Is Hackberry Good Choice as Firewood for Home?

Fall is in full swing and you know winter is here. There are many ways to heat your home but using fuel is considered one of the most cost-effective methods. However, you already know that some woods make better firewood than others. In this case, there’s a chance you’re going to encounter Hackberry for firewood at some point.

Hackberry is reliable firewood that burns with low smoke production that is non-toxic for humans. In addition to it, hackberry has a 21.2 BTU rating that produces high heat with clean burning. This makes it very popular firewood for different

However, It’s not the best firewood you can find like white Oak, but it’s far from the worst. In this article you will get all the information on hackberry wood and why is it good firewood?

Is Hackberry Good for Firewood?

If you are preparing for the winter months, you should find good firewood. You need a type of wood that burns easily. And, you need to make sure that it will be able to put out a lot of heat.

Hackberry wood isn’t the best option for firewood, but it’s far from the worst. Hackberry is a great all-around firewood that offers moderate heat output and decent coal characteristics. Although it won’t compete with firewood like cherry or Osage orange, firewood is still well suited for splitting efforts. Hackberry makes good firewood because it has several desirable qualities for burning.

It is important to stack the hackberry on the ground on the pallet. If you leave split wood or round ground, they will be written within a year. The density of wood determines the longevity of its members when it is used as fuel. Hackberry is a medium-density wood. Although it may not be as dense as preferred birch, it makes good firewood in other respects.

What makes hackberry good for firewood?

• Provides average heat as it burns
• Burns clean with fewer sparks and smoke
• Easy to split by hand
• Creates good coals

Finally, hackberry makes good firewood because it dries quickly and produces clean smoke. However, you don’t want to keep it for too long.

Does Hackberry Create Quality Coals?

Yes, Hackberry produces quality coal. The best firewood is known to produce high-quality coal when burnt. Hackberry will make decent charcoal, which is a sign of good firewood. Firewood that provides the right amount of coal will ensure that the fire produces a good amount of heat, even if the wood is completely burnt.

These coals are important because they retain heat. Firewood which produces quality coal ensures that the heat is maintained for some time after the wood is burnt. A good bed of coal makes it easy to restart the fire the next day and keep some heat at night. Quality coal means less time to re-ignite if necessary.

Does Hackberry Have A Good BTU Rating?

A wood’s BTU rating indicates whether or not it can produce an excellent amount of heat. In terms of density and BTU rating, wood gets medium scores. It is not spectacular in either case.

A Hackberry firewood has a BTU rating of 21.2 million. This is significantly lower than the best firewood options such as white oak and hickory, which both produce close to 30 million BTUs. Although it is not the best choice for heating your home, mixing it with other woods can help offset the lower heat output.

Despite this, Hackberry still has other advantages. It easily splits, which is always important to consider. This is good wood for situations where you want to start a fire quickly. Its BTU rating may be moderate, but it still produces some heat, but not as much as others.

The wood is very heavy. Therefore, these things will be minimised. On top of that, the aroma produced when burned is pleasant. It will make your whole house smell great.

This, combined with hackberry’s low smoke and spark production, makes it a good option for those who prefer wood-burning stoves and fireplaces. Hackberry’s BTU rating is similar to that of tamarack and Douglas fir, although both are softwoods.

Another Characteristics Of Hackberry for Firewood

Low Wood-Sap

Well, the sap is a substance produced by plants to protect themselves from insects. Every tree contains some level of resin or sap, but even so, hackberry is much less safe than softwoods like pine or cedar. However, the hackberry tree is not known for producing much juice or pitch. If that hackberry plant seems to be producing a lot of sap, it’s more likely to be something called honeydew.

In short, hackberry (just like oak and birch) does not contain a lot of sap or pitch.

Pleasant Aroma

The aroma given off as hackberry burns is very mild that can go unnoticed. Even those with a sensitive sense of smell should not find the Hackberry Fire fragrance offensive. Nevertheless, woods like oak, cedar, and honey locust have a more pleasant smell than hackberry.

