Is it willow?

[Rustington]

Asked Google image search, the list of trees it didn’t mention would be shorter 🤣

[Mark Bolam]

Goat willow.

 

[sime42]

Decent enough firewood. Quick to grow, quick to season, quick to burn, quick to heat. 

 

 

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, sime42 said:

Decent enough firewood. Quick to grow, quick to season, quick to burn, quick to heat. 

 

 

Yes, I have avoided it mostly but when dry it's okay. I think it leaves more ash, but that may be a bit subjective and it takes up more space in the stack for the heat it gives out compared wiht a good hardwood, like birch, oak, beech or ash.

 

Comparable with softwoods really.

[Rustington]

1 hour ago, sime42 said:

Decent enough firewood. Quick to grow, quick to season, quick to burn, quick to heat. 

 

 

Can you season it quickly?

I assumed it would take longer than most due to its high moisture content.

[openspaceman]

20 minutes ago, Rustington said:

Can you season it quickly?

I assumed it would take longer than most due to its high moisture content.

I think so as it's quite porous, unlike , say, oak, which can be difficult.

 

Having said that you can virtually discount drying between mid October to late March outside in England, though that's probably changing.

[sime42]

1 hour ago, Rustington said:

Can you season it quickly?

I assumed it would take longer than most due to its high moisture content.

 

As everything that OSM says really. It does have a high moisture content, but it loses it quickly. Overall it dries relatively quickly. 

 

Good for fast heat when you first light the fire. Like softwood. 

 

Not very efficient in terms of calories per m², compared to a "hard" hardwood like Oak or Apple say.

 

 

[sime42]

1 hour ago, openspaceman said:

Yes, I have avoided it mostly but when dry it's okay. I think it leaves more ash, but that may be a bit subjective and it takes up more space in the stack for the heat it gives out compared wiht a good hardwood, like birch, oak, beech or ash.

 

Comparable with softwoods really.

 

Interesting about the ash. I thought the same about Poplar when I was burning it. 

 

 

[Steven P]

Takes up more space, but dries quicker and burns quicker so that space is emptied quicker - not like you would be storing it for years taking up space. Always thought a little better than some softwoods, but subscribing to the cost benefits of 'free' (££ free, time is another thing), I'd take and use it. Paying ££ by the m3 for it I might give it a miss though.

 

I take it as a general rule of thumb that the less energy dense woods - softwoods generally - dry quicker than hardwoods, in mine acceptably dry after a season (wind is channelled down the drying stacks), where hard woods will take 2 years.

 

 

As a side, willow does carve as well if you ever want a shot at spoons or whatever - and if they go wrong it started as firewood and ends as it too.

[Mick Dempsey]

If you got it free, it’s still too expensive.