Not all firewood is created equal. Some species of trees are able to produce much more heat per cord of wood. A cord is the amount of wood in a well-stacked woodpile measuring 4 feet wide by 8 feet long by 4 feet high.
Following are heat values (in million BTUs) per cord for various species of trees. The higher the value, the better the wood.
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Following are heat values (in million BTUs) per cord for various species of trees. The higher the value, the better the wood.
​
|
Ash, Green |
22.8 |
|
Cottonwood |
15.9 |
|
Elm, American |
19.8 Difficult to split |
|
Elm, Siberian |
20.9 Difficult to split |
|
Hackberry |
21.0 |
|
Honeylocust |
25.6 Can spark, do not use in open fireplace |
|
Locust, Black |
28.3 Difficult to split |
|
Maple, Sugar |
24.0 |
|
Maple, Silver |
18.9 |
|
Mulberry |
25.3 |
|
Oak, Red |
24.0 |
|
Oak, Bur |
24.9 |
|
Oak, Post |
25.6 |
|
Osage Orange (Hedge) |
32.6 Sparks, do not use in open fireplace |
|
Sycamore |
19.5 Difficult to split |
|
Walnut, Black |
21.8 |
The Kansas Forest Service has a publication titled “Managing Your Woodland for Firewoodâ€
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