Support me directly through PatreonIf youve been helped by the Wood Database, consider saying thanks and helping to support the project. Russian olive does produce a lot of heat. The drawback is that the trees are small and have thorns . The logs are quite heavy now, but still pretty green. I have also burned green osage orange. Once burning it will not go out, so it is also commonly used for hog roast pits. Definitely a burning smell. Russian olive does produce a lot of heat. If the Russian olive woods content is still too high after a year, give it a few more months to season. Not talking about ordinary white mulberry, just the fruitless ones. If you look at a BTU chart, it has either the highest or 2nd highest rating of all wood that grows in the US. I live in the midwest southern iowa have burned firewood for most of my life,and have discovered that different woodstove set ups heat better using different wood. With an abundance of Apple orchards in the area, Apple wood is also readily available. The only problem I have now is that Im having trouble finding trees to cut. #1. All Rights Reserved. Audrie The wood you are looking for is Black Locust.It is a little thorny but it grows fast and burns long and hot.I sold fire wood for ten years and burned it fo thirty.Black locust was a favorite of my Amish customers. Russian olive is medium-quality firewood. If one falls on your truck its like having a bowling ball hit it. Not to mention the spikey nuts that are hard on the mower and gutters. This guide looks at how, Read More Is Sourwood Good Firewood? For dirty steak Ive used these same woods plus these additions: choke cherry (prunus virginiana), manzanita, Oregon Ash (Fraxinus latifolia), and white alder (Alnus rhombifolia). However, as a downside, it tends to spit embers from time to time and produce a fair amount of ash. . I primarily have Red Oak, Black Cherry, American Elm, Red Maple, Locust, Hickory, Cottonwood, Poplar, growing in the woods. Season the wood to remove any moisture for one year before burning it. Yule Logs & Firewood Science. I dont have the ratings for that maple, but you can always weigh it and get a general idea that way. red Oak) Sweet Gum is great for a hot fire, but burns too quickly. This is best done in a wood stack, a few inches above ground, with a roof but no sides. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. Non resinous wood has around 8000 to 8500 BTU per pound, resinous wood has around 8600 to 9700 BTU per pound. Will burn mostly oak as it gets colder. The cores, thick bark that protects the Russian olive wood makes it difficult for the wood to dry out as quickly as pine or fir if not split. Its abundent where I live Northern MN. Western dogwood grows along the west coast and canyon live oak is common in California and Oregon. OLIVE. Wood combustion occurs in three consecutive, overlapping stages. The fireplace is rated at a whopping 25% efficient! Very unusual leaf pattern for an oak, but just as heavy as all the other oaks. I have found a good way to make charcoal if your a pyro maniac / fire bug like me. Not a true mahogany at all. Please leave your comments or questions on those pages if you have experience or questions about those types of firewood. all our needs now,and for a few more years,sad business. Does anyone have any experience with gum? I believe that pecan should be very high in BTUs and close to the other hickories, only because its in the family. Some call a tree a Douglas fir while others call it a Red fir. I found that if you have some green (wet) wood and want to have a campfire go to your local hardware store and buy a duraflame fire log . We raise pecans, and they burn cleanly and well, as do prunings from our apple trees. I cant understand anyone having a problem with it! Burning green wood is bad for any number of reasons, but especially so when the wood has a high sap content. Leave the stump about 36 high. The olive woods sweetness helps balance the slightly bitter hickory smoke. Green and I feed it one or two times per day. Most of the trees in the hedge rows were Osage Orange. I have done a lot of research over the last few months on the best wood here in the mid-south (west Tennessee). As a common invasive species, you have probably seen Russian olive often on a countryside walk. Here is a site for California wood ratings http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/heating_cooling/firewood.html Surprisingly, I found almond and eucalypt rated close to the same. WE MADE BARTOPS, SHELVES, AND FENCING OUT OF IT (PRIMO FOR THOSE, AS THE GRAIN IS VERY PRETTY AND CONTRASTING). I grew up on a homestead and I am here to share the knowledge I have and things I learn while living in the countryside. Ive heard that burning a little cedar occasionally will help remove soot from stovepipes and chimneys. Was used centuries ago as a last rite in dwelling of certain Mohave Indian tribes when older people were near death. 