Maple Firewood- Is maple a good firewood?

If you’re reading this article, you’re probably wondering if maple firewood has good qualities.

So what are some of its respective burning features?

Does it give good coals?

Join us as we explore more regarding maple firewood. 

What is Maple Firewood?

Autumn maple trees of yellow and red colors. 

Numerous maple tree species exist, but all are under two broad categories: 

• Hard Maple
• Soft Maple.

Hard Maple is relatively denser than its soft counterpart. Hence, Hard Maple makes somewhat better firewood than Soft Maple. 

Nonetheless, in general terms, all Maple firewood is good quality, especially when compared to softwoods like pine. 

Burn Qualities of Maple Firewood

Here are some reasons you must have maple firewood in your winter stockpile. 

Heat Production

Hot Maple Coals.

Maple firewood ranks among the top firewood trees, but the quality varies from one Maple species to the other. Here is a breakdown of Maple firewood varieties and their respective heat yields:

Thus, from the above table, Sugar Maple is the hottest, with 30% more heat output than Red Maple. Also noteworthy is that Maple firewood (especially hard Maple Species) burns slowly.

Smoke Production

Burning in a barrel of autumn yellow maple leaves. 

Maple firewood is a good fit for an indoor fireplace as it produces little smoke. But it would be best to dry it to at least 20% moisture for efficient burning.

Of the Maple species we’ve covered above, Sugar maple has the highest smoke output. 

Nonetheless, Maple firewood is generally lower on smoke compared to softwoods. 

Seasoning Time

A large stack of wood for firewood. 

You must properly stack Maple firewood for 12 to 24 months for proper drying. Nonetheless, it can dry faster if you pile it appropriately, ensuring sufficient airflow between the wood. 

Also, splitting your Maple firewood into small logs will increase its drying rate. 

Burning Smell

Soft Maple is ideal for smoking meat. 

Maple is one of the best indoor firewoods, thanks to its unique maple syrup smell. Also, since it is low in smoke production, its smell won’t overwhelm your house. Therefore, it ranks among the best wood to stack for winter. 

Besides, look no further than Maple if you’re looking for the ideal firewood to smoke meat. It’s particularly efficient for smoking Turkey meat. 

Creosote Buildup

House with a smoking chimney on a cold winter day. 

Maple firewood burns slowly. So it’s capable of forming creosote. However, it’s generally low on creosote buildup, especially if you dry it properly.

Also, ensure you regularly clean your chimney to remove creosote, irrespective of your type of firewood. 

Splitting Difficulty 

Splitting Firewood. 

Maple logs are easy to break compared to other hardwoods such as Elm and Black Locust.

Also, soft Maple tree species such as red Maple and silver maple are more straightforward to split than hard Maple.

Lastly, you can easily break any maple species via a splitting axe, especially while it is dry. 

Coals Quality

Like all firewood with an outstanding BTU value, maple firewood makes high-quality coals.

However, other hardwoods, such as Black Locust and Hickory, fare better regarding coals quality.

Still, Maple coals are better than those softwoods like Aspen and Pine firewood. 

There is an extensive array of Maple species. Each type is renowned for its unique burn properties, and we’ll see below. 

Different Types of Maple Firewood

1. Silver Maple

Maple Leaves. 

It’s a soft maple species highly suitable for smoking meat. It has a limited smoke yield, and a cord of its firewood yields an average of 17.0 million BTUs. Also, the silver Maple is one of the fastest-growing maple tree species and can reach about 80 feet at full maturity. 

2. Sugar Maple 

Tapping Maple Syrup. 

It’s the best soft maple species for firewood, with a 24.0 million BTUs per firewood cord yield. Also, the tree that grows to a maximum of 110 feet is ideal for maple syrup collection.

Of course, there are other Maple trees with better heat output, but the sugar maple ranks among the top. 

3. Red Maple,

A Red Maple Tree. 

It’s the maple species you’re likely to find in urban areas primarily due to its relatively short height (50 meters). Its leaves are red during fall. No wonder it has the name,

Red Maple. It is arguably the least desirable maple firewood tree as its cord will give just 18.6 million BTUs. 

4. Norway Maple

Acer platanoides, Norway maple in autumn. 

It is the top maple species regarding firewood quality, as its cord yields about 27.0 million BTUs. 

How to Identify Maple Firewood

Maple leaf, Canada maple in red background. 

The easiest way to decipher Maple trees from other trees is by the leaves.

They have a broad surface that is arguably one of the most famous tree leaves (It’s the leaf on the Canadian flag). 

But it can be tasking to identify maple firewood with no leaves. So here are some of the things to look out for in such a case. 

1. Bark

Maple Bark. 

For most Maple trees, the bark appears as loose skin. 

2. Grains

Maple’s end grains also lack the rays synonymous with other hardwoods such as sycamore and oak. 

3. Color

Maple firewoods feature a light-brown color, unlike cherry, which is red, or Black Walnut which has a profoundly dark characteristic color. 

Comparison to Other Woods

Maple tree autumn leaves. 

Here is how Maple compares to other firewood trees. 

Conclusion

Maple is among the exemplary firewood trees. It’s easy to split, and the hard maple varieties, such as Sugar Maple, have high BTUs and excellent coals.

That’s all on Maple Firewoods but for more insights, contact us.