Mulberry firewood – Why you should stack Mulberry firewood this Winter?

Wood is among the most readily available forms of renewable energy.

Also, having an indoor fire while relaxing at home is the best way to remain warm and cozy.

So should you settle on Mulberry as your firewood of choice? Keep reading to learn the key qualities of mulberry firewood.

What is Mulberry firewood?

A Mulberry Tree. 

A Mulberry Tree. 

Mulberry wood grows worldwide; apart from its species, the Red mulberry that’s native to North America.

Mulberry wood has a golden brown appearance, although it darkens to medium/ reddish brown as it matures. 

Besides, It has no characteristic odor but a unique luster. The tree is commonly popular for its fruits, the mulberries.

Burn Qualities of Mulberry Firewood

Mulberries 

Mulberries 

Here are some of the qualities of mulberry firewood:

Heat Production

Woman with a cup of drink and book near fireplace. 

Woman with a cup of drink and book near fireplace. 

A cord of mulberry firewood yields about 25.8 million BTUs. Thus, it’s in the same tier as top firewood trees like apple, oak, osage orange, and beech.  

Smoke Production

A rustic Fireplace in Log Cabin. 

A rustic Fireplace in Log Cabin. 

Mulberry wood has a higher smoke output in comparison to Beech. However, Mulberry produces less smoke than pine and Cedar woods. Also, Mulberry wood smoke is non-toxic. 

If your mulberry firewood gives a lot of smoke, this could be an indicator that the wood is not thoroughly dried.

Seasoning Time

Harvesting and drying firewood for the winter in rural areas.

Harvesting and drying firewood for the winter in rural areas.

Seasoned wood means it is thoroughly dry. Burning adequately seasoned mulberry means having minimal smoke production and a long-lasting flame. 

Practically, mulberry wood will take at least a year to complete seasoning. Also, splitting the wood into smaller logs helps in reducing the seasoning time.

Burning smell

Mulberry is ideal for smoking meat. 

Mulberry is ideal for smoking meat. 

The mulberry tree burns with a smoky and fruity aroma. Hence, It’s ideal for slow-roasting meat and sets a good mood around a bonfire.

Thanks to its sweet aroma, it is also suitable for your home fireplace and efficiently works as an organic freshener.

Creosote Buildup

Cleaning the chimney. 

Cleaning the chimney. 

The mulberry tree has low resin and sap, which translates to little creosote buildup. Still, cleaning up your chimney regularly would be best to avoid creosote buildup.

The perk of burning mulberry wood is that you don’t have to clean up as often as softwoods like pine.

Splitting

A Man Splitting firewood logs. 

A Man Splitting firewood logs. 

Mulberry firewood is easy to break primarily because of its straight grain.

Consider splitting your mulberry firewood with a hydraulic splitter since it saves time.  

But it shouldn’t be hard to break even with an axe.

Quality of the Coals

A barbeque in the backyard. 

A barbeque in the backyard. 

The mulberry firewood has very excellent coals properties.

Also, mulberry logs make perfect coals that last through the night. It makes it easy to restart fires the next day.

Different types of mulberry firewood

  1. Red Mulberry
Fresh Mulberries on a Tree. 

Fresh Mulberries on a Tree. 

Red mulberry is native to Eastern America, Central North America, Florida, and Minnesota. It also has edible plate green fruits, ripening to dark purple. The leaves are green and turn yellow in autumn.

Lastly, it grows at an average height of 35 to 50 feet.

  1. Black Mulberry
Mulberry berries on the branches. 

Mulberry berries on the branches. 

This tree  (also blackberry) is native to South Western Asia and the Iberian Peninsula. It is synonymous with dark purple fruits and usually grows to a size of 39 to 49 feet. 

  1. White Mulberry,
Silkworms eating fresh mulberry leaves.

Silkworms eating fresh mulberry leaves.

This type of mulberry (also the silkworm mulberry) is native to China. This species yields fruits with varying colors that, include white, pink, black, and red.

Also, the tree grows to an average height of 33 to 66 feet.

Ways of Identifying the Mulberry Firewood

There are different mulberry trees, as discussed above. Hence their wood texture and appearance will vary slightly from one to the other.

Here are ways to identify mulberry:

  1. Wood Color Appearance
An ax on a long handle sticks out in a mulberry wood log.

An ax on a long handle sticks out in a mulberry wood log.

Red mulberry is golden brown while young, but it turns into a darker brown to medium reddish as it ages. Meanwhile, the Black mulberry has a uniform lower leaf surface. 

  1. Sap Content/ Resin
Tree Natural Resin. 

Tree Natural Resin. 

The sap content in mulberry wood is relatively low. However, the resin (latex) can be mildly toxic.

  1. Wood Grains Appearance

The appearance of mulberry wood is naturally glossy. It also has a uniform grain texture, even on raw wood. Also, you may find cracks on overly mature wood. 

Comparison to Other Woods

An Ax on a Mulberry Stump. 

An Ax on a Mulberry Stump. 

Here is a breakdown of how Mulberry compares to other firewood. 

Firewood TreeHeat Output (in BTUs per cord)Splitting DifficultyCoals Quality
Aspen18.2EasyGood
Sycamore24.1DifficultBad
Maple25.5EasyExemplary
Bur Oak26.2EasyGood
Hickory28.5DifficultExemplary
Mulberry25.8EasyExemplary

Conclusion

In summary, besides being an excellent fruit source, the mulberry is also an excellent source of firewood. For more insights on other types of trees as firewood, contact us.