1) Ironwood and Hornbeam are considered the same species locally. FREE shipping Add to Favorites ALL Natural Russian Olive wood bowl 10 inches Round X 3-5 inches High X 2" Deep . With a BTU of 23, Russian olive firewood can produce substantial heat over a long time. In the wild, Russian olive trees have been known to smell very sweet and strong. Its similar to black walnut and white ash but doesnt rate as well as honeylocust, Osage orange, or beech. Its already snowed a couple o times and was snowing today (BUMMER!). What Are The Varieties Of Russian Olive Wood? My wife even melted a stove once while I was at work when we were younger. Comments:Originally brought to the United States in the late 1800s for windbreaks and erosion control (and as an ornamental tree). All you ever wanted to know about Russian Olive except its BTU's. Make a horizontal cut with your chainsaw through the opposite side of the tree 1 to 2 inches above the original cuts. These charts will give you the amount of energy per cord of wood for some of the most common firewood species. I added the BTU of Eucalyptus to the charts but I cant find consistent data for avocado and almond. Thanks for the comment, great to know we are getting long time repeat visitors. We use an outdoor wood burner. Let it cook for about 2 hrs or until the flames from the gases slow down from spewing out the holes in the bucket lid. 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. But in my opinion any kind of wood is worth cutting up and burning as long as it isnt totally rotten or anything. The inside resembles red or white oak color & grain. Ive burned a lot of it in the last 35 years. trees have less resinous material than evergreens.) They also began infesting fields, preventing local farmers from growing hay, and decreasing the overall grass quantity. Cheers fellow wood burners! 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 ? Pricing/Availability: Russian Olive tends to be a very small tree, with a highly branching form that is not conducive to large or straight logs. Also, it tends to split easily while drying. Hardwoods, ideally should be two years old, but one year is a minimum in the northeast. just came from the woods. Be sure and let us know how your test goes. but it is still the least discovered hardwood/cooking wood around except where they have the Orchards. btuCompare price : $900X7 = $6300 vs $375. If you can, sell it and save the $$$ to buy fresh 1 yr old wood later on from someone else. Even when thoroughly seasoned, it does tend to spit embers sporadically. BillNole ArboristSite Operative. Wood is limited to small-scale andhobbyistuses. This varies with the size and shape of the wood, and how tightly it is stacked. BTU rating. The better your firewood has been seasoned, the better it will burn. Be wary of using Russian olive wood in an open fireplace. . Fire it upFire it up! Bandit~ Its quite nice really, light to handle, splits like nothing and puts off a nice blue flame at the coals. We do have one wood burning fire place, and when the big ice storm hit February 2021, knocking out our power for a week, we used that fire place for heat. Both put out considerably more heat than anything we have in Alaska and when its -30 outside you can use all the BTUs you can get. This means that the wood has had no time to dry out. Burning green wood is bad for any number of reasons, but especially so when the wood has a high sap content. Russian olive sprouts from the root crown and sends up root suckers. I look for fallen trees that are gray and smooth. Russian olive does produce a lot of heat. One perk of Russian olive: it burns hot. Don't burn it until it has seasoned for at least one year. They put out some tremendous heat . One of our favorite cooking woods must be peach. Though seasoning the wood for long enough will eventually make the smell dissipate. [Full Review]Continue, After firewood has been split, all that remains is to store it. Unlike tulip poplar firewood which releases few coals and has a short burning period. A lot of people dont burn it so it is plentiful. I told him that wood had to dry before burning and he said its been drying all week long , it should be dry by now . I have 4 of them that I want to cut down. Common Name BTU Months to Dry Osage Orange (Hedge) 30 12 Oak, Gamble 28 36 Olive 26.7 24 Almond 26.7 24 Hop Hornbeam (Ironwood) 26.4 24 Persimmon, American 25.8 36 Mesquite25.5 24 Hickory, Shagbark25.3 24 Tanoak25.1 12 Dogwood. I have pictures of him with an electric pole saw (hes deathly afraid of power equipment)cutting 2 diameter branches on the ground !!! However, the destructive habits of these non-native, invasive species were quickly discovered by residents in the valley. It is not wood that leaks water as soon as it is split, unlike sycamore wood. Unseasoned wood will still have some water content and will result in a slower burn, thus quicker creosote build-up. I cant find any information anywhere on bradford pear btu either. I grew up in central Illinois and we had a lot of hedge rows that were being cut. Anyone know the BTU's/cord? Seasoned wood is always the best bet, and I dont mean that seasoned = less than 4+ months. The store bought lump charcoal gets it to usually 500. Olive wood is a great hardwood, it burns much like pecan or oak. I am the guy behind Theyardable.com. Allow 18-24 months of seasoning time for olive firewood. Burns hotter than any wood I have ever seen, is becoming rare and may be protected in some areas. Clear the brush