American Elm Firewood

People in the Midwest have been burning American Elm for generations, not because it's the best, but because it's everywhere. Or at least it used to be, before Dutch Elm Disease thinned the population. You still find plenty of dead standing and downed elms though, and that's usually how people end up with a pile of it.

At 18.4 million BTU per cord and 2,975 lbs dry weight, it's a serviceable heating wood. The real surprise is the coal quality, rated excellent. Once a bed of American Elm coals gets going, it holds heat for a long time. Use our cord calculator to figure out how much volume you'll actually need.

The bad news is the same as every elm: splitting is a nightmare. Difficult rating, and that's being generous on a cold morning. The fibers interlock and stretch instead of separating cleanly. You'll want a hydraulic splitter. I'm not even being dramatic, hand-splitting elm is one of those "once is enough" experiences.

Season it 12 to 18 months minimum. Green weight is a whopping 4,456 lbs per cord, which means there's a LOT of water to drive off. Get it up off the ground, split it, and forget about it for a year. Fragrance is good, slightly sweet, nothing objectionable.

American Elm is rated fair overall, but those excellent coals bump it up in practice. If you're mixing it into your woodpile with better-splitting species, it earns its spot. It's closely related to Red Elm firewood, which burns similarly but with slightly higher BTUs.