type of trees for heating house

[dorothyl]

we have burned wood to heat our house for 25 years. what we cut this year we will burn next year. we burn white oak, red oak,swamp oak, hickory, & catalpa. we have been given an area in a woods at the edge to clear cut, everything goes . it goes to 15 foot inside the woods & is 1/2mile long. now that the crops are off is time to start clear cutting . problem is *with the leaves off the trees I dont know what kind of trees these are. i can identify the ones we currently burn from the bark along with some very old growth wild cherry. how do i find out what kind of trees the others are?

[ozarksnick]

Here's what you need:

Winter Tree Finder (http://www.amazon.com/Winter-Finder-Nature-Study-Guides/dp/0912550031/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226668681&sr= 8-1)

I have the summer version of this little booklet and it is excellent. But like you I often find myself in the woods in winter time. I just haven't gotten around to ordering it yet.

[Techstuf]

Dorothy, sounds like you got some exotic hardwoods and a sweet smelling home! Well, exotic to me anyway. I'll tell ya, to us here in the midwest, it's hard to beat finding a few standing dead elm or cured ash.

Ozarksnick, got to say I love your signature quote.....wish I'd learned that earlier in life!

Sorry I've nothing useful to add on identifying your trees...


TS

[cubcadet]

Do what I do- try to observe the bark and leaf in summer, and try to co-relate the grain of the wood when split, with the color and texture of the bark in the fall and winter. Old timers will gladly show you some tips. Also look for fallen leaves in a stand. Try to go in when there`s leaves on the tree and tie a ribbon around the trunks of those you want. Come fall, you don`t need to know what kind of tree, as long as it`s got a ribbon.

[kmccune]

That's cool cubcadet! :D
Around here we have a good mixture of hard woods and soft woods.
After a while you just start to recognise different types of trees in the winter.
Anyways, any tree that is suffeciently season will do in a pinch with the denser hard woods providing superior heat capacity. (Your local forestry dept. will have a variety of tree id. guides.
I have actually been burning some Cucumber Magnolia [they look like Tulip Popular] that was well seasoned, that made some pretty fine fuel. Very little smoke and VERY hot.)

-Kevin