Which wood is best for firewood?
Not all firewood is created
equal. Some species of trees
are able to produce much
more heat per cord of wood.
A cord is the amount of
wood in a well-stacked
woodpile measuring 4 feet
wide by 8 feet long by 4 feet
high.
Below are heat values (in million BTUs) per cord for various species of trees. The higher the value, the better the wood.
Ash, Green 22.8
Cottonwood 15.9
Elm, American 19.8 (Difficult to split)
Elm, Siberian 20.9 (Difficult to split)
Hackberry 21.0
Honeylocust 25.6
Locust, Black 28.3 (Difficult to split)
Maple, Sugar 24.0
Maple, Silver 18.9
Mulberry 25.3
Oak, Red 24.0
Oak, Bur 24.9
Oak, Post 25.6
Osage Orange (Hedge) 32.6 (Sparks, do not use in open fireplace)
Sycamore 19.5 (Difficult to split)
Walnut, Black 21.8
The Kansas Forest Service has a publication titled “Managing Your Woodland for Firewood” that is quite helpful. See
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/bookstore/pubs/mf773.pdf .
Remember to obtain firewood locally. Emerald Ash Borer is now in Kansas because of transported wood.