Green Ash is a hardwood widely regarded as an excellent choice for firewood. It is a reliable fuel that performs well in various heating applications. Its positive reputation stems from a favorable combination of density, low moisture content, and manageable preparation. The wood offers a dependable heat source that ranks highly among common hardwoods.
Green Ash Firewood Performance
Green Ash provides a strong, steady heat output, making it a highly effective fuel for home heating. While its heat value is slightly lower than premium hardwoods like White Oak or Sugar Maple, it still delivers substantial warmth. It burns with a lively, consistent flame.
A significant advantage of properly seasoned Green Ash is its low smoke production. When the wood’s moisture content is reduced, it combusts cleanly, minimizing visible smoke and the buildup of creosote in flues. This clean burn results in a light, fine ash residue that is easier to manage and clean up compared to the heavier ash produced by some other species.
Green Ash holds coals well, providing sustained heat for a respectable burn time, which reduces the frequency of reloading the fire. This coaling ability allows the fire to maintain a consistent temperature. The wood’s overall balance of good heat, clean burning, and manageable residue solidifies its standing as a superior firewood choice.
Proper Preparation and Seasoning
The physical preparation of Green Ash is straightforward due to its relative ease of splitting. The straight grain allows an axe or splitter to pass through the wood cleanly, simplifying the process of preparing a winter’s supply. This characteristic is a benefit compared to the difficulty encountered with denser woods like Black Locust or some Oaks.
For optimal performance, Green Ash must be seasoned until its internal moisture content is at or below 20%. Burning green wood wastes energy on evaporating moisture rather than generating heat. While ash has a naturally lower moisture content when first cut compared to many other hardwoods, it still requires drying.
The typical seasoning duration for split Green Ash is relatively short, often requiring only six to twelve months under good conditions. This is significantly faster than the eighteen to twenty-four months often needed for very dense woods like Oak. To achieve quick drying, the split wood must be stacked off the ground, covered only on the top to shed rain, and left open on the sides for maximum air circulation.
Navigating the Emerald Ash Borer Context
The widespread availability of Green Ash firewood is largely a direct result of the destructive Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation across North America. This invasive insect targets and kills ash trees, prompting mass removal efforts that supply a large volume of wood to the market. Consequently, much of the available ash wood comes from trees that were already dead or dying.
Wood from an EAB-killed tree should be processed promptly, ideally within one to two years of the tree’s death. Beyond this timeframe, the wood begins to decay, losing density and heat value, and becoming less suitable for burning. EAB-affected wood burns with the same high quality as wood from a healthy tree, provided it is properly seasoned.
A crucial concern for users is the strict regulation regarding the movement of ash firewood. Many regions have established quarantine zones to slow the spread of the EAB. Moving ash wood, especially unseasoned logs, out of these quarantined areas is illegal and can result in significant fines, so the general guidance is to “buy local, burn local” to avoid transporting the insect.