Hi All - new member here. I am very new to using chainsaws, mauls, etc. and firewood in general. Just moved into a house with a wood burning fireplace and firepit outback, bought some split wood to get me through this season, but want to start preparing for next year/year after so I have begun keeping an eye out on FB marketplace, craigslist, etc. for free wood that I am splitting. I have two different species I am trying to identify. The first one (see photos Wood Pic A 1, Wood Pic A 2) was a royal pain to split, had to nearly bury a wedge in ~12-14" diameter rounds in order to get them to begin to split. This stuff was sitting in some guys yard for the last year or so I think. I thought it may be gum, but the more I look at the color I think may be poplar. The second species (see photos Wood Pic B 1, Wood Pic B 2, Wood Pic B 3) was extremely easy to split, seemed to almost fall apart when I hit the end with the maul. These pieces had been sitting in a shed here on the property for an unknown amount of time. Moisture content measures below 20% when checked with a moisture meter after I split them. The grain almost reminds me of pine but the bark does not appear to be pine. Any help would be appreciated. Looking forward to becoming a fellow hoarder!
Welcome to FHC pcable89. We like beer, dogs and pics. A lot of knowledgeable people here that are willing to share. Looks like you got pics down. This is a great read for newbies. Primer on Woodburning by Backwoods Savage You fireplace, does it have an insert or just an every day fireplace? Make sure you get the stacks up off the ground. You mentioned a shed. How much dry wood can you store in there. The others will be able along shortly to help you with the identification. Up at the top, you will see 3 lines. Click on that and check out the resource tab Have a good. Stay safe and stay healthy.
Hey thanks for the info and feedback Chazsbetterhalf! My fireplace is just an everyday fireplace, no insert, not connected in any way to the heating ducts in the house. I live in a fairly suburban area, we plan to continue to use our natural gas furnace as our main source of heat for the foreseeable future. So just have the fireplace mainly for supplemental heat in the basement living room, and just enjoy having/looking at the fire honestly. I do plan to have my stacks off the ground. I have a face cord of split wood for this season on racks which sits ontop of cinderblocks so it's ~6" off the ground. My new split stuff I plan to place on pallets and I will have everything covered with tarps/plastic when it rains. The shed that I have here is really just a storage shed, don't have a proper wood shed at the moment. Eventually may put together a better structure or system for seasoning the wood rather than pallets/tarps.
Hello and welcome. The last three pics remind me of sassafras. Is it light in weight compared to other splits of similar size? The redish brown color of the interior bark, is what makes me think of sass.
First pic is sweet gum and it rots quickly when left in rounds or log length and it’s already starting to rot. Second pic is sassafras
If the sweet gum is starting to rot will it dry and be usable? Or is it just trash at this point? Seems like from the images I've googled on sassafras, that sounds right. It is very lightweight compared to other logs of comparable size. Appreciate all the feedback.
Sweet gum and sassafras. Put the gum in the dump where it belongs....sassafras is good for a quick fire.
You can usually get something out of soft decaying wood if you can keep it dry, plus use it shoulder season or when you need a small amount of heat. Usually not a good choice for overnight burn or Jan/Feb when it is really cold. If it is just ambience wood and you've already got time spent into it cutting and splitting - it'll burn.
Welcome to the forum pcable89 That wood that is already turning punky will still burn...if you can get it dry enough. Wood is not a sponge, normally but when it turns punky then it is and it can be difficult getting it dry on the inside; the outer layer will dry but that inside can cause some problems. Sassafras will give you heat and sparks! So burning in a fireplace one has to be very careful with the sparking. Being a softer wood it won't give a long fire but don't let that scare you. Stacking the wood outdoors is no problem so long as you keep it off the ground and cover only the top; never cover the sides. Also you don't need pallets (I despise them). I simply cut a couple saplings or even limb wood, lay two of them down and stack on that. Cheap (no cost) and easier to stack on plus no worries of them breaking when you step on them. Tarps will work but something solid works even better. Still, many of us have used tarps and they work. I'll leave you with a couple pictures and a good luck wish.
Thanks for the info and feedback. Love the pics. Regrading burning sassafras - are you cautioning against burning inside due to sparks in the event that sparks would come out of the fireplace? If so, would a fireplace screen/spark guard help with this?
Yes you should have a screen no matter what your burning. Never can tell what will pop out or where you will be when it does. It’s been awhile since I burned sass ina fireplace but it is sparky as I recall. Quite a few woods are.
Yes, use the fireplace screen. It will be fine. Do you have glass doors in addition to the screen? You might not need them, but just in case...
Never burned sassafras but gum is terrible to split. Now that you’ve done it though may as we’ll burn it but keep it dry and off the ground. Welcome!
Not sure of first wood. Second wood is sassafras...lower btu wood. Spits a lot, dries fast and as you found out very easy to split. This said without looking at other replies. Welcome to the forum! Great to have you. Lots of know how on here with lots of great folks as ive learned.
Never seen either of those species. But, to steal a common phrase... Looks like firewood to me! Burn it! welcome to the forum, bro!!
I concur with sweetgum and sassafras. Sweetgum is not only hard to split, it can smell bad when burned. It and black gum... run away. Now you got it split, you could try to burn the sweetgum and see if it has odor. You could also burn it in a firepit, it's nice to have a 'campfire!'
