Summary
Elm treeshave been the inhalation for neighborhood street names all across the US . They famouslyprovide spook and smasher , but they can alsoprovide heat . It may be time to set forth considering thistype of woodin a whole Modern way and respond the burning inquiry : is elm good firewood ?
Alltreesare asource of woodand that mean they ’re a potential source of high temperature . But there ’s a lotmore than lovingness to considerwhen it comes to choosing what you ’re going to be burning in your sign of the zodiac !
How Does Elm Stack Up As Firewood?
Do these types of wood actually bring the heat?
elmwood trees ( Ulmus ) are a frequent deal in the US , being very democratic inlandscaping . Elms grow to be60 to 80 feettall , though some can originate magniloquent , and have abroad folio canopythat makes them excellent shade tree diagram .
The trees grow well in avariety of soil character , preferringpartial to full sunlight and well - drained soil . elm are wanton to grow and essentially take forethought of themselves , which has helped make them democratic inneighborhoods . They ’re see in lots of backyards . But how about thefireplace ?
BTU
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20.0 Heat per Cord ( Million BTUs )
weight unit
4465 lbs./ Cord ( Green )
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Seasoning Time
12 months
Resin / Sap Content
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scurvy
Splitting Difficulty
hard
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Smoke
Medium
Smell
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vivid , passably stinky
Elm is ahardwood with a straight , interlocking grain . The wood color isrich brown , sometimes withreddish or gray tones . Elm wood is notoriouslyhardto split . It will take a mickle of work , a lot of power , and a very sharp ax . Start splitting at the edges and then work your way in , and you should have some success .
Different Types of Elm Firewood
There are small differences between these types of wood
There are dozens ofdifferent coinage of elm , and they can all be used asfirewood , but you ’re probable to see three maintypes of woodthat issue forth from popular elm tree species .
Name
characteristic
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American elm(Ulmus americana )
Red elm(Ulmus rubra )
Siberian elm(Ulmus pumila )
Pleasant odor
American elm(Ulmus americana ) , also known aswhite elm , is grown all across North America . It ’s a hardy flora that acquire quickly . American elm is a sturdy tree that has good resistance to wind instrument .
However , as a burn wood , it has the disadvantages of alower BTUand beingharder to splitthan other types of elm trees . American elm does produce the best coal , which makes it a near alternative forcampfiresthat take to be banked and re - lit .
Red elm(Ulmus rubra ) is such an fast-growing grower that it ’s been deemed aninvasive species . The aggressive growth makes it rich , and therefore great for firewood because there ’s lots of it .
Red elm has ahigher BTUand iseasier to splitthan American elm and Siberian elm . Red elm has more of a medium denseness , while both other vulgar types of this Sir Henry Wood are notoriouslydense . Its BTU , although higher than American elm and Siberian elm , is n’t up to equality with top - grade hearth forest likeoakandhickory , but it does put out some good hotness and islong - burning .
Siberian elm(Ulmus pumila ) has a B.Th.U. higher than American elm and abetter spirit when it burn . As far as how it burns and its estrus output , Siberian elm is on par with red elm .
It ’s out of the question to talk about these trees without mentioningDutch elm disease . The disease has basically bring genocide on elm Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , killing millions . Because of this disease , it ’s not rare to find a lot of dead , standing elmwood trees . While that ’s regretful newsworthiness for the elm Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and the animals who once yell them home , it ’s good newsworthiness for masses take care for trees to twist intologs to burn !
Elm Wood Burn Characteristics
Comparing different types of wood
Because there are so manyvarieties of elm , the BTU fluctuates from species to species . The BTU indicateshow much heateach type of wood set up out , which is indispensable information if you want to produce the live fervor you could .
plainly , if theamount of high temperature generatedis your priority when it comes to firewood , the elm variety you ’re give out to want to go with is red . However , American and Siberian are not that far behind !
One of the upper side of elm tree wood is that it is n’t verysappy . Due to being a hardwood , it has alow sap and resin content , so you do n’t have to worry about carry on with unpleasant stickiness when handling it .
How to Burn It As a Firewood
Prepare your fireplace logs before you burn
Do n’t neglect the least fun part of set up logarithm for burn down : seasoning ! Theseasoning processis normally time - consuming for all types of wood . For elm tree logarithm , this is specially true . It takes aboutone year , 365 day , to properly season elm tree wood so that it is quick to be burned .
Some people wait for a full two years before burning logs of elm . The reason for thislong flavour processis the same grounds that makes elm a long - burn wood : it ’s verydense . That tightness cause elm to assimilate a fate of water , which intend it need a mint of time to dry out before it can be burned . Wet Natalie Wood releases a lot of steam when it burns , which can be both dangerous and unpleasant . Steam is open of causing burns on the hide , even if you do n’t make contact with flame or coals .
To season your wood , put in it on afirewood rack lifted off the groundin a juiceless , gay place in your backyard . And then just waitress !
Even fully seasoned wood will produce some fume , though veteran elm tree will create only a moderate amount .
How Does Elm Firewood Compare?
Does elm hold up against other types of wood you might burn?
Elm has a lot of adept qualities as a firewood by itself . But when you compare it toother type of woodyou might burn or else , how does elmwood really pile up ?
A bigadvantageof elmwood wood is that it does n’t produce a lot ofsparks , making it a saferwood to burncompared to other option . sparkle can be afire endangerment and a safety issue , bound out of fireplaces and pits and then hurting people or lighting miscellaneous objects on flame .
One of the coredisadvantagesof elm is that itstinks . The unpleasant aroma of this Sir Henry Joseph Wood can originate from a couple of different sources .
Elm wood does n’t just make good firewood , it ’s also used for a lot of other purpose . Because of this type of wood’sstrength and its interlocking grain , it makes greatfurniture , wagon wheel , and even hockey stick , providing flexibility and speciality simultaneously .
Is Elm a Good Firewood After All?
A go - to pick if you require a campfire , or you ’re looking for cheap Mrs. Henry Wood to bite .
Elm makes agorgeous treeand the wood works wellin construction . As a burning wood , elm will certainlyput out heat and it burns safely . There are some clear disadvantage that have kept elm from becoming apopular firewood .
If you want a pleasant experience around the open fireplace , there aremuch good electrocution options out there . But in a pinch , elm does make for and it is actually a go - to option if you desire a campfire , or you ’re front forinexpensive wood to burn .