around the Russian olive tree and plan an escape route. I live in WI. As a result, a cord of wood may only have 70-90 cubic feet of actual solid wood. The wood is dense, like ironwood, meaning it burns slowly, and you won't have to keep adding more to the fire. I also recently got some red maple that makes a good fireplace flame, if not a lot of heat. So long as youre only burning good hardwoods and/or clean white (non-glossy/colored) paper stock and kindling, you should spread your ashes on your favorite acreage for the potash. Many of its given names are based on the trees olive branch-like aesthetic. Thanks for all the input!!!!!! Then I quarter them for burning. THE COALS GLOW REDHOT LIKE OAK, BUT WITH HARDLY ANY HEAT. What Are The Physical Characteristics Of Russian Olive Wood? As has been said, quite unpleasant. When dry, Russian olive will give off very little smoke, making it a good choice as an indoor fire source. Love reading the comments from Andy. 2 heating oil is about 140,000 Btu per gallon. We just called them hedge trees. Hickory was my overall favorite . JavaScript is disabled. 4 years later I still come here when I need to cut a load of firewood. Sapwood a much lighter yellow-white. Hello, I used to have this wood it has an unpleasant smell. . The smoke from burning Russian olive pairs well with pork, lamb, seafood, poultry, pizzas, and vegetables. Wood heat seems to be medicinal especially on cold, wintry days. Anyone know the best way to seal it? I prefer dry red elm and seasoned thorny locust. As such, glass doors are essential to preventing a fire in your living room. If you tend to have respiratory allergies, beware and use dust protection when working with this wood. Its ability to spread once established classify it as invasive in some states of the United States (. I have been told that gum trees and pine trees will clog up a chimmney This is a project Ive been working on. I recently shaped into slabs. The woods grain may be straight, wavy, curly, wild, or interlocked. Are these possibly data for the same species gleaned from different sources? Chopped up a few live oaks and boy that is a great wood for the fireplace! My grad parents were pioneers who cooked /heated homestead houses with white popular ! How Often Should I Remove Creosote From My fireplace? Due to being more shrub-like than other trees, Russian olive trees have very little sap. Then fill it with fist size chunks of natural wood , then put the lid on . Originally, Russian olives were planted in America to act as a windbreaker and soil stabilizers. Olive wood is a mixed bag when its time to start splitting. Western Softwoods Figures from California Energy Commission But Rating Based on 90 cubic feet of solid wood per 128 cubic foot cord. 2) I would guess trembling/quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) and largetooth aspen (Populus grandidentata) to have similar qualities, but I have never seen largetooth aspen mentioned in any charts. The Best Fast-Growing Trees to Use For Firewood, North Forty News: Russian Olives Fall Out of Favor, University of Missouri Extension: Wood Fuel for Heating. All firewood has about the same BTU per pound. Being a fairly common and fast-growing tree, prices should be moderate. Like the man said , if you got it free, its worth burning for heat. I have some birch and cherry Ive been mixing it in with that too. So if you remove the bark you have fewer ashes to clean out. Had it rebuilt for speed and efficiency but yet to use it. Originally, Russian olives were planted in America to act as a windbreaker and soil stabilizers. They are the top wood, BTU-wise. 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. Likewise, wood that does not burn clean, including unseasoned wood, produces more creosote. or should I stay clear.Phil. The russian olive gets it's feet in first now. I saw were it is in the same family as ebony . I have always burned anything I can get my hands on; ash, oak, maple, locust, cherry, all types of fruit wood, anything but pine and other softwoods. Kaleidoscope, Mini, Russian Olive Wood, Artisan Handcrafted, Gift for all Ages, Christmas, Graduation, Birthday, Men, Women (520) Ad vertisement by wrightmade. 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. Quick Answers. Nondiscrimination and Accessibility Statements, Mountain Studies Institute, San Juan Mountains, Silverton & Durango, Colorado. We love it it burns slower and longer so we dont have use our wood as fast. It smells great too . Depending on the types of conditions that the Russian olive tree was growing in, it may be carrying a higher moisture content than you expect. I think these charts are the more accurate of the many charts. Many of the local ranchers have pulled the root bases from the banks of irrigation ditches and streams and there is an abundance of dried root balls to chose my wood from! Campfires need much radiant heat to keep you warm on a chilly night . Im new to burning wood in an open fireplace. THE EARLY SNOW STORM DAMAGED A LOT OF TREES HERE IN ORANGE COUNTY NY. Unseasoned wood will still have some water content and will result in a slower burn, thus quicker creosote build-up. A couple of small pieces placed correctly provides a flame that lasts long enough to start the main fire. I would like to burn this wood but dont want any chimmney problems either. Also, box elm burns decent but it stinks. We run fans in the winter as much as we run them in the summer. 