Are Firewood Ashes Good For The Garden

Rachel worked as a farm manager for three years in PA and as an owner/operator for five years in MN. She currently homesteads in MN.

What kind of firewood is best for you, and why?

What Is the Best Wood to Burn in Fireplaces?

Hardwood, hands down. While it takes longer to ignite than softwood, there are many benefits to burning hardwood, especially if you use your fireplace or wood stove often (e.g. to cook over or heat your home).

Hardwoods Yield Hotter, Cleaner, Longer-Lasting Fires

Hardwood is denser than softwood, meaning it burns hotter and longer. Because of this, it's more expensive (if you can't chop your own), but you need less of it, so if you use your fireplace often, the price differential should work out in the long run.

Hardwoods also produce far fewer creosote deposits and less ash, meaning your chimney will stay comparatively free of buildup and you won't have to do as much cleanup when the fire is out. (Part of burning clean fires has to do with properly seasoning your firewood, which is covered at the end of this article.) Lastly, hardwoods also burn longer and result in wonderful coals.

Understanding BTUs

A BTU (British Thermal Unit) is a standardized measurement of energy used to describe the power of various heating and cooling appliances, but it can be applied to wood as well. (1 BTU is about the amount of energy needed to raise a pound of water 1˚F.)

Below, you will find a table rating the five types of firewood in this article by how much heat they give off per cord.

What Firewood Burns Hottest?


Species	Million BTUs per Cord
Black Locust	26.8
Red Oak	24.0
White Ash	23.6
Black Cherry	19.5
Sassafras	18.9

This is all to say that if you only use your fireplace once in a while, and more for aesthetics than anything else, you can get away with using softwood. But hardwood is what you want for heating or cooking. And there are literally hundreds of species of hardwood trees from which you can harvest firewood.

Here are five types of hardwood that I have had a lot of personal experience with. In addition to being described in detail, each one is rated for "split-ability," heat, kindling grade, and cook-wood grade.

I've started splitting this little Black Locust log for fence rails.

1. Black Locust ( Robinia pseudoacacia )

Split-Ability: Difficult
Heat: Very High
Kindling Grade: C
Cook Wood Grade: A-

The Tree

The Black Locust is a medium to large-sized tree, with a relatively short life span. It grows 70–80 feet tall and usually has a trunk diameter between 2 and 4 feet (sometimes up to 6 feet).

Black Locust is one of my favorite trees, and may be one of the most underrated trees in the United States. These trees are beautiful but intimidating, with their thorny upper branches and rope-like bark, but they make awesome fence posts and rails, and they resist rot unlike any other hardwood. The wood is so heavy, and the grain so dense, that an earth-fast locust fence post can easily last 50 years.

The Wood

Black Locust is some of the best firewood there is, period. But like all good things, it comes to those who wait. The time it takes for this super-dense hardwood to season can seem like an eternity, but in reality, it's more like one year. No need to fret, though: Locust that has seasoned for at least three to six months can still be burned, and will burn hot, it just takes a little longer to get going.

Don't shove too much Black Locust into your woodstove at one time, either, or you might be throwing open all your doors and windows in the middle of February. When I say this stuff burns hot, I mean it. I've even heard stories of woodstoves glowing orange because too much Locust was burning at once. For me, this wood can be somewhat difficult to come by, so using it sparingly makes sense for that reason, too.

Black Locust gets a "difficult" split-ability rating for a reason. Despite its small diameter relative to, say, an old oak, the grain tension is so great that sometimes splitting this wood can be a real backache. Expect lots of twists and knots, too, and heavily-branched segments, which make chopping Black Locust by hand an even bigger challenge. But with patience, a little brute strength, and a good bit of know-how, you'll find that splitting Black Locust for firewood is just like putting together a really interesting puzzle . . . in reverse.

Red Oak exposed grain. I can always tell that a piece of firewood is oak because of the faint horizontal lines that run against the grain.

