If a black locust is slower growing than a hybrid willow, it's not by much. There is no tree in my area that grows faster. They pop up on my property all the time and if I don't pull them up they can easily grow 4 ft in a year. That is a tremendous growth rate in my part of the country.

My experience with Black Locust is about the same as TO's. Its suckering/colonizing habit can be a scourge if not controlled, and I'd be leery about planting it. You're working with a pretty small area, so this might not be an issue.

in your county.. you have an Ag office.. soil conservation office.. and an extension office .... you really should give them a try ...

the soil conservation office might also sell you the trees at proper planting time in spring ...

what are the rough dimensions of your area.. i figure about 125 feet sq????

planting too close.. leads to thin tall trees .... which might be contrary to fire wood dimensions ...

until you narrow your tree choices.. it is hard to say..how far apart they need to be ...

fast growing wood.. is extremely[relatively speaking] light wood.. which burns very fast.. and very hot when dry [perhaps flue issues] ... my experience is that it gives more heat from continuously running for another log.. rather than what is gained in the house.. lol ... and if you have to open the back door.. net loss of BTU's

maple.. oak.. cherry ... all can grow 3 to 5 to 7 feet per year [if zone appropriate, of course] once established ... i dont know why you would mess with carp trees for the sake of speed ...

anyway.. good luck ... ken

ps: can the rest of you believe.. i actually recommended a maple for something ... FIREWOOD!!!!! .. rotflmbo ....

what type of land is it, is it moist, swampy, or dry land? The two you listed would be pretty good options in general for fast growing wood. Also look into poplars, such as hybrids, aspens, or the mighty white poplar.

Poplars make poor firewood. They take a long time to cure, produce less BTUs per volume, and they seem to have a lot of ash after burning. That said, I've heated my house with it for a month at a time and it kept me warm. It burns hot, but not long. Getting it dry and cured is most important for efficient burning. I certainly wouldn't buy it at any price.....nor grow it. It's used mainly for pulp.
In my climate I would plant Acer macrophyllum, Bigleaf Maple, for firewood. It sprouts from the stump when cut and can then thinned for the proper spacing for good production.
In your climate I'd vote for Black Locust, if you can put up with the thorns and reseeding.
Botann from Maple Valley, Wa.

I personally wouldn't coppice willow for firewood. Branches for crafts and such, but not firewood, such as what you see in SErn MT and the Dakotas and parts of MN. Locust is good firewood but hard to work with and if you let it go after coppicing, you'll be unhappy. I grew up with a friend who had a poplar stand that we used for firewood, and it is easy to work with but goes fast and we'd end up using it to get started then use something harder. IMHO better to have a stand you rotate in that zone.

Dan

The land is flat and moist but not swampy; the area is surrounded by productive soybean and corn fields if that helps visualize.

We have heated with wood for almost 40 years. We consider that our primary heat source but we do have a new high efficiency natural gas furnace. That is the backup for the wood stove. Our choice has been ash and black locust. So far no problem with ash but we know it is imminent. Black locust burns hot with minumum ash. The thorns are a nuisance but can be worked around. We did plant both types of treees on 3/4 acre and it has been enough after the frst 10 to 15 years when we burned mostly siberian elm.

Why not Quercus rubra? Coppicing will result in sprouting from the base, at least that's my experience. Burns hot, grows fast, and is definitely a superior tree to the other two under consideration. Oh, is also user friendly and a joy to split.

Use as many Ailanthus Altissima woods for fire as you can.

Alder... it's been recommended here before. Which species I don't recall. It was the final outcome of the prior thread I read, though.

Dax

Here's Google for: Alnus for firewood (link below)

Here is a link that might be useful: Google: Alnus for firewood

Thanks for all the input so far, I have a lot more to consider now.

In my research, I just read that birch is actually fairly high in BTU's/cord as well. I wonder if river birch might work well, being resistant to birch borer and fast-growing?

Alder coppices well; birch will coppice, but not too well - mortality rates are higher, particularly if there's any weeds competing with them.

Resin

Here's a good quick read on the subject of firewood types (and some to avoid).

When I was a kid, we had the best luck with hickory.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://forestry.about.com/cs/firewood/f/firewood_values.htm

I would suggest American Chestnut. Castena dentata. You'll want to get a blight resistant breed. Fast growing hardwood that sprouts profusely when cut. Bonus - sweet chestnuts.

If you're willing to take a chance that there is no blight in your area, you might be able to get pure C. dentata from the ACCF. I got some and they report there's a one-in-ten chance that I have a blight resistant nut among the seeds they sent.

Otherwise, do a web search and you'll find suppliers of trees and nuts.

Here is a link that might be useful: ACCF