Box elder is a low density hardwood that burns more like a softwood. Box elder firewood is mediocre at best. It burns fine but it burns quickly. It will do a fine job of putting out heat, just be prepared to have to add wood to your fire often because it burns up quickly. And don’t expect it to put out the type of heat that hickory or oak will.
Box elder firewood is good for starting fires and makes decent kindling. It’s a good wood for taking the chill off in cool weather but not a choice wood for putting out lot of heat. Box elder dries much better if it is split into small pieces, larger pieces. Box elder wood is easy to cut and usually easy to split, so it is easy to process. It is worth burning if the price is right.
Box elder wood is weak and trees are easily broken by storms. Box elder bugs can be abundant near them and can congregate in large numbers, especially on the south side of buildings. Beware of bringing box elder wood into your home that it is not infested with box elder bugs. They are not a damaging insect but more of a nuisance pest.
Box elder is a maple and is in a lot of ways similar to other soft maples. It can have a bad smell when it burns.
Post your experience with box elder firewood below.
I’ve been burning box elder this winter only because a neighbor cut up a tree and ended up giving me all the wood. It was a little under a chords worth. It definitely burns extremely fast. I can’t complain since it was free but I think whatever I have left I will split into kindling and burn something else next year. Constantly adding log after log is aggravating.
Burns OK when dry. Best to cut it in the winter before the sap comes up again. Only worth getting when it’s free.
Leaves a lot of ash to clean out!