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. More time for your wood to dry will decrease the quantity of smoke created when it is burned, allowing the fire to burn cleaner. I use a LOT of hemlock because I have 10 acres of hemlock woods and trees come down in storms and have to be cleaned up. You best be looking over your shoulder as you drive home with your coal! Is non posionous sumac ok to burn in a fire place. (Also, a number whose seed pods are only opened by bushfires.). Thanks. I am refinishing a 3 drawer, 4 cupboard piece of furniture that I believe is olive wood. I have alot of leelan cypress trees that like to debrach themselves. It is easy to split and burns great. Yet it will not burn, just smoke. 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. It burns like coal,but wreaks havoc on a chainsaw and chain!!! The Russian Olive I have seems very dense, but I haven't burned much yet. Maybe a little more BTUs than cottonwood . Just split 3 cords of white oak and 2 cords of red oak to season for next year. In the early 1900s, Russian olive trees were introduced to North America to stabilize soil and provide windbreaks. Burn really hot. They are invasive and grow very quickly. It does have thorns and it is easy to work. Do they make good firewood? I got a load of osage orange once and while it burned great, lots of coals, it also seemed to produce a lot of ashes. With some fairly simple math based on the difference, you can calculate the BTU. They can b very hard to split cuz its stringy. Jul 21, 2013. The live oaks did just fine since they have such small leaves (unless they got in the way of a falling black oak). As a firewood enthusiast, I read with great envy about 350 acres of river bottom woods. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. I find black cherry and hickory give the best burning results. A wood box helps contain it. The coals cook a mean hot dog after a few brews. I dont know how that changes as it dries out. A few other elders like black locust . Thanks. attributed to mark twain!!! They are in same family as osage orange . It does burn a little fast but it throws out the heat. Its a very interesting subject you bring up Audrie that I would also like to hear comments about. Anyone know how this rates as firewood? Storms here in Georgia recently took down some large sweetgums. Russian olive produces very few sparks as it burns, so you can light the fire and relax. This tree can tolerate a wide range of harsh environmental conditions such as flood, severe drought, stony, sandy and high salinity or alkalinity of the soils. Its now plentiful since it has been declared a nuisance species. anyone have any experience burning mulberry? My Ontario woodlot is in the Great Lakes-Saint Lawrence Forest Region, which includes conifers white and red pines, hemlock, eastern white cedar, white spruce and balsam fir; and decidu0us sugar, red and silver maples, red and white oak, beech, bitternut and shagbark hickory, white and black ash, yellow and white birch, trembling and largetooth aspen, basswood, butternut, black cherry, ironwood, blue beech, occasional cottonwoods and surviving white elms (and others I probably left out). must be mangable We just felled 12 mature ash trees 12 to 24 inches in diameter, and are now bucking them up and splitting them. Some wood gives off a lot of sparks in the fireplace. Our house is a 3 BR split level affair. Its hard, shock-resistant, Read More Is Dogwood Good Firewood? Beautiful wood, but until it is thoroughly dried, while working with it, it smells awful my brother was making 10 inch boxes out of it and said smells like cat piss. I have put together the best data I could find, but consider the figures to be approximate. Here in South Central Alaska, all we have is Birch, Black Spruce and Cottonwood. Russian olive is commonly found growing along floodplains, riverbanks, stream courses, marshes, and irrigation ditches in the West at elevations from 4500 to 6000 feet. Unless seasoned, firewood tends to produce a lot of smoke. I think many of us are a little envious of the river bottom land you have and the great hardwoods you have access to. Be sure to let it season before burning to know how it should truly burn .Funny Story, I had a friend that cut a storm fallen red oak . It will spark quite a bit, however, when the burning logs collapse upon one another during the burning process. Eastern Hardwoods Compiled from various sources Consistency between charts will vary due to different variables between different data sources. Cut the trunk into pieces about 4 inches smaller than your wood box. 4) White birch (Betula papirifera) and Paper birch are used replaceably locally for the same species. Ponderosa Pine, commonly used to heat homes in this area, burns at 21.7 British thermal units (BTU), which in simple terms, means it burns hot and long. But since then, they have spread wildly due to their deep, re-sprouting roots. 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.