First time processing Hackberry. It was dropped off by my tree cutter connection with maple and ash. impression: 1. It is very heavy 2. It very hard, cuts slow, and duels chain fast 3. It is hard to hand split. Literally at least 3 times harder to split than similar sized, similar grained maple that I was spitting next to it. It took at least 3 full strikes With the Isocore the maple took 1 strike. 4. According to BTU charts it has slightly above average BTU’s close to ash and maple. overall thoughts are if I got to pick Almost any other wood to CSS I probably would, but dropped off in my backyard for free I’ll take almost any wood!
I got a bunch for free recently. Split it with my hydro (cheating, I know). Cool looking stuff. Crazy bark. Can't wait to try it this winter. Sorry - I know that's not terribly helpful. But, if it's wood - I burn it.
Burns ok, but not great. Tough to split green even with hydro power. But I’ll take it when available. I don’t have many hardwoods available In my area. Call me crazy but I’d rather have a standing dead elm over any hackberry.
Will I drive 25 miles to go get it? No. But if hackberry is there Im taking it. Pretty much same BTUs as black cherry and dries just as fast. Ive never really thought it was tough to split (hand split everything), maybe Ive just lucked out with the rounds Ive had. I have 1/2 - 3/4 a cord ready for this year. Dont think you can ever go wrong with some hackberry in the stacks.
I was pretty impressed with how quick it dried. Seemed to burn well too, like was mentioned prior similar to ash. Best wood is the wood ya got in the stacks. My hydro splitter didnt seem to mind it either.
one wood ive never scrounged and the number ive seen around here you can count on one hand. Being a strict hand splitter take wood based on ease of splitting. I gues i would take some just as a nevelty. Free and delivered and you were able to split so good deal!
I like it and it drys fast. Makes good heat and decent coals. I’ve had some split tough but most hasn’t been bad. Hydro doing the work though.
I like it as a shoulder season wood. I usually have to cut several down when cutting hedge rows. When I get yard trees, they are usually half rotten or punky, but the good stuff splits ok with hydraulics, and usually dries in less than one season.
One nice thing about hackberry is that it usually grows straight and tall. with very few knots. When you split it try to split with the circle of the growth rings, not across the center. If that makes sense. Fun fact, hackberry is technically in the elm family, but its not considered an elm.
I picked up some Hackberry limbs today It’s nice to be on the tree guy’s speed dial. He had already ran the brush & small branches thru the chipper. The tree was half dead, so about 1/3 of the limbs were too rotten/punky to use. He’s going to drop the big log off at my house later with his winch truck. The skid loader wouldn’t pick it up.
Even splitting with the growth rings was tough. Makes since that it’s in the elm family because it only spilts a little easier!
