Identifying Hardwood Firewood

I m working my way alphabetically by botanical name so check out the latest added wood to see where i m at in the queue.

Identifying hardwood firewood.

Most common hardwoods unlike the conifers or softwood firs spruce and pines hardwood trees have evolved into a broad array of common species. Pine wood also has a marked odor and makes excellent firewood as it burns clean with little ash. Split wood may not have leaves but often branches or twigs will have remnants of leaves that can identify firewood. There should be some on at least some logs.

It has been designed to serve both the amateur and experienced person in identifying unknown wood specimens. Pines cedars firs and other softwoods have needles rather than leaves which is a good identifier. Hardwood is generally the best wood for your fireplace. Read on to learn about five different types of hardwood trees and how they stack up to one another in terms of heating split ability and more.

Over the years i began fielding questions from a more diverse audience worldwide including wood workers carpenters sawmill managers historical societies and archeologists. Many trees are readily identified by their scent. The list of different types of hardwood could go on and on forever so we will focus on just three of the most popular. I m slowly grinding my way through roughly 800 wood species that have still yet to be listed on the site.

Desirable woods like oaks and hard maples have distinctive barks. For this reason i decided to revise and expand this site. This article is a one stop guide to provide some insights into the traditional classification of wood. However there are a few key criteria to look for in wood identification.

Before starting please have a look at the truth behind wood identification to approach the task in a proper mindset. Splitting firewood by hand can be really fun and it s a great source of exercise. When attempting to identify a wood sample it s important to keep in mind the limitations and obstacles that are present in our task. Here we tackle a few ways to recognize some of the most common species of wood in north america by sight.

Yellow and black birch present a distinct wintergreen odor. Identify wood by scent smell the scent of the wood. Apple and cherry both evidence the respective scent of the fruit they bear. You can usually tell different types of wood apart by looking at the wood grain color and the visibility of growth rings.

I consider the linked article to be required reading for all those visiting my site with the. The wood from hardwood trees tends to be harder because the trees grow at a slower rate giving the wood its greater density. Popular types of hardwood for burning.