Uses of Sycamore Trees for Fire Wood

Sycamore wood can be used to build a blazing campfire at a campground, RV park or in the back yard. Stack wood in a pyramid or a square, or pile it loosely in a heap. However the wood is placed, it must allow air into the center of the pile in order for the wood to burn. Campfires are used for heat, as a place to cook and as a social spot for people to gather when they are camping. A blazing campfire also helps to discourage such predators as bears and coyotes from coming into the camp site.

In many homes, a wood stove is used as the main or as a secondary source of heat. In areas where sycamore trees are abundant, they are commonly used as a source of fire wood. One of the problems with using wood from these trees is that sycamore does not produce a lot of heat when burned. The U.S. Forest Service Products Laboratory Firewood Ratings gives it only a fair rating when compared to other types of firewood.

Because of the manner in which it burns, it takes a lot of sycamore wood to keep a house warm. One solution to this problem is to mix sycamore with other types of wood that burn hotter, resulting in a fire that emits more heat for the amount of wood burned. Otherwise, be prepared to burn more wood in order to produce enough heat to warm a house.

Sycamore wood can readily be burned in a fireplace. Because of the low level of heat production from this type of wood, and because of the general inefficiency of using a fireplace for heating, it is not a good way to heat an entire house. Burning sycamore wood in a fireplace will provide some heat for a single room, but in very cold weather it will need to be supplemented. The main reason for burning sycamore in a fireplace is for the ambience it provides.