On Sun, Nov 1, 2009 at 4:31 AM, Max Wellhouse wrote:

> I've been told that there is a species of tree called ironwood
> which burns hot enough that wood stove flues are in danger.

Lots of light weight woods, well dried, are problematic in burning, as
the fire flames up very hot and can contribute to a flue fire (the
accumulation of creosote actually provides the fuel for the fire in the
flue).  The fire from these woods is very hot, but does not last long.
Ironwood is a name applied to a variety of trees, some of which occur in
N. America, some on other continents.  One in the U.S. called that is
more properly named hornbeam (_Carpinus carolinae_).  Species in the
related genus Ostrya_ (hop hornbeam) are also called ironwood.  These
two trees have extremely hard, dense wood with a very high heat content
by volume, but are not good for firewood because they are extremely hard
to split, and because they usually occur widely scattered in the forest.

In general, conifers provide softer, lighter, and less suitable wood for
burning than other trees.  However, in California, Douglas fir is a
preferred firewood for home heating, and pinyon is the preferred
firewood in much of the SW.  Both are exceptionally heavy for conifers,
though not particularly hard.

Thought the old fellow I met in Big Bend National Park with the wood
stove in his van was well pleased by his setup, I don't think it would
be a good idea to heat a VW camper with a wood stove.

David McNeely