HICARDO

Been felling, cross cutting and splitting Sweet Chestnut today in the February sunshine here in southern England 😀

My experience is that when well seasoned it burns fairly fast and hot, smells great, throws sparks but is just fine in the woodturner if dry. Would recommend with these provisos

Nepia I meant - sorry! Spell checker keeps changing it. Im actually picking my mate up from East Hoathly tomorrow to do a walk over the tops from Glynde to Lewes. Not many trees up there on the South Downs!!

Sepia - Amazing how two people's experience with the same wood in the same county can be so different! 🤔. I guess there will be variation in how it's cut / stored / seasoned / burned etc, so maybe that accounts for the varied experiences

We have lots of western red from a very very over-stood hedge, so over-stood the thuja forms trees of about 80ft high!!! Been gradually cutting the big thuja and replanting a new hedge below. Gradually - over several years. Not wasting the wood, burning western red for a long time now, often in combination with ash from dieback trees, here in E. Sussex. The WRC after a years seasoning in our polytunnel, burns really well in stove, fairly fast, but very hot, and wonderful smell of the stacked wood. Spoken to 2 tree surgeons recently and they both agree. But still doesn't seem a popular wood on the general market. Mines all free to me, just a lot of hard enjoyable work axe chopping, but I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised by how nice it is to burn. 😃