The National Fire Protection Association suggests that you hire a chimney cleaner to remove creosote build-up at least once a year. Is It Okay To Burn Russian Olive In A Fireplace? The density of Russian olive means that it can burn slower without losing heat. I think these charts are the more accurate of the many charts. Burning green wood is bad for any number of reasons, but especially so when the wood has a high sap content. It is a hot burning wood and is very heavy to move. The wood will not keep very well even on a rack I have had it rot out. Get loads of helpful info like how to swing an axe for more power and maintenance advice. But you are right about oak making a great bed of coals, and in an outdoor fire the extra ash wont be so much a problem like in a wood stove. i think its red pine or red elm.. i live in central nm in the foothills of the rocky mtns,our primary firewood is shaggy bark juniper..we just call it scrub cedar..and there are several distinct kinds,yellow-grows extremely slow burns verry hot,red-softer burns up faster-aligator bark juniper-the softest of the 3 less btuthen we have pinyoni dont burn this wood because it plugs my heat exchange unit up..dosent put out much heat and smokes like crazy..then there is scrub oakit burns about the same as any kind of oak..pine and fir..blue spruce..no heat..chineese elm..hard to split little more heat than red scrub cedar..not much..so as far as firewood goes i would give the shaggy bark juniper the highest rating..i also have a house by lake texoma in tx right in the middle of an emense hardwood forest..oak..hickory..maple..american elm..birch..ect..ect..and when im there i burn mostly yellow oak..and hickory,but i like the juniper from nm much better..i dont think the btu rating this chart has for it is correct..im sure its not, i saw a coment on salt cedar above,what you are burning is juniper..or scrub cedar,salt cedar is a completely diferent kind of wood altogether..it grows along the riverbanks of nm and arizona..and i think its scrub syacamore..sorry about the spelling..but it is a verry hard wood..not sure of its btu rating..but i would still rather burn the scrub cedar..or juniper as they call it..salt cedar grows close to water,along with chineese elm and cottonwood in the lower elivations of the two states it does burn quite hot though..im prety sure its a kind of syacamore..close to the btu russian olive would produce..also fine wood for burning, im fron centeral missouri and our elm american or red will not burn in fact it is called p*** elm for reason. Very hard to split, but more importantly it doesnt burn well at all. I dont know how they compare split and dried. It is also excellent firewood for your fireplace or outside firepit. We have burned about 7 1/2 cord and I just ran out. I have burned them in that past and would like to know if anyone knew the BTU value of these trees? Russian olive wood burns very slowly. The store bought lump charcoal gets it to usually 500. Dried. I added another folding screen to the hearth, plus a stainless steel screen that has 1/32 holes in it. I did My little campfire experiment to find out the best hardwood for a campfire . That means youll need a powerful maul or hydraulic splitter. 2 heating oil is about 140,000 Btu per gallon. WHAT KIND OF LOCUST IS IT AND WILL IT BE A GOOD FIREWOOD IN A COUPLE OF MONTH..THANKS getting mostly ash, some cherry and some oak. Keeps for a couple years at best. There is more smoke from wood than coal so ignore the GreenFascist/ACORN Brownshirts and their deceits. Invest in a moisture meter to know when your firewood has seasoned for long enough. Campfires need much radiant heat to keep you warm on a chilly night . They don't produce as many large pieces of firewood as taller tree varieties, but the branches make good kindling. It seems kinda light and when I pay 12.50/cord+driving for lodge poll pine I don't know if it is worth it. Ash is the only wood Ive ever been able to burn streight off the tree (dried for 1 week or less) everything else I try to let dry for at least 5 years. Your web site is very informative. Sourwood trees provide an excellent habitat for pollinators, and their lumber makes great tool handles, but is sourwood good firewood? ), I am reduced to asking neighbors or builders if I can haul away their downed trees. If the Russian olive woods content is still too high after a year, give it a few more months to season. We love it it burns slower and longer so we dont have use our wood as fast. I have burned about every tree that grows in this county (except cottonwood and willow, which is about worthless), and the best, by far, is Osage Orange. Dried as rounds about six months. They have collected approximately 10 cords of woods from the various project sites, enough to heat an estimated 20 households for the duration of the winter. Many places consider it evasive now and are trying to get rid of it. One BTU is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. Hardwoods, ideally should be two years old, but one year is a minimum in the northeast. Russian olive wood produces an unpleasant odor when green. Even though it is not firewood you should use to start your fire, it does produce a BTU of 23 million per cord once it gets going. