Firewood Archives - Page 11 of 17

Quaking Aspen, or Trembling Aspen, is one of the largest living organisms on earth and covers the whole expanse of North America. It gets its name from how the slightest breeze causes the leaves to quake or tremble. Even Native Americans call it “noisy leaf,” signifying this feature. Quaking Aspens propagate by sending sprouts up from the roots with traditional pollination being very rare. This is why they’re so legendary; all trees that come from a single clone interconnect, coexist and are all the same sex – either male or female. In Utah, it’s the state tree because of this amazing cloning ability, where one Quaking Aspen had 47,000 sprouts coming from one clone. This is what has helped to replenish forests damaged by forestry and wildfires; it’s very fast growing. But is it a good idea to use it for firewood? Quaking Aspen makes an acceptable firewood. It’s best used as tinder and kindling rather than having an entire campfire comprised of it. Identifying Quaking Aspen Identifying a Quaking Aspen is the first step to burning it. Ensuring you have the right tree will mitigate mistakes, problems and unwelcome surprises. Aspens have an ancient lineage, with one in Minnesota being almost 8,000 years old. Although, a single tree on its own doesn’t live longer than 100 years. Quaking Aspens are like thin poles reaching to kiss the sun’s warmth. They can grow as tall as 100 feet (30 meters) with a trunk diameter no larger than 3 feet (1 meter). The leaves, bark and wood are unmistakable. You’ll know you’re looking at a Quaking Aspen by how tall it stands before you see glowing yellowish leaves dangling from the branches. You’re likely to hear the leaves long before you see them. Leaf Identification Quaking Aspens are a type of poplar that’s a hardwood but behaves much more like softwood. This is due to its low density and poor heat production. The triangle-shaped leaves are round with small teeth on the edges. The younger the plant, the larger and more triangular are the leaves. The foliage maintains its greenish yellow color until about September, where they change to a beautiful bright, golden yellow before shedding for the winter. These leave behind little buds that animals come to eat through the colder months. The Bark ; Inner Wood The smooth, greenish-white to gray bark has wide and large bands of scarring with knots taking on a brown-black color. Vertical scarring indicates marks left behind by elk after eating the bark. They do this by stripping the bark with their front teeth. Because the wood has a straight grain and it’s soft, Quaking Aspen is easy to split with an axe. The sapwood blends into the heartwood, from a light pale yellowish white into medium brownish beige. It’s small and lightweight, making it easy to transport back to your campsite or wood storage. Quaking Aspen as Firewood Regardless, Quaking Aspens are readily available and provide a wonderful flame without any characteristic smell. This accompanies the fact that it doesn’t have a lot of billowing smoke when burned. Therefore, Quaking Aspens won’t leave a lingering smell on your campsite, including clothing and tents. The smoke shouldn’t bother or disturb people away from the fire. It has no toxicity and won’t irritate allergic reactions, making it perfect for those with tannin allergies. There are some people who even report a very subtle, clean aroma that can be quite invigorating. Low Heat Production The inner bark of Quaking Aspens is fibrous, making for a nice tinder spark; especially if you can find a well-dried piece. But, as firewood alone, Quaking Aspen doesn’t provide very much heat, about 16 to 18 BTUs (British Thermal Units). That’s almost less than half that of an Oak. Because Quaking Aspen retains water, it’s not nearly under as much pressure as an Oak. The more wet the wood is, the more it will spark. But you can burn this wood even when a little green with a low risk of violent pops and explosions. When to Use Quaking Aspen If you’re camping in the heat of summer or have a very small backyard space for a fire, then the Quaking Aspen should suit your purposes well. It won’t leave too many cindering coals behind when finished burning and it will last for a good, long time. Depending on the weather and the time of year, you may want to burn it alongside other woods like Oak, to ensure you get a warm fire that emanates for quite some time. This will be truer for cooler weather and autumn than on more humid spring and summer days. Use Dry Wood With any wood you gather for a campfire, you want to make sure the it is as dry as possible. Quaking Aspen is no exception. Yes, it is possible to burn it a little greener with a low spark hazard, but you should always exercise caution. It’s always best to pick up fallen brush from the forest floor to use as kindling and tinder for your fire. Inspect whatever you collect for bugs, disease, fungus, mold or any other potential problems. For larger pieces, strip the bark away and use the dry inner bark to start your fire. Burning Quaking Aspen If the inner wood is dry enough, wait for your fire to gain in size and then gently place the log onto the fire. Never throw logs onto a live fire and always use your best judgment when using wood that lacks proper seasoning. Everybody should have an emergency fire starter kit in their arsenal. This 5-in-1 fire starter kit by Swiss Safe will start a fire instantly. You will get over 15,000 strikes as well as a built in compass, whistle, and a steel scraper. Wet versus Dry If the wood is very wet or if you have any doubts about it whatsoever, don’t use the wood and find something else. Upon locating some nice, dry Quaking Aspen brush, set it aside as your fire starter. Of course, if there’s nothing else around, the Aspen will be fine. Although Quaking Aspen doesn’t create coals very well by itself, you can make your own bundle. Place a large piece between two pieces of bark and then tie this together with rope. You will create a low-oxygen environment that will slowly smolder for several hours. Final Thoughts Quaking Aspens can make for some decent firewood when burning a fire in your backyard, on a camping trip or a hiking adventure. But, its best feature is for starting a fire rather than for the whole fire itself. It’s plentiful, fast-growing and you can find it almost anywhere in North America, from Mexico to Canada. Because of its low heat output, most people use it for fashioning structures, tools and other practical uses for use around the campsite. Plus, it has many healing capabilities, like alleviating headaches. So, it couldn’t hurt to burn a log of this in a fire to attempt curing a headache in a natural way. So, if you can get your hands on a more durable, hardwood for your campfire, opt for that as the main wood for your fire. But be sure to use a little of the dried bark from a Quaking Aspen to get your fire started. This way, you’ll get the best of what all the woods have to offer.