LD1
Epic Contributor
All firewood is roughly the same BTU per pound. 6200BTU per # @ 20% moisture is commonly accepted and what that chart uses.
Some woods that are considered "sappy" have slightly higher BTU per pound. Like pine. Because the sap burns like oil and adds heat.
The reason most like the harder woods is because you can fit more BTU's into a given place. So you get more heat out of a stovefull with oak than you do with poplar.
And since most wood is sold by volume (cord) and not by weight, the heavier woods are what people want. Since the time it takes to cut and process softwoods is the same as hardwoods (or close) there isnt as much money in softwoods. Around me, a cord of hardwood (oak, ash, cherry, elm, etc) is $150 or so. You'd have to sell pine or poplar @ 80-100/cord for the same $ to heat value. But since it dont last as long, and takes up more room, you would have to be even less than that. Just not worth it IF hardwoods are plentiful.
Sorry for the novel.
Nikdfish: how big was the tree? Diameter wise? Red oak is actually one of my favorite firewoods to cut and sell. I dont burn other than in the shop. And that I only burn the junk wood. Willow, pine, etc. Stuff that I cannot sell. But I like red oak because it splits super easy:thumbsup:
Some woods that are considered "sappy" have slightly higher BTU per pound. Like pine. Because the sap burns like oil and adds heat.
The reason most like the harder woods is because you can fit more BTU's into a given place. So you get more heat out of a stovefull with oak than you do with poplar.
And since most wood is sold by volume (cord) and not by weight, the heavier woods are what people want. Since the time it takes to cut and process softwoods is the same as hardwoods (or close) there isnt as much money in softwoods. Around me, a cord of hardwood (oak, ash, cherry, elm, etc) is $150 or so. You'd have to sell pine or poplar @ 80-100/cord for the same $ to heat value. But since it dont last as long, and takes up more room, you would have to be even less than that. Just not worth it IF hardwoods are plentiful.
Sorry for the novel.
Nikdfish: how big was the tree? Diameter wise? Red oak is actually one of my favorite firewoods to cut and sell. I dont burn other than in the shop. And that I only burn the junk wood. Willow, pine, etc. Stuff that I cannot sell. But I like red oak because it splits super easy:thumbsup:
When we timbered our place we kept out about 1/3 of the land to save these hardwoods and especially the huge tree. Momma nature has taken down dozens and dozens of those trees. We should have sold those trees in hindsight. 
