BURNING WILLOW

[Compo]

I have been given a large quality of willow wood to fell, store and burn later, the best advice I can get is that it is a medium grade wood that burns well when seasoned, anyone else got experience of this timber. I have a wood / multi-fuel burner.

CoMpO

[Geoff]

Thought I was going to be able to offer you some advice through this old poem but it doesn't mention willow. That must be worrying but having found it I thought I would post it anyway. Did find this statement elsewhere "Willow has a high water content so only burns really well when seasoned well".

Logs to Burn,
Logs to burn,
Logs to burn,
Logs to save the coal a turn,
Here's a word to make you wise,
When you hear the woodman's cries.
Never heed his usual tale,
That he has good logs for sale,
But read these lines and really learn,
The proper kind of logs to burn.
Oak logs will warm you well,
If they're old and dry.
Larch logs of pine will smell,
But the sparks will fly.
Beech logs for Christmas time,
Yew logs heat well.
"Scotch" logs it is a crime,
For anyone to sell.
Birch logs will burn too fast,
Chestnut scarce at all.
Hawthorn logs are good to last,
If you cut them in the fall.
Holly logs will burn like wax,
You should burn them green,
Elm logs like smouldering flax,
No flame to be seen.
Pear logs and apple logs,
They will scent your room,
Cherry logs across the dogs,
Smell like flowers in bloom.
But ash logs,
all smooth and grey,
Burn them green or old;
Buy up all that come your way,
They're worth their weight in gold.

[FelixLeiter]

It's a wet wood which needs seasoning well. Even then, it's not very calorific and burns quickly with lots of snap and crackle. In a wood stove it ought to be fine but you'll need to keep feeding it to get much heat.

[Compo]

Thanks everyone I intend to season this for a year, the research I have read is that it is a middle of the road quality wood, in fact the lower of the Hardwood grades, and yes I do have a wood burner, so for a freebie which this timber is, I reckon it is worth me cutting and storing it for a year

Other opinions / experience welcome please

Dave

[pongeroon]

Like you Compo, we have a wood burner and a heap of free willow seasoning in the back garden. Its not the best, but as you say its free, and seems to form the majority of our fuel for the winter with no problems.

Mmmm, winter, sharp bright mornings, sparkly frosts, wee drams....

In between the raw damp days when it doesn't get properly light all day...

[Tony Hague]

I burned a pile of free willow on my stove, and found it to be good. It is best for those times when you want a quick fire for a few hours in the evening, rather than a full day burn. It is a bit lively and spitting might be an issue on an open fire, but in a closed stove a bit of crackle and pop counts as a bonus to me ! Mine was mostly 2-4" in the round, and I cut it to length (10" for my stove) and it was fine after barely a year seasoning stacked in a sunny spot.

[Compo]

Thank you all for this advice, I shall harvest and store as much as I possibly can, mixing it with other woods after a year of seasoning. Pongeroon did you find it blacked up the stove window more than other fuels?

CoMpO