Firewood info hope it helps

[predator]

So what sort of wood burns best? Well there is an old anonymous poem which answers this very question:

 

LOGS TO BURN

 

Logs to burn, logs to burn,

Logs to save the coal a turn

Here's a word to make you wise,

When you hear the woodman's cries.

Never heed his usual tale,

That he has good logs for sale,

But read these lines and really learn,

the proper kind of logs to burn.

 

OAK logs will warm you well,

If they're old and dry.

LARCH logs of pine wood smell,

But the sparks will fly.

BEECH logs for Christmas time,

YEW logs heat well.

SCOTCH logs it is a crime,

For anyone to sell.

 

BIRCH logs will burn too fast,

CHESTNUT scarce at all

HAWTHORN logs are good to last,

If you cut them in the fall

HOLLY logs will burn like wax

You should burn them green

ELM logs like smouldering flax

No flame to be seen

 

PEAR logs and APPLE logs,

they will scent your room.

CHERRY logs across the dogs,

Smell like flowers in bloom

But ASH logs, all smooth and grey,

burn them green or old;

Buy up all that come your way,

They're worth their weight in gold.

 

Note that all woods burn better when seasoned and some burn better when split rather than as whole logs. In general the better woods for burning that you are most likely to come by (including non-native species) are:

 

Apple and pear – burning slowly and steadily with little flame but good heat. The scent is also pleasing.

 

Ash – the best burning wood providing plenty of heat (will also burn green but you should not need to do this!)

 

Beech and hornbeam – good when well seasoned

 

Birch – good heat and a bright flame – burns quickly.

 

Blackthorn and hawthorn – very good – burn slowly but with good heat

 

Cherry – also burns slowly with good heat and a pleasant scent.

 

Cypress – burns well but fast when seasoned, and may spit

 

Hazel – good, but hazel has so many other uses hopefully you won’t have to burn it!

 

Holly – good when well seasoned

 

Horse Chestnut – good flame and heating power but spits a lot.

 

Larch – fairly good for heat but crackles and spits

 

Maple – good.

 

Oak – very old dry seasoned oak is excellent, burning slowly with a good heat

 

Pine – burns well with a bright flame but crackles and spits

 

Poplar – avoid all poplar wood – it burns very slowly with little heat – which is why poplar is used to make matchsticks.

 

Willow – very good – in fact there is growing interest in biomass production of coppiced willow as a fuel.

[Stubby]

So what sort of wood burns best? Well there is an old anonymous poem which answers this very question:

 

LOGS TO BURN

 

Logs to burn, logs to burn,

Logs to save the coal a turn

Here's a word to make you wise,

When you hear the woodman's cries.

Never heed his usual tale,

That he has good logs for sale,

But read these lines and really learn,

the proper kind of logs to burn.

 

OAK logs will warm you well,

If they're old and dry.

LARCH logs of pine wood smell,

But the sparks will fly.

BEECH logs for Christmas time,

YEW logs heat well.

SCOTCH logs it is a crime,

For anyone to sell.

 

BIRCH logs will burn too fast,

CHESTNUT scarce at all

HAWTHORN logs are good to last,

If you cut them in the fall

HOLLY logs will burn like wax

You should burn them green

ELM logs like smouldering flax

No flame to be seen

 

PEAR logs and APPLE logs,

they will scent your room.

CHERRY logs across the dogs,

Smell like flowers in bloom

But ASH logs, all smooth and grey,

burn them green or old;

Buy up all that come your way,

They're worth their weight in gold.

 

Note that all woods burn better when seasoned and some burn better when split rather than as whole logs. In general the better woods for burning that you are most likely to come by (including non-native species) are:

 

Apple and pear – burning slowly and steadily with little flame but good heat. The scent is also pleasing.

 

Ash – the best burning wood providing plenty of heat (will also burn green but you should not need to do this!)

 

Beech and hornbeam – good when well seasoned

 

Birch – good heat and a bright flame – burns quickly.

 

Blackthorn and hawthorn – very good – burn slowly but with good heat

 

Cherry – also burns slowly with good heat and a pleasant scent.

 

Cypress – burns well but fast when seasoned, and may spit

 

Hazel – good, but hazel has so many other uses hopefully you won’t have to burn it!

 

Holly – good when well seasoned

 

Horse Chestnut – good flame and heating power but spits a lot.

 

Larch – fairly good for heat but crackles and spits

 

Maple – good.

 

Oak – very old dry seasoned oak is excellent, burning slowly with a good heat

 

Pine – burns well with a bright flame but crackles and spits

 

Poplar – avoid all poplar wood – it burns very slowly with little heat – which is why poplar is used to make matchsticks.

 

Willow – very good – in fact there is growing interest in biomass production of coppiced willow as a fuel.

 

Dissagree on the pop. Burns very slow cos its wet . Its always wet unless you go over the top to keep it dry . Then it burns too fast ! Agree it gives out little heat . Makes good kindling splits easy . Matches yes.

[santacruz]

These guides wind me up. All it proves when someone says that a certain spp does not burn is that they cant dry logs properly. Dry wood is all the same it being made of wood and all. There are differences in denseness and tendancy to spit, but a dry log is a dry log. These guides just create wood snobs.

[predator]

I,AM JUST GOING TO DRY MINE SAME AS REST

mix n burn it it was the smell it gave off worried me yesterday when i was splitting it etc does it spit etc no matter as i have a doored woodburner just worried about otheres with open fires etc

[Stubby]

These guides wind me up. All it proves when someone says that a certain spp does not burn is that they cant dry logs properly. Dry wood is all the same it being made of wood and all. There are differences in denseness and tendancy to spit, but a dry log is a dry log. These guides just create wood snobs.

 

Thats about the top and bottom of it . Totally agree .

[skyhuck]

All that Poem describes is the difficulty of drying different timber, those that are said to burn well, dry easily, even when left out in the open and will burn without proper seasoning.(but burn better when properly seasoned)

 

Those that are described poor need to be dried well and kept under cover.

[pembswoodrecycling]

I don't understand everyone's problem with poplar. It is VERY wet when it's green, but give it a year outside then split it small and Put it in the shed with plenty of air round it and four months later it burns lovely. All we're burning ATM is pop, makes a nice warm fire. IMO

[Stubby]

I don't understand everyone's problem with poplar. It is VERY wet when it's green, but give it a year outside then split it small and Put it in the shed with plenty of air round it and four months later it burns lovely. All we're burning ATM is pop, makes a nice warm fire. IMO

 

I agree it does burn well if you look after it as you describe . How ever on a night that is blow zero burn a nights worth of pop then the next night burn a load of equally well seasoned ash or beech you wiil notice the difference in the calorific value , well I can tell any way . But essentially, I agree , if you can keep it dry it will burn .

[skyhuck]

I agree it does burn well if you look after it as you describe . How ever on a night that is blow zero burn a nights worth of pop then the next night burn a load of equally well seasoned ash or beech you wiil notice the difference in the calorific value , well I can tell any way . But essentially, I agree , if you can keep it dry it will burn .

 

Please give a link to evidence for this??????

 

Woods wood.

[pembswoodrecycling]

I agree it does burn well if you look after it as you describe . How ever on a night that is blow zero burn a nights worth of pop then the next night burn a load of equally well seasoned ash or beech you wiil notice the difference in the calorific value , well I can tell any way . But essentially, I agree , if you can keep it dry it will burn .

 

No doubt you're right there but ash and beech are both quite a bit denser than pop, I wonder what the difference in calorific value is weight for weight at the same moisture content?....