What Is The Best Firewood & Characteristics Of Different Species. How To Pick The Right Type

[@ThomeyMarvin]

A good idea for a show might be to research the oil in wood. Which woods are most likely to leave your chimney dirty, requiring more frequent cleaning etc. I'm told walnut is one of the worst ( most oily ), therefor I give it away to people with low chimneys that are easy to clean. Or I just cut it ( to get it out of the way ) and leave it where it falls. Another good topic might be "how to keep the bugs out of the split wood that is drying".

[@vanwhalen3719]

Good to know! Enjoying your videos!

[@Elwood-kq6ld]

Not much oak in my area, I get it here and there. It takes forever to dry and doesn't make very good coals in my experience. I jump on ash, mulberry, and silver maple when I can. Maple is plentiful here and splits and dries the easiest. It does burn hot and fast though and is best used as a supplemental wood. The best fire is always a mixed wood fire, you get characteristics from each one working together. Every year is different for me depending on what I can get my hands on. This year is maple, ash, mulberry, pear, apple and a little elm and walnut mixed in. When it is cold, fire is fire, who cares what kind of wood it is.

[@jouman450]

Nice tarps. Are you making compost?

[@ronatwell5379]

I live in the far western Ozarks of SW MO. Enjoyed your video because that is important information to people who rely on wood for heat. I thought you were going to overlook honey locust and black locust for most of the video, but you did mention them toward the end. I have only 28 acres which is mostly pasture, only a acre on a hillside is wooded. Other than taking down a dead tree occasionally and one monster honey locust which was milled into lumber, I rely on outside sources for my firewood. So that adds another point of consideration to rating firewood. It has to be free to me, or I'm not interested. Cutting, hauling, splitting etc is cost enough so I don't pay for the tree itself. That being said, I burn whatever I can get. Many times it is a dead tree, fallen tree, or storm cleanup. I even burned a huge "tree of heaven" a couple years ago taken down on my son's rental property so they could redo a sewer line. Worst wood I have ever burned, but it did provide some BTU's. As you said, I save my best large stuff for really cold weather and overnite burns. Being retired and home all day, I burn junk that only lasts a couple of hours and reload with same until night.

[@springhollerfarm8668]

Black locust is one of the best around, minus the sparks. I will burn anything but I prefer white oak...

[@saltrock9642]

Oak rules in my area for fireplaces but I burn pecan in the fire pit and smoker. Pecan smells so good outside so I’ll just light a fire for the heck of it when working in the yard.

[@springhollerfarm8668]

I don't think we have much pecan here but black walnut smells great, too.

[@johnbutler5208]

Thank you

[@naturewatcher7596]

Ash is the best firewood, unfortunately it's dying out due to some imported bug. Cherry and maple are good too.

[@springhollerfarm8668]

Ash is good but it is also getting hard to find. Personally, I find oak, especially white oak to be the all around winner. Hickory is great, too if you get it split soon enough.

[@johnbutler5208]

I agree I tell people there's firewood then there's firewood white oak, get a fire going out of that you got something

[@springhollerfarm8668]

It is just as much work cutting poor firewood as it is cutting good firewood. Might as well cut good stuff if it is available.

[@kroach2653]

Enjoy your videos I've seen so far. You are the only person I have ever heard say fresh split oak smells good though lol. I think it smells like baby spit up.

[@springhollerfarm8668]

Thank you. That is true of some kinds of oak such as blackjack oak but white oak smalls good.

[@geraldblair5084]

Yellow locust

[@springhollerfarm8668]

Yes, that is also called black locust, the one with the bright yellow wood. LOVE that wood. Makes long lasting fence posts as well.