Beech firewood

Northvale - PA · Mar 2, 2014

I've been cutting up several beech trees that blew over on Dad's place. How does it burn? We never had more than a few small branches over the years because it seems these trees rarely die or blow over.

JDemaris · Mar 2, 2014

American Beech is my #1 favorite firewood. Dries faster then red/white oak or hard maple and splits a lot easier. Also has the same heat value per cord as hard maple and oak. NY and MI are full of diseased beech so it's often redily available.

Pete_5959 · Mar 2, 2014

Oak has a heat index of 36 btu* per cord where as Beech has a figure of 24. Good burning wood when dry.

bill mart · Mar 2, 2014

burns real hot. needs a little heat to get it started Bill

Dan in Ohio · Mar 2, 2014

Beech makes great firewood as the wood is extremely hard and therefore used largely for floor joist in barns and old houses. All the floor joist in one of my barns are beech that I cut from my woods.

El Toro · Mar 2, 2014

It may be little tough to split, but burns well. Hal

Anonymous-0 · Mar 2, 2014

I really like to burn beech wood in my kitchen range. Make a really hot fire.

flembo · Mar 2, 2014

I burned mostly beech from dieing trees on my property for the last 10 yrs. I am finaly getting ahead of them. It burns great good heat. the beech trees around here have a bark disease that kills them quick, first you see black spots on the bark then you see the tops dieing don't wait to long to cut them they seem to get punky fast.

D beatty · Mar 2, 2014

If the trees are of any size big enough to take a log out of I would. If I am not mistaken Beech wood is what bee hives are made of.

Loantaka · Mar 2, 2014

Beech makes good firewood. Be sure to split it to help with the seasoning.

RLA · Mar 2, 2014

Next to shag bark & pig hickory it"s one of
the very best. 75% of the wood I burn is Beech.

BushogPapa · Mar 2, 2014

Builds nice deep RED coals that last..

Once my coals are built up, it only takes about 10-15 lbs of firewood to keep it that way per day..

Ron.

JDemaris · Mar 2, 2014

My charts show different:

American Beech - 22.7 million BTUs per cord that weighs 3655 lbs.

Blue Beech - 23.7 million BTUs per cord that weighs 3825 lbs.

Red Oak - 22.1 million BTUs per cord that weighs 3570 lbs.

White Oak - 24.2 million BTUs per cord that weighs 3910 lbs.

GVSII · Mar 2, 2014

If all you have for firewood is beech and you have plenty,you're in great shape! I love the stuff.

T in NE · Mar 2, 2014

Burns good but we always had to get the splitter out to split it, especially if it had time to dry a little bit.

Bret4207 · Mar 3, 2014

I've been burning wood for over 40 years now. Truth is, as long as it's dry there is no BAD fire wood as far as deciduous trees go. Some is lots better than others, but we but it all. Doesn't matter if it's punky or rotted, when it's dry it burns. I've seen people that throw away wood that's "too crooked to burn"! Same with knots and crotches. Thats nuts.

Defining good fire wood from bad is like defining good hay from bad- a lot of it depends on the time of year and how much you have left!

Pete in MD · Mar 3, 2014

Don't want to start any fights but I've been led to believe that all wood has the same number of BTUs, PER POUND of dry weight.
Just using the numbers jdemaris cited seems to prove that out. Guess it comes down to what's available and how much work you want to do to stay warm.

T in NE · Mar 3, 2014

Although there is always cottonwood. I cut some and let it dry last summer and couldn't split it, it was like hitting a big rotten log.

GVSII · Mar 4, 2014

Always have to chuckle when I hear someone say "that wood (poplar,silver maple,whatever, name it) is no good for fire wood.If it keeps you and the family from freezing to death,burn it!

Bret4207 · Mar 4, 2014

(quoted from post at 07:36:42 03/04/14)
Always have to chuckle when I hear someone say "that wood (poplar,silver maple,whatever, name it) is no good for fire wood.If it keeps you and the family from freezing to death,burn it!

Spoken like a man who understands what a 7-8 month heating season is like! Popple (Poplar) is said to be horrible firewood, yet if it's dry I find it to be great daytime wood. Same for Elm, Box Elder, soft Maple, White birch, etc. Yes, the real good stuff like Ironwood (Hop Hornbeam), Oak, hard Maple (Sugar Maple), Yellow Birch and Ash are better for coaling up and lasting all night, but it's still got to be dry. I've cut and dried Willow and it was fine wood once it shed the water. Used to be people kept certain woods for certain things like apple prunings for smoking and some types of Willow for making charcoal. We've lost a lot of that knowledge.

GVSII · Mar 4, 2014

Popple is great for the early morning when there isn't but some weak coals left from overnight.Drop a couple pieces and in a matter of just a few minutes it catches and burns hot enough to light off the harder to start woods.

Beech firewood

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