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. Have burned fir and cedar from the property, but so far have stayed away from the pine. A well educated, 76 year old, freedom loving American who worries about my children and grandchildren. As with most BTU charts I have seen available, some of the numbers may be a little off, but are in the general ballpark. Do some searching on coal for a closeby source. In comparison, Russian olive burns at 23 BTU. For wood stoves I beleive ash,oak,hickory mix. I have some Hemlock and I can get some Hickory. So, are Russian olives worth the trouble? The only draw back is it gives little flame for a campfire . I am refinishing a 3 drawer, 4 cupboard piece of furniture that I believe is olive wood. Greenwood is wood that has just been cut and not seasoned. It is a hardwood that can produce a lot of heat for a long time. Some wood gives off a lot of sparks in the fireplace. I own 60 acres here in upstate NY, 2 hours north of NYC. red Oak) Sweet Gum is great for a hot fire, but burns too quickly. It does mention its good fuel, but not how good. Lodgepole can generate a BTU as high as 17.7, making it one of the higher burning pines. To add a unique smoky flavor to food, place olive wood chips in a smoker box or wrap them in aluminum foil with a few holes, then position them over the heat source. With the ability to adapt to any soil type, the Russian olives tree can tolerate more than 75 gallons of water daily. According to wikipedia bradford pear trees originally come from China. It was partially seasoned so I really cant say if its good firewood or not . My husband and I have been cutting alot of Pinyon pine this yearit burns great!! I dug into it and have burned a face cord or so. Although it does not grow to be large in diameter, with older varieties of the tree, splitting the trunk part of the tree can be pretty difficult. Thanks for the comment, great to know we are getting long time repeat visitors. The logs are quite heavy now, but still pretty green. Do these stoves not have dampers? but it is still the least discovered hardwood/cooking wood around except where they have the Orchards. I live in the White Mountains of Arizona. This is a project Ive been working on. Cottonwood (we refer it as Waterwood) is worthless. and we burn them in our fireplace after they are seasoned. The furnace didnt come on all day. WE MADE BARTOPS, SHELVES, AND FENCING OUT OF IT (PRIMO FOR THOSE, AS THE GRAIN IS VERY PRETTY AND CONTRASTING). The black locust sparks more as its moisture content rises. Ill have much pecan to burn this fall , we cut a huge tree . Anyone have any idea of cure times, BTU output etc? That's when Bishop decided he wanted to make furniture with wood from his family's farm, situated 30 miles east of Brady . Ive also heard this about black locust, which I also burn. Or would it be worth the heat and not having that pile to look at anymore? I BELIEVE THE CEDAR HES TALKING ABOUT IS INCENSE CEDAR. I found a big beech limb fully seasoned and cut it up for a try . they r clean , no bark or bugs, hard as a rock & burn hot! It was cut 4 month prior to burning in the winter . I love this site. I added the BTU of Eucalyptus to the charts but I cant find consistent data for avocado and almond. I already have my next tree cut and seasoning . This is best done in a wood stack, a few inches above ground, with a roof but no sides. One BTU is the heat required to increase the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. I burn 24/7, and use about two cords from Nov. thru Mar., with several 3-day breaks every three weeks or so when the temps are a bit higher. Dogwood is by far the hottest. They are invasive and grow very quickly. Do you split with a maul and wedges, or with a gas powered splitter? Sounds like my neighbor would get along great with yours. I live in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where I have 20 acres of mixed hardwoods. How Does Russian Olive Compare To Other Firewood? These firewood BTU charts compare the heat energy ratings and weight of common firewood species. We have the ability to take care of the problem now while its manageable, but we really need all landowners participation to make this program a success and to ensure the health of our watershed for years to come says MSIs Amanda M. Kuenzi. It is recommended that you use a mixture of firewood when starting a fire instead of relying solely on Russian olive to get it going. all our needs now,and for a few more years,sad business. Non resinous wood has around 8000 to 8500 BTU per pound, resinous wood has around 8600 to 9700 BTU per pound. I cant seem to find any info on suitability of Tupelo or Black Gum for firewood. