to burn or not to burn box elder

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Given the latest ice storm here in WNY there is much firewood free for the removal.We have all ready stocked in eight cord. Can someone please tell me why so many folks have this apparent hate of box elder as a fuel wood. While it is a soft maple and does not have the BTU value of say ash or hard maple, we have burned a great deal of it over the years when it is available for free with fine results.Why the hate of it by so many, especially when it's so readily available and quickly renewed?????

-- Daniel Baker (dcbaker@2ki.net), February 24, 2002

Answers

I think you answered the question in your post-there just isn't a lot of heat available in such a light wood. However, when the price is right, cheap BTU's are greatly prefferd!! We had access to a small saw mill and the owner was willing to give us the slab wood that to him was waste. He did burn it in his oil tank-converted-to a fire-box in his work shop, but burned massive amounts of it outside as "trash". I hauled oak, hickory and cherry by the cords away from there. I also made a 12x40 raised garden from this resource. Look around, see what unconventional sources of free heat you may have in your neck of the woods!

-- Jim NE KY (jedeweese@earthlink.net@earthlink.net), February 25, 2002.

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