Willows are one of the fast-growing trees that produce a significant amount of wood.
Do you ever come across the willow tree? If so, then you know that it has a majestic appearance and delicate look. However, many of us struggle to identify its appearance at first glance. In general, the willow trees have long and droopy foliage. Mostly it appears near the freshwater, where it can retain a lot of water content.
Having suitable firewood for camping trips, natural sites, adventure trips, and outdoor parties is essential.
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Is Willow Good Firewood
Willow Considered Fair to Poor as Firewood. It Is a Soft Wood so the Heat out Put Of Willow wood is Low. It is easy to split the willow trees as they come in soft tree categories.
However, it is easy to break but doesn’t burn well.
Willow is one of the fast-growing trees that generally appears in wet conditions. It doesn’t mean that it requires damp soil. But willow trees demand a highly humid atmosphere with dry soil for perfect growth.
It grows fast but has a short lifespan of around 30 years, and after that, it may split or fall naturally. So the perfect solution to deal with them after 30 years is to break it in firewood as it has a short lifespan.
Burning Willow Wood
You can burn it after proper seasoning, but still, it is not a great option as firewood. It grows fast in less than four years but is not suitable for burning.
Generally, willow trees have a lot of criticism due to their toxic or active compounds. Examine the tree properly before splitting it for firewood. It helps you in saving the time and efforts that you may spend on cutting the trees.
However, if you want to purchase the willow as firewood, find other effective options like oak, birch, maple, and many more. It is advisable to avoid burning the willow trees.
Moreover, it has a low heat production and burns fastly. With its characteristics, it is the least desirable firewood among all other great choices.
Is Willow a Hardwood
Willow is hardwood with soft internal textures that burn after many efforts and produce massive smoke shoots.
Willow trees have low-density wood and broad leaves. So if we talk about the wood condition, then it has the hardwood in physical appearance. But it burns like softwoods due to its characteristics. The willow looks like a soft tree due to its soft pulp and wet conditions.
Characteristics of willow trees
Willow trees have a lot of varieties and species. In general, it is porous and thrives for the wet environment to grow faster. Due to its growth requirements, it is available near streams, lakes, and ponds.
Seasoning Time Of Willow Firewood
Now it is clear that willow is not good firewood. If you still want to burn it, then ensure that it is seasoned perfectly for one year. It helps you to reduce the moisture from willow firewood before burning.
You can season it for more than one year at your home but keep in mind that it is not good firewood for campfires. If you want to burn it at the camps after purchasing, choose some other good firewood from the market.
However, the poorly seasoned willow will make the enormous smoke with toxic particles then burning. The smoke also comes in black instead of the regular smoke and stains the surrounding areas.
As we already said, it has the active compounds aspirin and tannins that can cause danger for allergic people.
Consider, for an instant, that willow firewood catches the light even if it is wet and creates the spewing coal and debris.
Disadvantages of willow Firewood for allergic personals
Tannin is the active component in the willow tree. Some people have severe allergies to certain compounds. So it can be a nightmare for them to sit around the willow fire. Keep in mind that tannin is present in its wood and bark that can cause hazardous effects.
So if you come in the list of such persons and go camping, avoid burning the sticks altogether. Instead, filter the firewoods and separate willow firewood for your safety.
BTU Rating of willow Firewood
BTU rating refers to the British Thermal Units. It is the measurement of the heart pieces that release after burning the firewood.
Now the willow firewood has low BTU values due to its softwood conditions. In general soft firewood has common BTU values, and hardwoods like oak have higher BTU ratings.
Willow firewood doesn’t get much heat due to its watery structure and growth conditions. It requires more seasoning time than other hardwoods that also affect its heating conditions. Most heat components get out of the willow firewood in smoke, chimney, gases, and vapors.
The seasoned willow firewood has a 17.6 BTU value, less than hardwoods like oak, with 30.7 BTUs Per cord.
Splitting of willow Firewood
Willow is not like firewood because all the qualities are against its burning capacity. So if we talk about its splitting, cutting, and stacking, it requires a lot of energy and time. But the amount of heat doesn’t justice your efforts.
The base of the willow tree is vast and difficult to cut even after the efforts of many people collectively. If you cut the bottom, a considerable amount of wet wood still requires workers to split it into firewood pieces.
After all this effort and labor, you will get the chunks and let them season when cut into pieces. Now, it becomes lightweight at the time of burn and burns quickly with less heat and more smoke.
Other Uses OF Willow Wood
if you have the willow trees on your property, then let them dry properly. It takes more than one year to get dry. After proper seasoning or drying, you can use it as firewood.
If you don’t have the time to let it dry and want to get rid of the willow woods, use it to make the furniture. Willow woods can bear the shocks and are light in weight. Therefore, it is easy to mold, carve and make furniture pieces.
Next, it is an excellent option for the florists to use willow wood for making baskets, hampers, coffins, and wreaths.
Moreover, it has medicinal sap that helps to protect the other plants from pathogens. So you can use it as pathogen repellent for the apple trees and protect them from infections.
Characteristics Of Willow Firewood
Willow Firewood Smell
Willow firewoods have a strong odor that people don’t like. But, as we already said, willow trees have a lot of varieties and species. So its smell also depends on the sort that you are burning.
In general, willow firewood has an offensive smell that humans are unable to bear.
The strength of willow firewood depends on its moisture content. However, some studies also support the fact that its offensive smell intensity reduces after complete seasoning.
Commonly the willow firewood smell upon burning is similar to the human urine.
Willow Firewood Smoke
Willow firewood produces intensive smoke if not seasoned well before burning. In addition, it has smoke shoots, so if you are allergic to active wood components, burning willow at your home is not a great idea.
If you want to burn the willow firewood, do it in an open area or for camping. There you will have lots of space and airflow. So the smoke of willow will not affect you as it can during indoor burning.
So willow is not good firewood with its burning capacities and active components, including tannins and aspirin. However, you can use it in various ways like for making furniture and many more. Still, if you want to burn the willow firewood, ensure that you are not allergic and seasoned perfectly before burning.