What is the worst wood

[Joy Yeomans]

IMO, no real bad woods - just the time they take to dry out, poplar and chestnut take too long to dry out for us as firewood merchants - got some up the yard been there 3 + years and still wet, will log some more up and mix in with our own wood -compare it with some beech cut and ready to sell in 6 months

[chilli]

poplar and chestnut take too long to dry out

 

not when split & stored under cover.

Had 10t HC delivered 17th December; cut, split & stacked under cover over Christmas. By feel, it's almost saleable already but will wait until the autumn. Same with pop'.

[Joy Yeomans]

not when split & stored under cover.

Had 10t HC delivered 17th December; cut, split & stacked under cover over Christmas. By feel, it's almost saleable already but will wait until the autumn. Same with pop'.

we must have some mystic pop and chestnut - it doesnt like drying nets, doesnt like the barn - bought some down thats been cut for 18 months, its burning but not brill more of a smoulder, mixing with some pine - ok wood, but wont commercially sell it as firewood - just my opinion

[THE88MAN]

i was told not to burn elder in a house as it has a gypsie curse with it..... dont know if its true as i never burn it inside. anyone else heard this?

witches wood mate,my mother wouldn't have it in the house...............mother in law loved it though

[davetaz]

I sold 30T poplar this winter. Bought it last spring, processed in to billets by june, ready to burn by october - lots of repeat customers came back for it

[Treenurd]

Poplar was/is used for matches as it burns so slow. I read somewhere that in times gone by alder was highly sought after as it made an excellent gun-powder and that sawing elder released evil spirits but breaking it didn't!

 

Anything burns on a fire that's hot enough, it depends what you want from a firewood as to whether it's 'good' or 'bad'. i.e. fast heat/easy to light/hot coals/long burn/cheap!

 

Ben

[rapidlee]

My Head Forester once upon a time wouldn't have elm in his house. He reckoned there was an old saying that "Elm hateth and waiteth" - though I don't know if that was more to do with dead ones chucking branches off - maybe someone had one land on them once upon a time? I used to burn tonnes of the stuff though - no ill effects so far!

 

Never heard the elder story - though it's mentioned in the firewood poem - "make a fire of elder tree, death within your house will be"

 

Andy

 

witches wood mate,my mother wouldn't have it in the house...............mother in law loved it though

 

cheers i will keep staying away from it. but like the elderflower and lime zyder but thats it.

 

and im a bit of a wood snob. i like oak and dry standing elm.

 

we nearly blew the fire up by burning telegraph wood put a log on a smouldering fire. then massive boom. not too funny.

 

euclyptus isnt that good.

[Joy Yeomans]

Anything burns on a fire that's hot enough, it depends what you want from a firewood as to whether it's 'good' or 'bad'. i.e. fast heat/easy to light/hot coals/long burn/cheap!

 

Ben

 

very valid and good point ben

[bareroots]

I've been told to leave out lime or to mix it thinly with other woods. Any truth to this?

[Scouse Lee]

Elder is about the only wood I don't bother with, I cut 2 big Poplars down year before last & have been burning it on my logburner since september, I like it, even had a few customers asking for it after I threw a bit into a load for free, you have to split it quite quickly though if you leave it in rings it never seems to dry.