2. Red Oak ( Quercus rubra )

Split-Ability: Medium/Hard
Heat: High
Kindling Grade: B-
Cook Wood Grade: A

The Tree

First of all, there are at least 30 different types of oak, including Red, White, Scarlet, Swamp, Black, Cherrybark, Pin, Jack, and so on. My experiences have been mainly with Red Oak, and I want to note that even among Oak trees, there are differences that make determining firewood quality somewhat confusing. What I'm saying is not all Oaks are built the same. (And in my humble opinion, the White Oak is one of the best trees ever—for firewood or whatever else. I wish I had access to more of it!)

The Red Oak is a gorgeous tree, with a long, elegant lifespan. They can grow to over 150 feet, but are typically seen somewhere between 70 and 100 feet tall with trunk diameters ranging from 3 to 6 feet.

3. White Ash ( Fraxinus americana )

Split-Ability: Medium/Hard
Heat: High
Kindling Grade: B+
Cook Wood Grade: A

The Tree

Like Oak, there are different types of Ash trees and they aren't all the same in terms of firewood. I'm lucky enough to live somewhere that has a good population of White Ash, the best variety of ash.

White Ash has furrowed bark with diamond-shaped ridges and can be identified by its generally large size, relatively low-down trunk division, and oval or egg-shaped silhouette. The White Ash tree usually grows to between 70 and 80 feet, though it sometimes gets up to 100 feet tall. The average trunk diameter for the White Ash is between 2 and 3 feet.

This tree has a very pretty, almost dainty-looking winter silhouette. I like looking at them best, as they're not so easy to split.

The Wood

This is another heavy hardwood, sometimes difficult to throw or move around when you're working on chopping it. Like most wood for firewood, straight pieces are easier to split than others, but when it comes to White Ash, I have almost never seen very straight pieces (the ones I have found, we marked and cut for making tool handles).

Large rounds need wedges and splitting mauls; axes, even sharp ones, will only get caught in the tight grain (trust me). It's best to split large rounds of White Ash in halves or quarters, using wedges inserted into the checks in the endgrain. Then you can go to work with your splitting maul. Once you have a round opened up, taking out the heart can help; that seems to break the grain tension. Otherwise, you can certainly waste a lot of time and energy, and develop some serious frustration, by just beating on the stuff with your tools.

White Ash burns hot and pretty slow, so it makes great firewood. One winter, we had almost nothing but White Ash for the woodstove, and we did just fine. If well-seasoned, it also pops apart into thin pieces of kindling with barely any encouragement from a sharp hatchet. Kindling split from White Ash catches fire easily, burns hot, and makes really good coals, so those who cook with firewood can rely on White Ash to get it done.

Black Cherry bark. See the short, little horizontal lines?

Black Cherry grain. Note the red color.

Black Cherry bark. See the short, little horizontal lines?

4. Black Cherry or Wild Cherry ( Prunus serotina )

Split-ability: Moderately Easy
Heat: Medium
Kindling Grade: A
Cook Wood Grade: B

The Tree

The Black Cherry is a relatively small hardwood tree, usually growing from 30 to 60 feet tall, sometimes up to 80 feet. Its blossoms are white and quite beautiful in the spring.

Cherry bark, like the bark of most fruit trees, can be easily identified by the horizontal lines. A mature cherry tree has scaly, almost flaky bark; younger trees have smooth bark, much like a Birch. If you are trying to identify a cherry tree, looking at the trunk bark and comparing it to the bark on the upper branches will help; the trunk bark should be scaly and have horizontal lines, while the bark on the younger branches of the trees should be smooth but with the same horizontal lines.

The Wood

In my opinion, cherry is a joy to split. First of all, when green, it smells just wonderful, especially during the cold months when everything is easier to smell. When you split a piece of cherry, the inner grain is bright red, beautiful and pungent. If the wood is green, it tends to just "pop" apart if you land your axe or splitting maul where the end grain has checked.

Note: The grain tension can be an issue in larger trunk segments, especially those closest to the base of the tree. These sections of the trunk will take some work, and generally will split more easily if you split the sapwood away from the heartwood first.

