To many folks, location dictates the best firewood. Here on the west side of Washington state we get Doug Fir, Western or big leaf Maple, Alder, Madrone, Western Cherry, Cottonwood, White Fir, Gary Oak (increasingly protected), maybe Western Ash but really too little to mention. I would rate them best to worst in BTU's/lb : Gary Oak, Madrone, Doug Fir, Western Maple, Western Cherry, White Fir, Alder then Cottonwood. Rated by availability to me in my suburban home: Doug Fir with Madrone, Cherry,White Fir and Maple about the same. Alder and Cottonwood can be found in less developed properties and I won't bother to cut them. So in my area and situation I find my stacks roughly full of Doug Fir 70%, Madrone 10%, Cherry 10 % and a bit of the others as well. I could hang tough for Gary Oak and Madrone but good ole Doug is everywhere and there is always someone having one taken down in their yard or an occasional Madrone or Cherry. Therefore my official vote for me in my area is: Doug Fir, Madrone and Cherry for the "Best Fire woods"!
Nah. It's just a very open ended answer. I'm a snob because there is almost always plenty of high quality stuff available to me. Density equals burn time so most of us are trying to get the most dense wood we can. Oak works great for me. Splits good. A good load will let me sleep through the night and still have coals available when I get up. That's all I really want from wood. Locality and access (or lack of) will dictate which wood everyone prefers.
If any of ya’ll have an excess amount of the “poor” firewood split and stacked - and you want to get rid of it… PM me!
My sentiments are similar to metalcuttr’s, with a few differences. Douglas Fir is our Premium Firewood on Mt Hood, and if I could only get ONE type of wood, without any Doubt, D Fir, I would take D Fir over Maple any day of the week for Many reasons . In my local area D Fir is plentiful, but where the Forest Circus let’s us cut, White Fir is more common. I don’t get much Alder, but what I have gotten, no complaints, and prefer it to Maple as well. I don’t get Madrone in my area, and have never had any of it. Lodgepole is another that, I don’t get much of, but I am Happy to take whatever I can get of it. Oak, Hickory, Locust, Beech, Ash, I see more Unicorns than I do any of those. Douglas Fir heats our home very well, and is completely under rated by those not more familiar with it, it doesn’t just have a great Name, it’s a Great firewood Doug
I agree completely! Starts easily, low ash, good BTU's, splits reasonably well and is readily available. The added plus for me is that I can pick up free scores in my area!
I think the proper term for volume of lilac fire wood is a " bouquet" as in "my neighbor brought me a bouquet of lilac fire wood".
If I'm sitting in front of my fireplace watching tv and drinking beer, pine is my #1. Every time I need to empty the bladder or refill my glass, it's time to throw more logs on the fire!
I knew a guy who lived in the pine flats in Georgia. He heated with wood and when people asked him what kind of wood he burned he always answered "Pizz Pine"! Your post got me to thinking??
Not sure of your criteria. Apple and locust are higher btu than beech or ash. Apple also smells better than ash. Cherry is lower btu but it splits easy, seasons quick, and smells great. So plus tell us what you used for your ranking
We've got a nice mix of hardwoods here i. NE Ohio. The lowest heat output would be the Caltupa/Basswood giant leaf trees. I swear the wood feels lighter than pine. Drys quick and fires up good. My least favorite, and I've burnt a TON of of, is Black Walnut. Best left for the sawmill, I know, but when you've got coming out your ears, you end up burning it. Puts out decent heat, drys fairly well, smoke smell is so/so, but it makes to darn much ash in the stove.....
I'm late to the game, but for me the best firewood is the dry variety. Pounds are pounds and BTUs are BTUs, coming into my room as long as they are not used to boil off water.
Southern Yellow Pine....dense softwood, splits easily w/ 15# maul, dries in 6-8 months, hot burn w/ low ash, free on the roadside or a tree service will dump it in my side yard for free. I love the old wives' tale..."Pine will burn yo house down!" May all keep thinking that.
