Cherry vs Beech burning

[CEE]

Hi,

 

I have a lot of beech oak and cherry, several tons of each.

 

I find that the cheery does not burn nearly as well as the oak and beech - especially the beech.

Is this a normal thing or are my expectations too high? I have a moisture meter and all are nice and dry right through the middle - below 20% some are 10%

 

I am just wondering because you see many forums saying how wonderful cheery is and the lovely smell - I don't get either of those things.

 

Cheers,

Edited October 10, 2019 by CEE
correct spelling

[gary112]

Usually any fruit wood is good burning but i find beech takes a bit of beating and burns very well and hot

[Rob_the_Sparky]

Yeah, I like cherry but then I am comparing it to mostly softwoods.  Oak and beech are also meant to be very good but I don;t get enough of either to judge so maybe you are just comparing good with very good?

[CEE]

Beech seems to be the king. Easy to split burns fantastic when dry. And plentiful in the chilterns where I live.

 

The cherry I have was very old - the trunk lay in the woods for maybe 4 years - is there such a thing as it being past it's best ?

[nepia]

Yes and maybe it is; cherry doesn't keep well on the ground.  Get hold of some that's in good condition, season it properly and try it; it's good stuff.

[openspaceman]

2 hours ago, CEE said:

Beech seems to be the king. Easy to split burns fantastic when dry. And plentiful in the chilterns where I live.

 

The cherry I have was very old - the trunk lay in the woods for maybe 4 years - is there such a thing as it being past it's best ?

Yes definitely, all the time it is lying and the moisture content is high the microbes that feed on the wood are reducing it's dry matter, and the volatiles that give a lively flame seem to go first. Also cherry bark is waterproof so the wood rots inside it, producing CO2 and water, thus it does not dry. It is similar to birch in this respect so best felled crosscut, split and stacked under cover asap.

 

You also find this with old bits of stagheaded oak which are dry but not very exciting to burn

[CEE]

OK that there is my answer. I will put it in the log burner on days that aren't so cold and use it up like that.

[Silverhooker]

I would agree that wood does "go off" if left out in the wet too long then dried, especially the species with a high carb content like sycamore and other maples. I've had syc that lay out for a year and then was brought in split and dried and went all powdery in the middle., it burned but wasn't up to much.

[gensetsteve]

Never had much luck with cherry or apple always wondered what all the fuss was about . beech and ash my favourites Hawthorns good round this way too

[Rough Hewn]

Fruit wood used green on an open fire with other dry hardwood can produce a very faint fragrance.
I used to sell bay wood green to a Jamaican restaurant for BBQ smoking meats. Apparently in Jamaica they use pimento wood, and bay is the closest thing in the uk.
I presume once fragrant wood has dried it has lost all essential oils/phenols/volatiles etc.
[emoji106]