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Handmade Damascus Steel Full Tang Knife Olive Wood Hunting/Camping/ED W/Sheath at the best online prices at eBay! Apparently Magnolia is very similar to Tulip Poplar. We raise pecans, and they burn cleanly and well, as do prunings from our apple trees. The olive woods sweetness helps balance the slightly bitter hickory smoke. Its similar to black walnut and white ash but doesnt rate as well as honeylocust, Osage orange, or beech. One perk of Russian olive: it burns hot. Distribution: Native to eastern Europe and western and central Asia; naturalized throughout North America, Tree Size: 20-35 ft (6-10 m) tall, 1-1.5 ft (.3-.5 m) trunk diameter, Average Dried Weight: 43 lbs/ft3 (685 kg/m3), Specific Gravity (Basic, 12% MC): .55, .69, *Estimated hardness based upon specific gravity. The wood from these trees makes the greatest stove wood there is. A kilowatt-hour (kwh) of electricity is equivalent to 3,400 Btu. Dont worry about the ashes your stove produces. Output is a whole nother cat. Cut a horizontal cut one-third of the way through the trunk with the chainsaw. It has a very unpleasant odor. Just curious what kind of energy we are getting from them compared to the cords of hardwood we buy. rating for mountain mahogany. Do deer eat Russian olive trees? The maple burns very well though w good hot hard coals that will last the night if I get too lazy to feed the fire at 3am. With a BTU of 23, Russian olive firewood can produce substantial heat over a long time. How to Grow Rosemary From Cuttings Propagate Rosemary, Mexican Mock Orange: Everything About TheChoisya Ternata, Magnolia Shrub: Everything About The Magnolia Bush, Crape Myrtle Shrub: Everything About The Crape Myrtle Tree, Lilac Shrub: Everything About The Lilac Bush. All the old timers around only burn oak and turn their nose up at fir. I cant locate any ratings for this wood. A used asphalt coating bucket or any small metal bucket with lid will work. I forgot to mention that I cut and split a Catalpa. Due to being more shrub-like than other trees, Russian olive trees have very little sap. you will be opening your windows in no time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utECDaIoBFU, Too Much Charcoal Building Up in a Wood Stove, Does Burning Softwood Cause Creosote in a Chimney, Soaking Wood Chips for Smoking and Grilling. Take care working around them and always wear suitable boots and gloves. I have a large sweet gum tree blown over by a storm. Mulberry burns wonderfully, but gets so hot it put a crack in our first cast-iron stove when it was used as a full load, so we only use one piece at a time with other woods. Required fields are marked *. Great site. As olive wood burns in the fire, it radiates a pleasant fragrance. BTUs or British Thermal Units are a measure of the amount of heat energy available in any given substance. In most cases, wood that has little sap build-up is easier to chop and quicker to dry. Olive gives food a subtle flavor thats fruity and slightly sweet. Its all from WI. Russian olive is the only variety of its kind, but it does go by many names. It is much heavier than air dryed spruce and black burned bark has fallen off after time so it is clean to cut & process any one know BTU ofthis fire killed spruce v. air dried spruce ? The black oaks just had too many leaves in that Nov and the snow was too heavy. Seasoning time is reduced if the tree has been dead for months. Another challenge with Russian olive trees is the thorns that can cause nasty injuries. Would it be possible to post the btu value for Monterey Pine? The russian olive gets it's feet in first now. The manzanita and white alder need more research. Great heat as well as flavor. Burn really hot. Mullberry has a short lifespan and is very rot resistant so they are quite easy to find here in west Tennessee. I have burned Ailanthus for several years. This guide looks at whether its worth tossing in the fire so that you dont waste time splitting it for no reason. Interesting reading. I also recently got some red maple that makes a good fireplace flame, if not a lot of heat. (Sir Douglas Menzizii) He really didnt know how to classify it because it had characteristics of fir and also of hemlock so he called it Pseudo(false) tsuga (hemlock)so it is really not fir at all or hemlock? Russian Olive is not closely related to the wood that is commonly referred to as Olivewood (Olea europaea)and may be distinguished from true Olive by the endgrain. Kaleidoscope, Mini, Russian Olive Wood, Artisan Handcrafted, Gift for all Ages, Christmas, Graduation, Birthday, Men, Women (520) Ad vertisement by wrightmade. Anyway, I find it interesting that not one mention of mountain mahogany has been posted-until now. land. My fathers property in southern Illinois is over whelmed with Russian Olive trees as they were used in near by coal mining areas during reclamation of the mines after they closed. I have tentatively decided on part native Osage Orange [hedge apple] for the BTU but I see from all the knowledgeable comments here I need more than one type of wood. So, in the fall of 2017, MSI partnered with the Durango Rotary Club, a local group in constant need of wood for their firewood distribution project, which helps