Mulberry trees are immensely renowned for their fruits which are then turned into spices, and the tree grows to a lofty 50 feet tall. Mulberry wood is also extensively used for furniture, fence post, and turned objects. Mulberry wood is an excellent choice for using it as firewood because you will hardly find any fault in it.
The best aspect of firewood is its density and water content; it produces more heat and burns better if it is dense and dry. Mulberry has high heat output along with excellent coaling properties, very fast seasoning time, usually very easy to split, and produces a pleasant aroma.
Is mulberry good for firewood?
Yes, mulberry is definitely a good firewood. It has all the characteristics for great firewood, like high heat output, fast seasoning time, great coaling features, easily splittable, and a great smell.
- Density and weight: Mulberry is known to be quite dense and hence high in water content, so you don’t need to stockpile like softwood. This is the reason it burns for a long time. Their weight is 4700 lb/cord green, which makes the green logs super heavy and very hard and strong.
- Heat output: The heat output of Mulberry is quite high and stands on par with oak and maple. It produces heat of 25.8 million BTUs per cord, which is impressively high, and burns for quite a long time because of its high moisture content.
- Burn time: If the Mulberry wood is properly seasoned, its logs will burn for a long time, almost an entire night. Hence you won’t need a huge quantity to stock when you use Mulberry as firewood.
- Splitting and seasoning: Mulberry wood has straight grain; hence they are very easy to split. Since the trees are relatively small, you won’t get a huge quantity of firewood from a single tree. Compared to other hardwood, Mulberry season is fast and properly seasoned for at least 12 months before it is used as firewood. Still, if you can season it for 18-24 months, the results would be much better.
Mulberry firewood BTU
When Mulberry is burned, it produces heat of 25.8 million BTUs per cord, which is quite high and makes it an incredible firewood that ranks along other top heat-producing firewood.
Firewood that burns in the range of 25-30 BTU is considered the top-tier heat-producing firewood, and Mulberry is among them, alongside Oak and Ash. Mulberry produces high heat, burns for a long time, and produces good coal. Hence it is a great firewood to keep you warm for a long time in freezing temperatures.
Pros and Cons of using mulberry as firewood
Since we have already discussed the remarkable properties of Mulberry, let us look into detail about the pros and cons of using Mulberry as firewood.
Pros
✅ Mulberry grows quite faster than other firewood.
✅ It is a very dense wood with high heat output.
✅ It is suitable for both heating purposes and cooking as well. Also great for camping.
✅ They are excellent as long-burning firewood, so you don’t need much in quantity.
✅ Mulberry generates high BTUs when compared to a ton of anthracite coal.
✅ If the firewood is seasoned excellently, it won’t emit excess creosote.
✅ Since the wood is straight grain, it can be easily splittable.
✅ It has a great enticing smell when burned.
Cons
❌ If the Mulberry is not seasoned properly, it will generate lots of smoke.
❌ Compared to softwood, it takes more time to season.
❌ Since they are quite dense, they tend to be of high weight.
❌ It won’t be a good option if you require it for short-burning purposes as they burn for a long time.
❌ Mulberry produces very high sparks. Hence it is not good for indoor use.
❌ They are not highly available from commercial sellers, so getting them is quite a challenge.
❌ Mulberry, as firewood, is extremely difficult to light.
What is mulberry wood good for?
We have already learned that Mulberry is an excellent choice for firewood because of its high heat production, long burning time, ease of splitting, faster seasoning, and pleasant aroma. However, apart from using it as firewood, it is also used to make furniture, wooden fences, and turned objects. Mulberry fruits are also very renowned and are used to make several spices.
There are different types of Mulberry varieties, and the leaves of White Mulberry leaves are used as a food source for silkworms, which produce silk. The root bark of Mulberry is also used to make different herbal medicines like antiphlogistic, liver protective, kidney protective, hypotensive, diuretic, anti-cough, and analgesic agents.
However, the anti-cancer properties of Mulberry root bark are still under research and have not been elucidated.
Mulberry firewood seasoning time
Mulberry’s seasoning time is quite quick compared to other hardwoods, and it takes a minimum of 12 months to season properly for using it as firewood. It would produce more heat and clean fire if you further season it for 18-24 months. This time also depends on the location and the weather, the place and also the design of the firewood storage.
It is always better to cut the logs into small pieces so they would season fast as the airflow through the stacks increases. The best way to know a perfectly seasoned Mulberry log is by the color of the wood. It will turn to a very dark shade if it’s seasoned properly.
Moreover, because of the low sap content of Mulberry, it doesn’t need much time for the sap to clear from the wood and hence would dry out faster.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What wood puts out the most BTUs?
Hardwoods always burn better than softwoods. Among the hardwoods, one that produces the most BTUs is Osage orange. It produces 32.9 BTUs per cord of heat, considered a very high heat when burned as firewood.
They are extremely dense and hence quite difficult to cut. It is always suggested to split the wood the moment it is cut because once the sap dries up, it becomes more to split. It is always best to season it for 1 year to use as firewood.
Is mulberry good for smoking?
Mulberry produces a very reasonable amount of smoke when burned. If it is seasoned properly, it will produce less smoke with a pleasant aroma. However, if you are completely allergic to smoke, you should use woods like ash or cherry. Mulberry is also considered best for smoking meats because of its mild flavor.
Does fruitless Mulberry make good firewood?
Fruitless Mulberry is an excellent option to choose as firewood for camping and smoking meats. The mild and sweet smoke generated from burning Mulberry adds a fine subtle taste to your meat, and its fragrant aroma gives a proper depth to your dish. The high heat produced and dense moisture content make fruitless Mulberry a great option for firewood.
Can you BBQ with mulberry wood?
Yes, you can definitely BBQ using Mulberry wood. It is quite popular for BBQ grilling and smoking cuts of beef. You can also BBQ other types of meats and vegetables. When you burn Mulberry wood, it emits a pleasant aroma that has a sweet smell similar to apple, and for this reason, it adds that subtle taste to the meats and vegetables when burned.
Can you burn mulberry on a wood stove?
Mulberry’s coaling properties are excellent; hence, you can definitely burn Mulberry in a wood stove. Putting a large piece of Mulberry wood into the fire of the wood stove would burn and produce heat the entire night. All you need is to restart the stove by tossing in more wood.
Conclusion:
Mulberry is an excellent source of fruit and is used to make furniture, and they are also great as firewood. The heat generated from Mulberry is quite high and burns for a long time with excellent coaling properties. Apart from this, the Mulberry wood is easy to split, has a faster seasoning time, and produces a pleasant aroma when burned, along with very low smoke content.
Hence it is an ideal choice for firewood, camping, and smoking meat and vegetables. It produces sparks when burned, so it is advised not to use them indoors. But it is difficult to avail Mulberry wood quite easily. So if you get Mulberry wood to use as firewood, enjoy every moment with it. I hope now you have a clear idea is mulberry good for firewood or not.