If you're dealing with a piece of wood that has already seasoned a bit, splitting shouldn't be an issue at all. Cherry trees don't tend to have very large trunk diameters, typically 1 or 2 feet; the small diameter also aids in the split-ability of this wood. Wedges are rarely needed to split cherry if you are using a heavy enough splitting maul, chopping properly, and the particular piece of wood doesn't have too many knots or twists in it.

Cherry may not be the hottest-burning firewood, but it can be much easier to split than other types of hardwood, and that means that if you're chopping cherry by hand, you will tend to have firewood in abundance. In my opinion, cherry has only one rival in terms of its value as kindling, and that would be Sassafras.

The bark of a younger branch of a Sassafras tree. Note the red-orange underbark.

Exposed grain of Sassafras.

The bark of a younger branch of a Sassafras tree. Note the red-orange underbark.

5. Sassafras ( Sassafras albidum )

Split-Ability: Easy
Heat: Medium
Kindling Grade: A+
Cook Wood Grade: B-

The Tree

Sassafras is a medium, sometimes large, tree. I've usually seen them 20–50 feet tall, though sometimes they grow up to 90 feet. They usually have a trunk diameter averaging 2–4 feet. This tree is widespread in the eastern and southern United States.

I think of Sassafras as an unsung hero of hardwoods: Excellent rot-resistance makes it great for fence posts and fence rails, the oils that can be extracted from the bark are good for soap-making, and Sassafras tea used to be made by boiling the outer parts of the roots.

The Wood

If you can split firewood, you can split Sassafras. It really couldn't get easier. The endgrain checks readily because the wood seasons quickly, so a few well-aimed blows with a splitting maul will leave a three-foot-diameter trunk section looking like firewood in no time.

Sassafras also has a really fun smell to it, one that really confused me when I first started working with the stuff; I almost doubted whether it was a hardwood at all! The smell is sort of spicy-peppery, and very fragrant. Smell is one way to identify Sassafras, but you can also look at the bark. The inner bark of Sassafras (that is, between the outer furrowed bark and the beginning of the sapwood) is orange-red. Beautiful!

Sassafras seasons faster than any other hardwood I've used for firewood. I could split Sassafras in September and burn it in the woodstove in December with no problems. And as far as kindling goes, I know no rival to Sassafras. It splits into thin pieces easily, catches fire quickly, and burns hot enough to get even a piece of Black Locust going.

Note: Sassafras does have its faults, however. Despite throwing high heat, the firewood burns up quickly, and the coals simply aren't the best. So for cooking fires, choose Sassafras as your kindling, and something else to get the coals you need, like Black Locust or Red Oak.

Green vs. Dried vs. Seasoned Wood

How to Season Wood

Though unseasoned woodcutters (pun intended!) might think you can cut firewood and use it the same day, that isn't the case. Good firewood should be seasoned for over a year, and some woods, like oak, need far longer. In general, softwoods take 6–12 months to season, whereas oak and other hardwoods take 1–2 years minimum.

Here are a few tips for seasoning wood:

Cut your wood in late winter or early spring, as this will allow the wood to dry nicely during the warm summer months.
Stack the wood slightly off the ground to ensure maximum airflow. You can do this by stacking it on a pallet or simply on two downed saplings.
Cover the top of the wood to prevent it from getting wet, but leave the ends of the stack uncovered so that air can still flow. If you go for this method, stack the bark wood-side down. This will help it dry faster.
OR leave it uncovered and let it season in all seasons! The jury is out on this one, so it's up to your personal preference. If you go for this method, stack the wood bark-side up. This will provide a bit of natural protection.

Note: If you need to cut firewood for immediate use, look for ash or fir. Naturally, these still work best when seasoned, but they do burn better than most woods when green.

Why Does Seasoned Wood Burn Better?

Seasoned wood burns hotter and results in less creosote buildup in your fireplace than green wood. It's also much easier to get a fire going and keep it going with seasoned wood, as it contains much less liquid.

How Can I Tell If My Wood Is Seasoned?

Seasoned wood will look greyish and dusty on the outside and whitish on the inside. It will smell more faint than fresh-cut firewood. The bark may also be slightly loose and missing in spots where it's been knocked off. Lastly, if you knock two pieces of dry wood together, they'll make a hollow sound, whereas wetter wood will produce a thud.

