The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-12-15
THE FUEL VALUE OF WOOD.
Two Pounds Of Seasoned Wood Equal
to One of Coal

Persons who plan to relieve the coal
shortage this Writer by burning wood
can figure, roughly speaking, that two
pounds OF seasoned wood have fuel
value equal to one poundsof coal, ac-
cording to experts of the forest serv-
ice While different kinds of wood
have different fuel values, the foresters
say that in general the greater the
dry weight of q non resinous wood, the
more heat it will give out when burned.
! For such species as hickory, oak,
beech, birch hard maple, ash, locust,
| longloaf, zine or cherry, which have
comparatively high fuel values, one
cord, weighing about 1000 pounds, is
required to equal one ton of coal.
II takes a cord and a half OF short
leaf pine, hemloek, red gum, Douglas
fir, sycamore, OF soft maple, which
weighs about 5000 pounds a cord, to
equal q ton Of coal, while for cedar,
redwood, poplar, catalpa, Norway pine,
express, Eastwood, spruce, and white
pine, two cords, weighing about 1000
pounds each, are required
Weight for weight, however, there IS
very little difference between various
species. Resin affords about twice as
much heat az wood, so that rcsinous
woods have . greater heat value per
pound than non-resinous woods, and
this increased value varies, Of course,
with the resin content.
The available heat value Of 4 cord
OF wood depends also on the amount
OF moisture present When the wood
IS green part of the heat which il is
; capable OF Welding is taken up in
evaForating the water. The greater
amount of water in the wood the more
heat is Lost
| Furthermore, cords vary rs 10 the
amount Of solid wood thew contain,
even when they are Of the standard
dimension and occupy lbs cubic feet Of
space. \ certain proportion Of this
space Is made up OF air spaces between
the sticks, and this air space may be
con siderable in cord Of twisted
crooked, and knottv sticks. Out Of the
/ Us cubic feet, fair average of solid
4 wood is about 50 cubic feet
1nis, however, applies to the stand
! ard cord, in which sticks are cut tc
four foot lengths and piled four feet
high and eight feet long. Instead 0,
! buying tho fourfoot lengths, however
' most people nova days have the sticks
cut into twofoot lengths by gasolin,
saw. This results in saving OF botl
q time and labor. The purchaser should
however, take care to see that he get
, full measurement when wood is Dough
: in this way In parts of New EnglanC
4 stack OF l6inch wood four feet .ligl
and eight feet long is commonly sol,
as a run, but contains only one
third OF 4 cord.
: Who're wood is 10 be burned in
: stove or furnace intended for coal,
will be found desirable, the forester
), say, 10 cover the CRATE partly wit
sheet iron or fire brick, in order to :,
duee the draught If this is not don
\ the wood IS wasted by being consume
too fast, and makes a very hot fir
~ which in a furnace may damage tn
{; fire box.
Il is pointed out, however, that hea
. value is not the only test Of usefu
Hess in fuel wood and since 50 pt
-. cent Of all wood used for fuel is COZ
y sumed for domestic purposes, largely
nc farm houses, such factor as rapidit
y. Of burning and case OF lighting al
~ important. Each section Of the coul
- try has its favored woods and thc<
~ arc said TO be, IN general, the fiaf
ms ones 10 us2. Hickory, Of the non res
q nous woods, hns the highest fuel vall
per unit volume Of wood, and has otl,
advantages II burns evenly, and.
housewives say, holds the heat. tt
oaks come next, followed BY beec
birch, and maple. The white pin
,ol have relatively low heat value p
unit volume, but have other aava
tages. They ignite readily and gil
as out quick hot flame, but one tn
Of soon dies down. This makes them {
ad vorites with rural housekeepers as
re. summer wood, because they are par,ic
Ter larry adapted for hot days in the kite
Tel en-. The same is true Of gray birC
or white birch, as il Is often ealle
in the regions in which 1t aboun,
= With the resinous pines drawback
~ their oily black smoke.