Bigleaf Maple Firewood

Out here in the Pacific Northwest, bigleaf maple is the wood that's always around. Trees come down in windstorms, neighbors drop off rounds, tree services practically beg you to take it. Also called Oregon maple, it's the go-to free firewood for anyone with a stove west of the Cascades.

Bigleaf maple cranks out 17.9 million BTU per cord at 2,890 lbs dry weight. That's right in line with several mid-range hardwoods and actually better than a lot of people assume. It earns a "good" overall rating for a reason. Coal quality is good, smoke is low, and sparks are few. It's genuinely pleasant to burn.

Splitting is easy, which is a huge plus when you're working through a big blowdown. Straight grain, clean breaks. You can knock out a cord with a maul and not hate your life afterward. The fragrance is good too, a subtle sweetness that doesn't overpower. Works great in a stove, fireplace, campfire, or fire pit.

One thing to plan for, bigleaf maple needs 12 to 18 months of seasoning. It's not as quick as the eastern ashes and softer maples. The green wood holds a lot of moisture, so split it and stack it with good airflow as early as you can. Spring-split rounds should be ready by the following winter if your stack gets decent sun and breeze.

Bigleaf maple is the Pacific Northwest's utility firewood, reliable, easy to work with, and always available. Compare all the different firewood types if you're trying to decide what else to mix in, or check out Red Maple firewood for the eastern equivalent.