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Old 12-16-2010, 02:17 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ridewv View Post
Might not burn as slowly, but all wood species put off about the same BTU per pound.
Not necessarily true. And you are trying to be a bit tricky. You have hardwoods and softwoods. The main difference is the wood fiber. Softwood fiber(pines) weigh less than hardwood fibers(Oak, Poplar, Cherry). The reason why Poplar does not burn as hot is because the wood is not as dense. 1 cubic foot of poplar wood weighs less than 1 cubic foot of Oak or Locust. The most dense woood around here is Osage Orange(called Hedge Apple).

Poplar cell walls are not as thick as Oak cell walls, so the Poplar cell walls will rupture and it will dry faster than oak. This is why it really burns faster. And the fact that there is less fiber per square foot of Poplar.

So when buying firewood you get the most BTU's from the densest wood-as long as it is dry. So a truckload(volume) of Oak or Locust yields considerably more BTU's than Poplar-even though the actual volume measurement is the same. However if you weigh the Oak or Locust the same volumetric amount will be considerably heavier. So if I bought firewood I would want the densest wood I could get. Tom.
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