In the west there is a lot of confusion about red fir firewood. Red fir is the common name for Abies magnifica, also called silvertip fir, and it also has a variety called Shasta red fir. Red fir grows in the high mountains, usually above 5000 feet. It is very popular for Christmas trees.
As with most species of true fir, red fir burns quickly, makes good kindling and is good for starting fires and a quick hot burn. But it is low in BTU and not very poplar for home heating.
When some people refer to red fir as firewood, they are talking about Douglas fir, not red fir. Douglas fir firewood is much different than red fir and is much more popular as firewood. You can read more about Douglas fir here.
Red Fir Firewood BTU
Post your experience with Red fir firewood below.
I live in the mountains of western Idaho near McCall (100 mi. north of Boise) Around here, firewood heating is popular (natural gas is unavailable as a source of heating) “Red Fir” is commonly used as firewood and is priced, along with Tamarack, higher then other common softwood species around here like Lodgepole and Ponderosa. Is this Red Fir actually Douglas Fir? It seems to be somewhat heavier and produce more heat then the extremely common Lodgepole pine, which is everywhere and is my main source of wood harvesting for heat. I’d like to mix in a more dense wood species so I don’t need to load the stove so often.
When looking to buy cut and split wood, is there anyway I can visually tell the difference between Doug Fir and “Red Fir”?
Another common firewood in my area is Tamarack (Western Larch). In looking at the BTU charts I guess its close to Doug Fir in heat potential?
Looking for 2 cords of red fir delivered to Meridian, ID