Is Beech Good Firewood

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Is beech good firewood to burn in your wood stove, fireplace or fire pit?

Yes!

In fact, you could argue that it's one of the best types of firewood you can choose, even better than burning oak.

Beech trees have always been a classic source of firewood, along with lumber, papermaking and other uses.

Beech is a hardwood that's available in many locations throughout the world.

The wood is very dense with good strength and durability.

It's a native hardwood in the Fagaceae family and is found in North America, Asia, and Europe.

Beech trees reach average heights of 50-70 feet with a crown width up to 40 feet.

It has a trunk diameter that can reach as high as two to three feet under good growing conditions.

This is a hardwood deciduous tree, losing its leaves every fall.

It has a close, tight grain that's incredibly strong, another of this tree's defining characteristics as a hardwood.

What Can You Do With Beech?

Beech has long been considered one of the world's most valuable types of lumber once milled, and it's often used in situations where strength is a top priority.

It's used in furniture making as well as more industrial applications, such as the creation of railroad ties or timbers that are used to build railroads.

Not only that, but beech can also be found in finer woodworking projects too.

It is used in chairs, cabinetry, moldings, and stairs.

With its outstanding strength, beech is commonly used in the production of carts, plywood, and even handles.

It is also shock-resistant.

This makes it an excellent choice for flooring and tool handles, particularly those that require strength, like wood chisels.

The wood has a light, pale-cream color, a feature that allows it to brighten any room in which it is installed.

Beech is even used in the manufacturing of sports equipment, particularly equipment requiring strength and density, like hockey sticks.

It's also used in paper manufacturing.

It is often sent to pulpwood mills, where it is ground and used to make papers of all kinds, including writing papers and magazines.

Another interesting use of beech is as an edible.

It produces nuts only about every five years, but when it does, these are hugely valuable to wildlife and grow in massive quantities.

Deer, birds, chipmunks, and squirrels all enjoy beechnuts.

Beech chips are also used to make delicious homemade beers.

They have a high yeast productivity and can also be used for things like smoking fish and meat.

They offer a subtle and sweet flavor that you're sure to enjoy,

But most importantly, beech is one of the best firewood species you will find.

It puts out 27.5 million BTUs per cord, making it one of the very best types of firewood to burn.

Is Beech Good Firewood To Split?

Beech is a unique wood when it comes to splitting.

Even though beech looks smooth and straight-grained, it is often difficult to split.

That said, not all beech trees are challenging to split - depending on the location, you might have quite an easy time.

The location plays a big role in this.

Depending on the wind pressure and proximity to other trees, the ease of your work will definitely vary.

Fiskars IsoCore Maul

Beech that is found growing in tight stands will grow much straighter, making it easier to split, while beech in open areas is more prone to wind exposure and will have a more twisted grain as a result.

You can split beech with a maul or splitting axe, but if your round has twisted grain, you'll find that using a wood splitter will make this chore much easier.

As a dense and heavy hardwood, beech needs to be dried for a long period of time - at least a year - to obtain its maximum heat value.

How To Store Beech Firewood

Stacking and storing beech firewood is simple.

As is the case with other dense hardwoods, it is best to dry this firewood in an open shed with ample air circulation.

If you don't have a shed available, beech can also dry quite well in a space that is open to a great deal of sun and wind.

Make sure you stack your firewood on beams, old pallets, or anything else you may have on hand to keep the air circulation going under the stacks.

This will help in the drying process and prevent the wood from wicking up groundwater.

When stacking firewood outside, cover the stacks on the top only.

This will allow air and sun into the wood to create a more favorable drying environment.

Burning Beech Firewood

Beech burns clean and hot, producing 27.5 million BTUs per cord of wood.

It is a firewood with minimal sparking too, making it a desirable wood for both indoor and outdoor fires.

Another benefit of beech firewood is that the bark isn't likely to flake off.

This will help you keep storage areas and wood boxes much neater.

How Hot Does Beech Firewood Burn?

Beech is an extremely hot-burning wood at about 1000 degrees Celsius or about 1832 degrees Fahrenheit.

It typically has an output, again, of 27.5 million BTUs per cord, making it one of the best hardwoods out there to burn.

Does Beech Firewood Produce Sparks and Creosote?

Fortunately, beech produces minimal sparks and creosote.

It's an ideal choice for inside wood stoves and fireplaces for this very reason.

It has minimal smoking.

Because beech burns at such a hot, high temperature, very little creosote is produced in the process.

Is Beech Good Firewood - Overall

Beech wood offers countless benefits to us, from lumber to woodworking and most importantly, firewood.

This is a versatile, well-rounded tree, offering all kinds of features that make it a top-notch choice for just about anything you wish to do with it.