low-income families and seniors. I am allergic to Russian Olive when it is growing. hope this helped you. The multiple piece splitters seem highly efficient also. Olive wood is a mixed bag when its time to start splitting. I live in Oregon(Portland) and have used all the local species for both fireplace and stove heat. Back in the day they used to use the limbs for fence posts and the wood would last decades in the ground with out rotting. The tradition of burning a Yule log has largely fizzled out in most parts of the world. After seeing this list, I now understand why live oak dulls my chainsaw blades so quick. Clear the brush around the Russian olive tree and plan an escape route. One perk of Russian olive: it burns hot. So the math:5 cords @ $180 = $900 // 5 tonsCoal @ $75 = $375. The small, more seasoned stuff burned with mid flame and burned very slow . The Btu rating for Almond varies from 29 to 32, why the variance? Well here it is getting to be winter in upstate NY again and the little woodstove in our basement has been running since September or so. Olive wood - what a find, limited quantity! Dont waste your time with Sweetgum wood. The red fir name comes from the beautiful red color of the heartwood. Im also guessing that the Hickory that I can get are the Shagbark or the bitternut 27.7-26.5 correct? They also give a pleasant smell, though not as nice as red oak, cherry, or yellow birch. The better your firewood has been seasoned, the better it will burn. My wife and I just purchased 12.5 acres of old growth hard wood forest in Pembroke, NY (Sugar Maple, Beech, Cherry, Ash to name a few) and will be on my way there today to give the Stihl a work out !!! Redgum is differentiated from just about all other Australian woods for firewood, for its lasting and heat, and difficulty to get going. We live in the foothills of North Carolina and heat with a Big Buck wood stove. Yet it will not burn, just smoke. This means that the wood has had no time to dry out. The drawback is that the trees are small and have thorns . Members volunteered about 40 hours of time to collect wood, move it to the staging location, and stack it. A week later he tried to burn it and told me to never burn oak , because it burned terrible and smoked bad . It also helps that its wood tends to be denser than other pines, taking longer to burn out. Or the thousands of different genus found in Australia . Russian olive is the only variety of its kind, but it does go by many names. But older trees have tough, stringy trunks that require much more work. Its BTU is just as high as birch which varieties produce a BTU of 23.8 million per cord and higher than douglas fir, which has a BTU of 20,7. I saw were it is in the same family as ebony . A hot and dry climate will help speed up olive firewood seasoning. Once burning it will not go out, so it is also commonly used for hog roast pits. Would I still be allergic to it or was that just to its pollen? Burning green wood is bad for any number of reasons, but especially so when the wood has a high sap content. . Superb device . Right now, I have neighbors interested in buying some wood from me, and am waiting for permission to harvest some mulberry (the devil itself to set on fire and man, does it spark, but abundant here and as energy-rich as white oak). (Im assuming it rates as a soft maple) Luckily, our home is passive solar with super-insulated walls so it will still be worth burning. For me and my outdoor boiler, I prefer the junk wood like aspen and spruce. There is nothing wrong with burning well seasoned softwoods, but care should be taken not to over fire with ones that tend to burn fast and hot. BTU Values of Wood Species Wood species type BTU values of a cord burning wood in a wood stove As you can see from the chart below, the famed red oak is not the highest on the list. I take that to mean that seasoned wood, with the same moisture content, will be pound for pound equivalent in terms of heating value but you may need to burn to 2-3x pine vs hickory. What is Russian olive wood good for? THATS HOW THEY DO IT! It does have thorns and it is easy to work. Does anyone know which of these woods produces the least ash, Oak or Pine. Dogwood, apple and the smaller trees burn good but are only for small fires (late spring or early fall when you dont want a fire to last all day) If you are serious about heating your home with wood just stick to these trees for the max in BTUs..they burn hot and clean. Too far north for pecan here. Like several posters have commented, a big chunk of fir will last for 5-6 hours in the wood stove, and makes for an easy re-start in the morning. Burning any other woods is a total waste of time and effort. A few of which are Wild Olive or Silver Berry. Being a semi professional firewood dealer here in the Redding area of the State of Jefferson, California I find a lot of mixed wood. Its not worth the time to cut, split, stack and burn. Is Russian Olive Good Firewood? We like to go ahead and cut the stump in 9 sections. bohemia police blotter, houses for sale gleniti, timaru,