Alnus rubra
Alder is technically a hardwood but is a low density hardwood that often gets mistaken for being a softwood. Alder firewood burns more like a softwood, it burns fairly fast and produces less heat than most hardwoods.
Red Alder is the largest of the alder species in North America. It ranges from Alaska to the Central California Coast. It mostly grows west of the Cascades except for a few locations in northern Washington and into northern Idaho.
Add your opinions of alder firewood in the comments below.
alder burns around 20 mil btu
compared to douglas firs 26 mil btu
alder works good for cooking smoking or anywhere you need a constant temp. VARY poor for heating your house
I really like Alder. I have a small house and have a good quality woodstove which is my main heating source. Alder is light for me to stack and move into the house (I’m a small, older lady).
The logs and branches are much smaller and lighter.
It burns cleanly (although there is more ash) and I do not have to clean the glass door daily in order to enjoy the look of a cosy fire.
I have just this week phoned my firewood people and asked for them to only bring Alder from now on.
I will keep some Fir on hand to mix with it should we get a really cold snap, but beyond that it’s Alder for me everytime.
Alder is not too bad. Doesn’t produce as much heat as a lot of other wood, but it has some positives. It splits very easily and cleanly, it is a clean wood that won’t bring a lot of dust into the house. It burns evenly and forms a long lasting medium heat coal. Where it grows it tends to be abundant, grows fast and seasons quickly. Not the greatest by a long stretch but it’s an easy firewood to work with and is readily available.