Recently after bucking up my log load of about 10-11 face cords, I discovered while splitting that 3-4 of the logs that I thought were Ash are in actuality...Elm...Very tough on the 22 Ton splitter...takes it right to the end of the cycle every time...VERY STRINGY AS WELL....This really is the first time I'm dealing with Elm....How is it to burn? What's the seasoning time? How does it compare to say Oak or Ash or even Locust?..Thoughts appreciated as always.......
Elm is good once you get past splitting it.... a hatchet is a good call to be near. Season within 1 to 2 years depends on site location or 3 possibly... I like it as a shoulder season wood or thrown in with some hedge to get the hedge rolling. I’d say it’s close to our Green Ash that we have down here... nothing to brag about but good nonetheless.
Elm varies some by the exact type it is...but overall it's decent firewood...once it's split. The good thing is it's self kindling...all those little strings light right up! I'll actually pull some off and use them to start the fire sometimes. Some people don't like elm because it doesn't make flame real long...tends to coal up...in this way it could be a good shoulder season wood...or throw some in a load to assure coals left in the morning for an easy relite.
I love Elm in my OWB for the coaling factor. Makes a decent long lasting fire in there. Certainly not Oak or Locust, but makes good heat & readily available. I'll usually split it after it's been dead for awhile, goes a bit better.
Yeah, there's a few different elms out there. I really like burning American elm. It gives off great ghost flames, and coals up well. It's about 19 mbtu a cord. So a little less than ash(~22 mbtu) and less than oak at 24 mbtu and locust at about 26-27 mbtu. It's great firewood though. It's clean when the bark is off, and starts well. I cut the dead standing stuff that is barkless and starts splitting vertically . That stuff is usually ready to burn the same day as cut, well, once you get 10' up or so from the ground. If you let that sit for a summer after split and stacked it is all ready to go.
That stringy stuff is what we don't get when we let the tree die before we cut it. Not only do we let the tree die but then we wait until most or all of the bark to fall off. Most times when we do that it can be split with an axe or maul if you take a liking to do it. I just use the hydraulics and rarely do we have to let the wedge go all the way through before it splits. Yes, it makes good firewood but again, it makes better firewood if you wait until the tree is dead. Splitting elm when it is green is a nasty job and yes, you get lots of stringy stuff and then it does not burn as long because the fibers are all loosened.
Dennis, even when I let them stand dead like you, they are still stringy and need the full stroke of the cylinder.
I've had some standing dead that just popped apart & some the didn't split nice at all. Both were barkless & long dead, no idea what the difference was/is.
As far as splitting and stacking elm is my last choice of firewood mainly because of its shredding/splintering . But once elm logs are in the fireplace I would give them a good rating. The only varieties we have around my part of East Texas are American Elm and Cedar Elm
I can think of far worse wood for firewood than elm, even with the splitting issues. Let's see. It's take elm over... Poplar, box elder, any pine or fir, Russian olive, and do I need to say willow? Because for me, willow is wood non grata.
I avoid elm as i hand split Nordic Splitter . I enjoy splitting by hand but hate killing myself doing it. Ive have split green elm very easily much to my surprise. Scored some roadside red elm couple Winters ago (at the time i didnt know it was elm) I have now learned that it was indeed red elm. It was real tough to split despite being green and frozen. It is decent firewood as long as its seasoned.
I like the Siberian Elm that we have in my area. People here always say it's bad or doesn't burn well but they don't let it season for at least two years. There are far worse trees to burn imho.
It must be where they grow. For sure if they are in the open there is more of a chance they will be twisted and that is the worst. All we cut are in the woods so no problem there. Occasionally we'll get some that are tougher than others or maybe just a couple logs but we've had great luck with them overall. I like the way it burns too.
