Those who have a willow tree in their yard may be wondering, ‘can you burn willow wood?’
Let’s check out how well willow wood burns and if it can make for good firewood.
Can You Burn Willow Wood?
Willow wood is often a byproduct of a hard prune of a willow tree, and if you have a fireplace you may be thinking if you can put the wood to good use.
The straight answer is yes, willow wood may be used as firewood when it’s adequately dried. However, it’s probably the least effective firewood as it produces too much soot and not a lot of heat. In an outdoor setting, you can burn willow just fine although there are better alternatives.
Willow wood burns better when it’s ‘seasoned’, or left alone and exposed to the elements for around two years or so. Willow material is lighter and tends to hold more moisture compared to other hardwoods. Furthermore, it tends to rot before the curing period can be completed.
Also, keep in mind that willow wood has sap, which can produce a greater amount of smoke as it’s burned. Therefore, it’s not recommended that you burn willow wood indoors or in a fireplace. In an outdoor environment, burning willow wood should be fine but don’t expect it to warm the surrounding.
One saving grace of burning willow wood is for aesthetic and relaxation purposes, and when you’re looking to liven the atmosphere. Since it doesn’t produce a lot of smoke and heat you can use it for night outdoor gatherings in the summer or fall season.
Is Willow Good Firewood?
Weeping willow wood is not the best material for burning. Almost all willow wood varieties are rated fair to poor when it comes to being used as firewood. The only saving grace is that willow wood can be split easily with little force required.
It’s worth noting that willow wood only has 17.6 million BTUs, which indicates that it doesn’t produce heat that well compared to other hardwood varieties. Therefore, it’s not as useful when you’re trying to warm up your home. Willow wood becomes even less useful if it’s not seasoned or left to dry before burning.
Does Willow Tree Wood Burn Well?
Willow tree wood burns relatively well, but it does not produce a significant amount of heat. In terms of being firewood material, it’s rated poor and tends to produce a lot of smoke in the process.
The wood of a willow tree may not burn completely as well, since it contains liquid sap that may interrupt the burning process. This applies to all willow tree varieties and species.
Can you burn willow wood: Final thoughts
Willow trees may be beautiful landscape additions but they do not make for good firewood. Its characteristics are somewhat the opposite of what makes good firewood, e.g., heavy, easy to dry, and doesn’t produce smoke, and there are plenty of other wood materials that burn better.
Examples of the best wood to burn include material from white oak, mesquite, or pecan.
Red Willow has wood that gives off a better scent and is often used to smoke fish and meat, but the problem is that it’s technically not a willow species. Red willow is a dogwood species and therefore does not count as a willow variety.
Related Article: Weeping Willow in Winter