If you want to be extra sure your wood is optimally seasoned and ready to burn, use a moisture meter to check its moisture content.

What Is Fatwood or "Lighter'd"?

This incredible kindling goes by many names, including "fatwood," "fat lighter," "lighter wood," "pine knot," and "lighter'd" (often pronounced "ladder'd" in the South). But what is it?

Fatwood comes from the trunks and crotches dead pine trees, where the sap has collected. When the tree rots and the sap hardens, you're left with resin-soaked wood that is incredibly effective as a fire-starter, even in wet conditions. You'll know it's fatwood by the smell—the most pungent pine scent you've ever experienced!

If you have forested property and are interested in using lighter'd, here are detailed instructions about how to find and prepare your own fatwood.

Note: When working with fatwood, it's wise to prep your blade with WD-40 and clean it with either a degreaser or a gum-remover afterward. Otherwise, you'll end up with a sticky, sappy blade.

A Short Note on Splitting Firewood by Hand

I've come to view chopping firewood as one of the many (almost) lost arts—yet another skill that was essential just a little over a century ago, but that has become almost obsolete. Believe it or not, chopping wood is my favorite chore. When I started heating my home with a wood-stove, I swore I would never go back to electric, gas, or anything else. So far so good.

As far as getting the firewood, I guess log-splitters are great and all, but they're dangerous, burn too much fuel, and don't afford me enough exercise. And having cordwood delivered? Forget it! If I don't chop it myself, I've only gotten half the value of a piece of firewood: By rights, it should warm you twice.

Whether you're splitting wood yourself or not, it's important to understand that not all wood is the same.

Enjoy a Deeper Connection With Nature

There are so many different types of hardwood trees, I could literally write a whole book about them. Luckily, someone has; I take this tree-identification book with me every time I'm out in the forest.

I would also have to travel around the United States, and eventually the whole world, in order to get a meaningful experience with each type. This article was meant to discuss some of the types of wood that I'm most experienced with.

I should probably also note that I don't run madly through the forest with a chainsaw, cutting down every firewood-valuable tree that I can find. Harvesting deadfall is a sustainability issue, and when good trees come down because of storms, disease, damage or age, there is still a part of me that feels bad for the tree as a living organism—but I love chopping firewood, and winter is cold!

I hope that more people will consider using firewood to heat their homes. The switch has been an absolute joy for me. You get plenty of exercise and fresh air chopping wood, and then there's the personal connection you can make with the world around you. There was a time in my life when I didn't know a Poplar from a Maple; I can just barely remember what life was like for me then, but I can tell you this—my life is much richer now.

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author's knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

Questions & Answers

Question: Which is easier to split, seasoned or green wood?

Answer: It depends on the species, but in general, drier wood is easier to split.

Bill Hess on May 06, 2020:

Nice article and worthy thoughts on some good hardwood choices. Your info on Sassafras wood might include the fact that it is quite noisy. I used a lot of it last year, primarily as kindling wood in my fireplace. It's almost like having fireworks in your fireplace. Be sure you have a screen to block any occasional flying spark.

Eva on September 16, 2019:

Great article. We have had to cut down a couple of dead trees. One of them has very dark bark and dark orangey wood with darker red veins running through it. Since it was already dead I am having a hard time identifying it. Any ideas?

Shayne on January 31, 2019:

Your article on identifying trees good for firewood was vry informative...it was clear n easy to understand.

Rob on March 31, 2018:

well said. Have burned wood all my life and enjoy a thorough description from an, obviously well versed, wood burning enthusiast.

Keep up the good work and burn hot!

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on January 02, 2018:

@Jerry - interestingly enough, your disagreement with my opinion doesn't negate my years of real life experience splitting and chopping difficult oak and ash logs.

Derek Ousley on January 01, 2018:

This is the first year I have burnt wood but I have cut alot and split we have alot of Ash around here and another wood I use is mulberry which takes along time to season once season thou burns great

Jerry Rrhage on December 19, 2017:

I don't agree with your difficulty in splitting your selected hardwoods. Most oaks and ash are easy to split due to there distinct grain of wood and sassafras is not one of the better hardwoods because as you said it burns to fast !!!

