A friend used to live in Mich. His neighbors all planted corn even though it was mini farms form 5-40 acres. They had people with farm machinery plant and harvest the corn and when at the mill a percent was given to the harvester and the mill and the rest was on account for the homeowners use. the homeowners feed a pellet boiler with the corn and they all said the cost was minimal. My friend said the house smelled like popcorn all winter long.
I think I am about finished... with firewood
- Thread starter josh shrum
- Start date
That looks to be Red Elm. If so, absolute Cadillac wood!! burns hot, little ash. I would burn that ahead of anything else(where I live). Tough splitting though.
timeout
Silver $$ Contributor
Red elm. Best firewood in Wisconsin and I've been heating with wood all my life.
hogpatrol
Gold $$ Contributor
Sycamore maple, native to the U.K. In some states, considered an invasive species.
dave@aDave
Gold $$ Contributor
When I was farming, I heated the house with wood. As I split all of my wood with a sledge hammer and wedges, I preferred seasoned White Oak. It split beautifully. Then a couple of businesses started up that made wooden golf club heads. They only used Persimmon. There is/was a lot of waste because it had to be perfect. They were happy to get rid of it. I would take the truck with the 400 bushel grain bed and they would fill it up for $15.00. It burned hot and settled down to the nicest bed of coals and lasted for quite a while. I was worried about burning through the grate in the wood stove, but it handled it.
There is an elm tree around here (Central Ky) that is called "Piss Elm". That is the gnarliest and stringiest wood I have ever seen. It is very good for tool handles but that's it. I was trying to split a hunk of it with no progress. The wedges would just bounce straight up. Tried an axe, that didn't work. Wrestled that slab all the way down to the creek behind the house. I carried it back up to the house. Went and rented a splitter. The hydraulic hoses swelled up, the engine bogged down, but finally split it. Put it in the fireplace and enjoyed every second of watching it burn along with a jelly glass of Maker's Mark.
There is an elm tree around here (Central Ky) that is called "Piss Elm". That is the gnarliest and stringiest wood I have ever seen. It is very good for tool handles but that's it. I was trying to split a hunk of it with no progress. The wedges would just bounce straight up. Tried an axe, that didn't work. Wrestled that slab all the way down to the creek behind the house. I carried it back up to the house. Went and rented a splitter. The hydraulic hoses swelled up, the engine bogged down, but finally split it. Put it in the fireplace and enjoyed every second of watching it burn along with a jelly glass of Maker's Mark.
hoz53
Gold $$ Contributor
okWrong continent my friend.I haven't burned any yet but it seems to be close to locust or sycamore.
Our Elms in Oklahoma burn cold with lots of ash. Some species native some invasive i think. Hackberry is my favorite. Medium weight. Not set up for total home heat but darn sure suppliments the heat pump for a cold spell.
this is a plan by the Chinese to tire out a lot of men so they can invade and the men will be to tired from splitting that wood to fight back.
double pumper
Gold $$ Contributor
MY guess is eucalyptus--originally from Australia
That's a good guess.
dgeesaman
Gold $$ Contributor
I think it depends greatly on the wood. Straight grained stuff, not too wide, cut 16” long, is far more splittable than 22” long rounds of burly oak. I have a hydraulic splitter because some of it is a brutal sledge and wedge job by hand.
I heat my home with a wood furnace and it takes 2-3 cords per year here in SC Pa. I do enjoy it but it takes space, time, and a fuel source. Hopefully my next home will accommodate that.
okie
Gold $$ Contributor
does not get cold here---found out years ago when I went off to school that the ash was making me sick. took a couple years admittingly to realize it. propane is cheap and neighbors gladly get the dead trees as they come....and a heckuva lot less work! my sinuses have been clear ever since
dgeesaman
Gold $$ Contributor
Having a high efficiency furnace, fully dried wood, and a tall chimney makes a huge difference. But for sure you have to be careful about airborne particulates.
okie
Gold $$ Contributor
yeah. I am pretty sensitive to it--they did a control burn south of me last friday and the smoke (not much) closed up my sinuses in no time. It would seem a rural farmboy could handle it.---but nope, not me. my wife gets pissed because i leave when her and the kids build a fire in the pit outside--tears me up. no hot dogs and smores for me.
just think how many years of fuel they wasted with Californacation green deal not to mention lives lost ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
okie
Gold $$ Contributor
wtf...wow --talk about gov control!
my point exactly , a good forestry program might have saved some of of the waste
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