Whitebeam any use as firewood?

Perhaps this isn't exactly a question for a gardening forum but thought I'd ask anyway. I have a very large Whitebeam which sadly has eventually died. It is in an area where if it did fall down it wouldn't damage anything and probably would stand for many years to come.
I burn quite a lot of wood in an open fire (not wood burning stove),fallen branches etc from beech and ash trees which burn well, but have a funny feeling Whitebeam isn't very good as firewood. A neighbour has a sizeable chainsaw and I'm sure he would be able to fell it and cut the wood up, I would obviously pay him for his time. If the wood is worth burning then it would seem sensible to employ him but if it isn't much use as firewood then I'll just leave it until it falls down and attempt to burn it in situ if that makes sense. Hope someone knows. If not I suppose I could cut down a bit of a branch and try it!

 

I would think that as long as its dried out properly and allowed to season then I would think it would be worth it.

 

We burn Lombardi Poplar, Leylandii (from former mega hedge), and Chestnut (in a large burner)

There is a noticeable difference between the three. But we do get heat from all three. I would say we get twice as much heat from Chestnut as Poplar, and Leylandii is in the middle.

All depends on the density of the wood I expect. Having it dry is important too. The Poplar is like a sponge - if it gets rained on it gets damp - and will probably rot in double-quick time. Get it under cover for at least a season, preferably two, and I expect it will burn well. Burn it green / wet and a large proportion of the energy will go to driving off the moisture (which is probably also not good for the chimney)

 

Hello Silu. What a shame it has to come down, Whitebeam is such a lovely tree. It's worth trying a branch on the fire and I suspect It may burn reasonably well. However, I found that it may have better uses:

The wood is hard, and suited for woodturning, furniture and tool handles, a tough wood that was used to make cogs before the use of iron.

So, it may be worth offering it to anyone locally who works in wood. Just a thought!:thumb:

Chris

 

Ah, well if it is hard then I think its value for fuel would be good, once seasoned. (Notwithstanding that it may have other possible uses, as Boghopper says)

 

Thanks for the advice. I'll speak to the local joiner and see if he can make use of it, if not will give it a go on the fire. It is baltic here so may well go and get a branch right now!