Mary Guimont from Pacific Northwest on April 01, 2016:

Hi Rachael, I enjoyed reading your hubpage. It was very informative. I also like you love the chore of firewood. Its a great work out!

Cygnet Brown from Springfield, Missouri on January 20, 2016:

Where we live, we almost always used oak, but sometimes hickory. I love the smell of the hickory because it always smelled like we were having a barbecue whenever we are using it to heat the house!

Maree Michael Martin from Northwest Washington on an Island on January 28, 2014:

Without our wood stove I wouldn't be happy living out here in the woods of the Pacific Northwest. I love our cherry limbs that blow down for our fire pit, and inside when we've been in short supply of cedar and fir. Growing up around trees all my life, I too know what you mean about cutting, stacking, burning firewood nature provides for us. Great hub, congrats.

Brandon Hart from Atlanta, Georgia, USA on January 09, 2014:

Thanks for the hub. I have a fireplace in my house and I have used some wood that has stunk that place up and didn't burn well. I'll be getting some good wood now.

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on November 27, 2013:

Hi Don, thanks for the comment! I know what you mean, it's a wonder people don't take a greater interest in the variety of trees growing in the woods ;) It's always fun for me to try to identify them in the winter, when you only have bark and silhouette to go by!

We had a guy come and look at a huge black walnut that went down the farm we used to manage. He said the wood was very valuable, but that the expense of removing the tree made it a moot point. We couldn't get it all out ourselves, so we had to let it lay. What a waste!

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on November 27, 2013:

truthfornow, thanks for the comment!

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on November 27, 2013:

Hi blueheron, thanks for the comment! I wrote this article when I still lived in Pennsylvania. I moved to Minnesota last June and the woods around here are pretty different. Back home we did have Osage Orange, but I never saw it in person or had the chance to chop or burn it. But we did have black locust, and although I never saw it myself, I heard similar stories about it turning stoves bright orange and even melting them!

Sharon Vile from Odessa, MO on November 13, 2013:

One of my favorites for firewood is hickory, which is abundant around here--and oak, of course. I am in Missouri, known for its vast oak/hickory forests. But the hottest burning wood I know of is "hedge" aka Osage Orange or Hedge Apple. It's very heavy and dense, hard to split, and a bit hard on the chainsaw blade, but it is perhaps the most desired type of firewood around here. Caution: It burns so hot that it should be used somewhat sparingly, mixed with other types of wood. If you fill your wood stove with "hedge," you risk melting the stove. I've heard tales of it turning a wood stove cherry red.

Supposedly, the hottest-burning wood known is hawthorn, but it is too small a tree to use for home heating. (But I suspect hedge burns as hot as hawthorn.)

If hedge doesn't grow in your area, it would be worthwhile to plant some. You can order seeds for Maclura pomifera here: http://jlhudsonseeds.com/SeedlistM.htm.

I think seedlings are also available (for $1 each, in bundles of ten for $10) from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Marie Hurt from New Orleans, LA on November 12, 2013:

I don't think I will be chopping any wood because I don't have a fireplace or a yard or trees. That being said, I really enjoyed reading this article. Well done.

Don Bobbitt from Ruskin Florida on November 12, 2013:

Great Article. And the pictures are good too. I am surprised these days at how many adults, not to mention kids who cannot tell the difference between trees, even with the leaves still on them.

Being an old woodworker, I would try to salvage that Black Cherry for reuse in furniture these days. The discovery of a Walnut or Cherry or other true Hardwood tree is a rare thing these days and the wood is very valuable.

Anyway, good article, I am voting it up and sharing it.

Peter Noli on October 13, 2013:

I can recommend using a modern, wood boiler like my 'SolCourant'. So, if you own a house one easy way to save money is to use firewood instead of oil or gas. For those fellows who like to calculate how much energy is hidden in firewood compared to oil or gas I like to recommend this link. http://www.normatherm.com/Fireplace-WebApp/

Energy, Firewood & Boiler stove

a Christian man on January 25, 2013:

In all my experiences with ash, it has been extremely easy to split! by far the easiest thing I've ever busted. as well with locust (although what we had was not black locus. It had a greenish/white color to it.)

