecter has burnt is about half of what Douglas Fir puts out.
