Identifying Hardwood Firewood

The list of different types of hardwood could go on and on forever so we will focus on just three of the most popular.

Identifying hardwood firewood.

Desirable woods like oaks and hard maples have distinctive barks. 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. Split wood may not have leaves but often branches or twigs will have remnants of leaves that can identify firewood. Most common hardwoods unlike the conifers or softwood firs spruce and pines hardwood trees have evolved into a broad array of common species.

Hardwood and softwood and the distinctive set of characteristics of each type of wood which will determines the aesthetic and intrinsic strength of the. This article is a one stop guide to provide some insights into the traditional classification of wood. Popular types of hardwood for burning. Yellow and black birch present a distinct wintergreen odor.

A thorough understanding of how to distinguish hardwoods from softwoods is essential as you make your choices for the next project. Here we tackle a few ways to recognize some of the most common species of wood in north america by sight. Pine wood also has a marked odor and makes excellent firewood as it burns clean with little ash. 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.

Before starting please have a look at the truth behind wood identification to approach the task in a proper mindset. I consider the linked article to be required reading for all those visiting my site with the. Pines cedars firs and other softwoods have needles rather than leaves which is a good identifier. Over the years i began fielding questions from a more diverse audience worldwide including wood workers carpenters sawmill managers historical societies and archeologists.

For this reason i decided to revise and expand this site. You can usually tell different types of wood apart by looking at the wood grain color and the visibility of growth rings. Hardwood is generally the best wood for your fireplace. A favorite because it can be found almost anywhere oak is very dense and can burn for a long long time.

When attempting to identify a wood sample it s important to keep in mind the limitations and obstacles that are present in our task. I m slowly grinding my way through roughly 800 wood species that have still yet to be listed on the site. There should be some on at least some logs. However there are a few key criteria to look for in wood identification.

Apple and cherry both evidence the respective scent of the fruit they bear. It has been designed to serve both the amateur and experienced person in identifying unknown wood specimens. Splitting firewood by hand can be really fun and it s a great source of exercise.