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on August 25, 2012:

moonlake - Thanks for reading and commenting. Oak is a good tree to have. What don't you like about making wood?

moonlake from America on August 24, 2012:

Very interesting hub. We don't have most of the trees you mentioned here. We do have oak, maple and pine trees. We use to burn wood all the time. I hated getting wood. Voted up on your hub.

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on August 10, 2012:

Beata - I have to admit I'm a little jealous of you having winter right now. My favorite season! I've never heard of jarrah, is it a hardwood? Is it hard to split? I'll have to google it, haha. Thanks for reading and commenting, nice to hear from Australia!

Beata Stasak from Western Australia on August 10, 2012:

Thanks for an interesting hub that complement my farming life, we use a lot jarrah for fire logs, here, in Australia, just burning nicely, now, in my fireplace as we have winter here....

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on August 04, 2012:

Grandmapearl - You're welcome! Nice talking to you, and good luck with everything!

Connie Smith from Southern Tier New York State on August 04, 2012:

Thanks Farmer Rachel, I'll look into that Stihl lighter weight model. My husband's is a Farm Boss as well. They certainly are tough. We had issues with Husqvarnas, so that's why we changed to Stihl! Thanks for the great info.

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on August 03, 2012:

Grandmapearl - I use a Stihl MS 211 - it's lightweight and awesome, but only has a 16 inch bar. David also has the new version of the Stihl "Farm Boss" model... I think it's MS 291. It's very powerful, and we have 18inch and 20inch bars for it, so it's great for felling and the bigger stuff. It's also more fuel-efficient, but it is heavier than my 211 so I use the 211 more often. I know Stihl is a bit more expensive than other chainsaws, but I have never had any issues - I've left the saws out in the rain, cut in the middle of winter, dropped them, ran them out of bar oil, etc., and they always start right back up.

Connie Smith from Southern Tier New York State on August 03, 2012:

Hi Farmer Rachel: The poplar can be difficult to split, we get lots of hunks and chunks, too. We have never used a log splitter mostly because of the gasoline required. And like you say, when you split wood you are warmed twice! I bought myself a battery-powered chainsaw to save on gas and fumes, also because it is much lighter than my husband's Stihl. I wanted to use it just for cutting the smaller kindling. It doesn't work that well, sorry to say. The battery packs are expensive and they only last a max of 45 minutes, plus the teeth are so widely spaced it kind of chews rather than cuts when it gets down to the last 15 minutes or so. And if I'm trying to cut up hardwoods, I get really frustrated! It works pretty well on sassafras though. Maybe this year I'll just buy a smaller, lightweight gas-powered chainsaw for me! What chainsaw do you use?

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on August 02, 2012:

LillyGrillzit - Thanks so much for your comment and following! I'm really glad you enjoyed the article and found it useful. I remember when I didn't know one type of tree from another, so it's nice to be able to share what I know with people now, and even nicer to find people who appreciate it. Take care.

Lori J Latimer from Central Oregon on August 02, 2012:

This Hub is a keeper, I saved it as a favorite, as it is an excellent source of knowledge regarding firewood, and using the appropriate wood for the needs. Thank you for sharing your unique knowledge.

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on August 02, 2012:

Grandmapearl - Thanks so much for your comments and votes! I've been thinking about adding a section about maple to this article, considering a few people have commented about it. I don't personally use a lot of maple because I have so much oak available, but I do know it's not such a bad wood for heating. We have so much silver maple here and it can be very tricky so split. Do you use a log splitter to split poplar? We have a lot of tulip poplar and it doesn't split so much as just kind of chunk and break away... I know what you mean about the aroma of cherry as well. We had a lot of dead trees in the orchard here when we first arrived - cherry, apple, pear. It was the best wood for kindling and everything else because it all smelled so wonderful. Have fun making wood and take care!