Works well if you want to smoke meat, fish, or other foods without hackberry. Its targets make it suitable for meat smokers, pits, or barbecues. Those looking for wood that smells good may want to choose a different type of wood. If you want to use hackberry, you can try mixing it with other woods, such as starting with hackberry and then putting the oak on fire.

Little Smoke Production

Well-ripened hackberry burns clean and produces very little smoke. It is ideal for campfires, open fireplaces, or wood stoves. When hackberry burns, it produces little smoke, provided it is well seasoned. This wood is a low moisture type of hardwood, so it will season less and produce little smoke once burned.

Remember to season the wood properly before adding it to the fire. If it has too much water, you will have to deal with a lot of unnecessary smoke. Burning unseasoned wood is also less efficient because it uses most of its energy to evaporate water instead of keeping the house warm.

Creosote Levels

Creosote is an unpleasant sooty substance that accumulates inside the chimney as the fire burns. All firewood will give off some amount of creosote, but hackberry is a hardwood, so it doesn’t produce as much creosote. As long as the hackberry is sufficiently seasoned it will be. The greater the number of clogs, the more frequently you will need to clean the chimney. Hackberries that are well-ripe give low levels of creosote.

Can I Burn Hackberry In Fireplaces?

Yes, you can burn Hackberry In Fireplaces. It does not smoke very much, and when properly seasoned its creosote formation is low. Also, because the sap level is low, it doesn’t spark or pop like pine.

Due to its low smoke and spark output, it is an ideal choice for indoor fires. Season the wood first to prevent unwanted smoke or odours.

Hackberry has less juice, so it won’t be as bright. This sounds amazing, but remember that freshly cut (green) wood should not be used in fireplaces with hackberry. Still, as long as you season it well, hackberry logs are an excellent choice for burners and fireplaces. It will give you the heat you need while giving you a slightly pleasant aroma.

How to Season Hackberry for Firewood?

• Always split first: Chopping the wood into smaller pieces will expose more surface area to the air.
• Cover the wood: A cover will help keep snow and rain off the stack.
• Separate the rows: Create wood piles with 3-5″ gaps between rows to encourage air circulation.
• Position correctly: Keep wood piles away from shaded spots and expose exposed wood to the wind
• Lift the wood: Create airflow under the wood and minimise rot by stacking it on pallets.

Stacking hackberry logs allows for proper ventilation and keeps moisture from getting trapped between them. Your Hackberry logs should be stacked about 6-12 months before the specified usage period.

Is Hackberry Wood Easy to Split?

Hackberry is relatively easy to split. It has a Junka rating of 880 lbf which indicates a relatively low force for splitting wood. However, this will likely dull the sharp edges of your cutting tool. Here’s how hackberry compares to other firewood in terms of hardness.

Hackberry is easy to split, so, Splitting axe and maul, both will work smoothly on this wood while splitting.

How Long Does a Hackberry Take to Dry?

Well-dried hackberry, ripe for at least a year, burns steadily due to balanced water content. When burning firewood, the goal is a steady flame that doesn’t sputter. To achieve this, you need to properly season your hackberry wood logs. Hackberry wood that is not at least a year old burns poorly in a spit flame because of its high water content.

Under proper drying conditions of good sunlight and air exposure, hackberry takes 3-6 months to dry and be ready to burn. However, hackberry is firewood which is the best season for one year. This is because the root moisture content of the wood varies from one hackberry tree to the next and 3-6 months may not be sufficient in some cases.

Seasoned wood has a moisture content of 20% or less. When split hackberry logs are well-seasoned and ready to burn, you should be able to see cracks in the edges.

Conclusion

Ultimately, hackberry isn’t the best firewood out there. However, It burns exceptionally well so you won’t have much trouble making hackberry for firewood. The only problem is that it won’t produce as much heat as some alternatives.

Therefore, you may want to use wood composites. You can start the fire with hackberry and switch to hickory or oak. Either way, it’s a good idea to keep some hackberry firewood on hand as it can be very useful.