What is the best wood for a wood burning stove ?
On a pound-for-pound basis all wood contains just about the same amount of energy. However, on a volume basis there is a great difference in the heat given off by different woods. As a general rule, so-called “hardwoods” are more dense than “softwoods”. They burn longer and give off more heat than softwoods. The following table should help you in choosing which woods to burn: Species Having High Heat Value (1 cord = 21,000,000 – 24,000,000 BTU = 200-250 gal. of fuel oil or 250-300 cu. ft. of natural gas) American Beech Apple Hickory Ironwood Red Oak Sugar Maple White Oak Yellow Birch Species Having Medium Heat Value (1 cord = 17,000,000 – 20,000,000 BTU = 150-200 gal. of fuel oil or 200-250 cu. ft. of natural gas) Big Leaf Maple Eastern Larch Elm Red Maple White Ash White Birch Species Having Low Heat Value; (1 cord = 12,000,000-17,000,000 BTU = 100-150 gal. of fuel oil or 200-250 cu. ft. of natural gas) Aspen Cottonwood Hemlock Red Alder Redwood Sitka Spruce Western Red Cedar White Pi