I know this has probably been posted before but indulge me (everyone). What’s that one (or two) types of firewood you guys have yet to score, but would love to have in your stacks, just waiting to warm your home this winter season? For me it’s Locust and Hickory. I hear how good the burns are and both woods always strike me as just beautiful! I know it’s firewood, but dang they look good CSS! Maybe one day…
Tried to raise several from seeds this summer but I messed something up and just after they sprouted they burned out and died. Going to try again next year.
Osage would be it for me. I've been through lots of hickory and some locust. Both very good firewood.
Cherry and Douglas fir. I don't think there's any cherry trees in southwest Iowa, or Douglas fir. I always here people raving about how it smells. I'd also love to buck up some of those massive, straight Douglas firs they have in Canada. Not much for softwood here either. I love the smell of pine and juniper (eastern cedar?) in the firepit.
I’d like to find a big old dead multi stem American Hornbeam, Carpinus caroliniana aka blue beech, ironwood, musclewood, muscle beech I’ve never checked the btu chart on it, but it looks and feels like it would burn a long time. I wouldn’t turn down Osage orange either.
Osage orange, and to be different I’m going to say American Holly. I hear dogwood rates high on the charts too
I’ve burned plenty of hedge…. In brush piles. That’s as far as I’ll go with it. Won’t cut it if I can avoid it. Don’t split well. Burns extremely hot and puts off more sparks than a sparkler on the 4th of July. There is tons of it around my area. Spreads about as fast as cedars do. It’s more of a nuisance than anything here.
Funny, but just 3 days ago I was thinking about this exact thing, and thought about starting a thread on it. I guess great minds do think alike. This summer and early fall I managed to cross 3 species of trees off my “ firewood I would like to try” list. Black walnut, maple (silver according to you folks) and honey locust. Haven’t burned any yet, it still needs CSSed, but I have it in my yard. So probably the 3 most wanted in no particular order are hickory, cherry, and mulberry. Years ago we brought home a bunch of hickory from a Texas hog hunt. Used it for grilling/smoking and just aroma therapy around the campfire. So no idea how it is for heating firewood or how it splits. would like to try cherry just to see how it splits and if’n it really smells as good as people say. Does this type of cherry tree produce any edible fruit? And mulberry just because it seems to be pretty elusive but highly revered by those who can get it.
Depends on the time of year. For shoulder season well aged Pine and Maple, for cooler weather Oak, for the really cold nothing beats Locust.
Probably madrone, and the western live oak. That western live oak has the highest BTU ratings of any firewood. I actually burned madrone once when I was on the West coast. It was clean and and burned hot.
