Firewood Optimum moisture content can wood be too dry?

[goeduck]

What kind of hardwood do you have? I don’t have much fir, mostly white or black pine but they’re sorry firewood. Soft maple might compete on levels of bad but at least it’s not sticky. Oak last way longer. Here’s a load of pine I dumped off a couple weeks ago because I didn’t want it. View attachment 642442

Apple, madrone, Cherry, various yard trees. I cannot say I have ever burned oak, I wish I had access to it. Doug Fir is WAY better than pine and this site lists it better than eastern oaks
Firewood BTU Ratings Chart Best Firewood Heat Energy Content

 

[TnAndy]

What kind of hardwood do you have? I don稚 have much fir, mostly white or black pine but theyæ±*e sorry firewood. Soft maple might compete on levels of bad but at least itç—´ not sticky. Oak last way longer. Hereç—´ a load of pine I dumped off a couple weeks ago because I didn稚 want it. View attachment 642442

White pine is the worst firewood out there, for sure. But if you were closer to me, I'd have sure let you 'dump' it at my sawmill !

 

[goeduck]

The lesser firewoods are okay in the shoulder months where you do not need or want much heat. As long as they start easy. Nice up to just warm the house up and burn out.

 

[4570Man]

The lesser firewoods are okay in the shoulder months where you do not need or want much heat. As long as they start easy. Nice up to just warm the house up and burn out.

It takes the same amount of work to cut, split, stack, and handle a piece of pine or soft maple vs oak. I process some of the lesser woods as they come along but burning less oak when I need less heat works just as good.

 

[Egon]

The drier the wood the more BTU’s it will produce. Heat is required to boil off wood moisture and allow the wood to vaporize. Dry punky wood will weigh less and produce less heat. Wood should stabilize at the current air moisture content.

Many stoves have warnings about using processed lumber.

 

[DieselnHooters]

What kind of hardwood do you have? I don’t have much fir, mostly white or black pine but they’re sorry firewood. Soft maple might compete on levels of bad but at least it’s not sticky. Oak last way longer. Here’s a load of pine I dumped off a couple weeks ago because I didn’t want it. View attachment 642442

My guess is you must be blessed living in an area full of oak and hickory if you think red maple is junk. Dont let the name fool you its only "soft" in relation to sugar maple which is often called ''rock maple'' up north.

Apple, madrone, Cherry, various yard trees. I cannot say I have ever burned oak, I wish I had access to it. Doug Fir is WAY better than pine and this site lists it better than eastern oaks
Firewood BTU Ratings Chart Best Firewood Heat Energy Content

There are more of these charts than I can count and if you dismiss the trees found in locale where nobody heats with wood or dwarf species like ironwood and only rank the larger ones actually found in eastern forests where woodheating is widespread then among larger species sugar maple or white oak usually come out on top.

 

[goeduck]

It takes the same amount of work to cut, split, stack, and handle a piece of pine or soft maple vs oak.

Point well made, but if the tree of a lesser wood fell into your pasture, across a trail, etc. it still needs to be dealt with. And as big as our trees are out here you cannot just push them out of the way. So they have to be cut up and either hauled to a burn pile or at that point turned into firewood. BTUs come from weight so you get less but they are easier to handle. But to your point, I also would rather burn a tree that is over 22 MBTU/cord or so. Douglas Fir is 26.5 MBTU/cord and 3075 lbs/cord. Eastern White Oak puts out less heat at 24.0 MBTU/cord and is heavier at 3757 lbs/cord.

 

[Jstpssng]

My guess is you must be blessed living in an area full of oak and hickory if you think red maple is junk. Dont let the name fool you its only "soft" in relation to sugar maple which is often called ''rock maple'' up north.



There are more of these charts than I can count and if you dismiss the trees found in locale where nobody heats with wood or dwarf species like ironwood and only rank the larger ones actually found in eastern forests where woodheating is widespread then among larger species sugar maple or white oak usually come out on top.

There are the same amount of BTUs in soft maple as in white birch... I don't generally waste my time with either. I have mostly rock maple, beech, and some ash for hardwoods on my property; because anything else with any size went to the local paper mill years ago when I bought the property. Having said that in early fall before the rains start I usually go out back and pick up whatever is dead and lying around, if all that I want is to take the chill off. Hemlock is a quick heat, then burns out fast so that you don't need to start opening windows.

 

[4570Man]

My guess is you must be blessed living in an area full of oak and hickory if you think red maple is junk. Dont let the name fool you its only "soft" in relation to sugar maple which is often called ''rock maple'' up north.



.

Red oak is the dominant tree around here. It’s a sorry tree but excellent firewood. White oaks are a much better tree and they’re worth twice as much. I’ve dealt with some maple before and in hardwood terms it’s definitely soft. The only “hardwood” worse is poplar. I usually firewood most of the trees I come across at least the better pieces except white pine. It’s so sticky it usually goes to the burn pile.

 

[DieselnHooters]

There are the same amount of BTUs in soft maple as in white birch... I don't generally waste my time with either. I have mostly rock maple, beech, and some ash for hardwoods on my property; because anything else with any size went to the local paper mill years ago when I bought the property. Having said that in early fall before the rains start I usually go out back and pick up whatever is dead and lying around, if all that I want is to take the chill off. Hemlock is a quick heat, then burns out fast so that you don't need to start opening windows.

Sure if most of what you have handy is tenderloin than why reach for hamburgers.

Willow, pine, fir, linden are junk firewood…..red maple and paper birch are leaps and bound above those