Connie Smith from Southern Tier New York State on August 02, 2012:

FarmerRachel, I really enjoyed this article. We burn wood and have access to almost 4 acres of woods behind our house. Dead-fallen is all we work with, and there's always a lot of it. Maple is my all-time favorite for the amount of heat, and I prefer maple for kindling. I also agree that sassafras makes good kindling and it is a breeze to cut. However, we have a lot of poplar, too. It really stinks when you split it, and it takes a long time to dry, but we use it in the spring and fall when you need to create heat, but not drive yourself out of the house! Black cherry is my second favorite for the aroma, but maple reminds me of my grandmothers kitchen. They burned apple and maple in the large cook stove--it just smells like her house and that is a great comfort. My husband and I spend a lot of time cutting, splitting and stacking wood in our solar dryer. We found the directions for making that in an old Popular Mechanics magazine. It cuts the drying time down to 1 to 3 months depending upon the type of wood. Voted this wonderful article Up and Useful and Shared. Good Job! Now following.

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on July 27, 2012:

Ripplemaker - Thanks for reading and commenting! I'm really glad you enjoyed it.

Michelle Simtoco from Cebu, Philippines on July 27, 2012:

Hi Farmer Rachel, living in a tropical country, we don't need to heat our home. This was an interesting read as I learned many things this morning :D I never thought of chopping wood as an art but you changed my mind.

Congratulations on your Hubnuggets nomination. To read and vote, you can also visit this hub please https://hubpages.com/community/Hubnugget-Wars Love and blessings.

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on July 25, 2012:

Cowboy Tom - Thanks for reading! It's cool that you used to live in MN, my father's family is from Finlayson (a lot of them still live and farm there, actually). I have seen a lot of maple and pine out there. I guess I'm lucky to have so much oak in PA! But we also have tons of poplar and pine, hickory, black walnut, and maple here too.

Cowboy Tom from Heart of the West on July 25, 2012:

It's interesting to see the types of wood you're working with. I'm originally from northern Minnesota, and our favorite woods for heating were ash, oak, maple, and if nothing else was available, pine and poplar.

tmbridgeland from Small Town, Illinois on July 18, 2012:

It's green, big limb just broke off a huge tree last week in a windstorm.

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on July 18, 2012:

tmbridgeland - Glad you went choppin'. And it certainly warms you twice in this heat! Brittle maple, sounds like maybe Silver Maple? Or maybe it's already seasoned up a bit?

tmbridgeland from Small Town, Illinois on July 17, 2012:

Well, it's about 90 here, and I got home from work, which involves sitting on my butt all day talking on the phone, and I went out and split a bunch of maple. It's really brittle, but twisty, so it sometimes just breaks apart, and sometimes takes lots of chopping. Nice for bringing up a sweat. Like you said, firewood warms you twice!

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on July 17, 2012:

Thanks, Living Well! I'm really glad you enjoyed it. And ugh, chopping in the heat isn't the best. Have fun with your maple! I've got some scarlet oak and a bit of cherry waiting for a break in the heat, too :)

Living Well Now from Near Indianapolis on July 17, 2012:

I have a pile of Norway maple ready to split with my Fiskars when the weather isn't so danged hot.

I like how you did your hub. Nice layout and informative. Welcome to HubPages, btw!

Rachel Koski Nielsen (author) from from PA, now homesteading in MN on July 15, 2012:

Hey there Tmbridgeland - Thanks for the vote and comment! I love elm, too. Unfortunately, I haven't had much opportunity to work with it, just a few logs here and there. In fact, I tried to split some really twisty elm into fence rails - disaster, haha. Maybe I should include elm in a later hub. As for maple, I have a lot of red, silver, and sugar. All maple seems to be unfriendly to me!

tmbridgeland from Small Town, Illinois on July 15, 2012:

I use a lot of soft maple. This a very light wood, and if dry burns fast and hot. It is easy to split if the grain is straight, but it is often twisted. Another I use a lot is elm. This is really hard to split, but dead elms are common so it is easy to get. Also, it burns clean and leaves little soot.

Nice Hub. Vote up.