Leylandii as Firewood

[Billhook]

Thanks for the replies 

 

The wood came from some large trees and had been seasoned for about three years so there was less resin but it was still quite heavy.  Little bark and quite stringy on the outside of each log. I felt that this stringy layer burnt fiercely and may have coated the remaining log with a black ash which subdued the fire 

The air vents were fully open, normally half shut down for Ash and Sycamore once the fire is going 

I think it is good advice to mix it with the Ash and Sycamore 

 

 

 

 

[Dan Maynard]

I've seen that black smouldery burn when using it on scout campfires. On our burner at home I've always burned it mixed and never had a problem.

[dumper]

Have you actually tested the water content?

[Mr. Ed]

Was the three year seasoning done after it had been split? Seasoning in whole stems doesn’t (as I’m sure you know) really work (at least in a timely fashion. We burn a lot of it but definitely need proper drying once cut - produces a lot of tar otherwise. 

[Peasgood]

I season 3 years + as a stem, then split in summer and burn in winter after a bit more seasoning.

Works well for me and they do usually need that extra seasoning once split, not so much if there has been a long dry spell like we used to get in the olden days.

[Steven P]

Slit as soon as you get it, leylandii for me are usually good to in a year. Mind same for all woods... split as soon as you get it.

 

I can't comment on 3 year old logs, never kept any that long but never really had a soot problem off them

[Stubby]

9 hours ago, Steven P said:

Slit as soon as you get it, leylandii for me are usually good to in a year. Mind same for all woods... split as soon as you get it.

 

I can't comment on 3 year old logs, never kept any that long but never really had a soot problem off them

As above for me . 👍

[Squaredy]

On 28/03/2024 at 19:19, Billhook said:

Thanks for the replies 

 

The wood came from some large trees and had been seasoned for about three years so there was less resin but it was still quite heavy.  Little bark and quite stringy on the outside of each log. I felt that this stringy layer burnt fiercely and may have coated the remaining log with a black ash which subdued the fire 

The air vents were fully open, normally half shut down for Ash and Sycamore once the fire is going 

I think it is good advice to mix it with the Ash and Sycamore 

 

 

 

 

If leylandii (or indeed any cypress) is quite heavy it is still wet.  

[Muddy42]

I also burn wood in bulk in a biomass log boiler but also in open fires and stoves.  All wood gets treated the same - forwarded to behind the house, seasoned for 1.5 - 2 years and each summer I mechanically process logs for the following winter which get stored indoors for a few more months.  By the time its burned you can barely tell what species it is and over the years, I've given up trying to compare, conifers/hardwoods they all burns fine!

[GarethM]

Yeap, split and thrown in a covered cage outside. Six months and you couldn't tell the difference as it's all at 18%.

 

Yeah, longer you leave anything with sap the more crystalline it gets but dry is dry.