Skip to content
Grow In Backyard
Fire Pits

Is Mulberry Good Firewood? Hot and Long-Burning, But It Pops

Mulberry burns hot at around 25 million BTU a cord with good coals and a pleasant smell, but it sparks enough to need a screen on an open fire.

By Zakaria 2 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
Sparks streaming up from a fire at night in a long exposure
Photo: Pexels, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
On this page

Good wood, one real flaw. About 25–26 million BTU a cord, long burn, strong coals, pleasant smell, stores well — and it pops and throws sparks more than most hardwoods.

Where it sits

This table answers the question on its own
WoodMillion BTU / cordSparksSeason
Black locust~29Very few12–18 mo
Hickory, oak, beech~27–28Few12–24 mo
Mulberry~25–26Many9–12 mo
Ash~24Few6–12 mo
Birch~20Few6–12 mo

For a tree often written off as a weed, that is a strong placing.

The spark problem, and what it means for you

Mulberry holds small pockets that snap as they heat, firing embers out of an open fire.

Where not to burn it

Not in an open pit beside a timber deck, dry grass, or anything flammable, and not without a spark screen. The throw distance is enough to matter. In a stove with the door shut, none of this applies — mulberry is a very good stove wood.

A useful split of the woodpile

Keep mulberry for the stove and burn your low-spark woods — locust, beech, ash — in the fire pit. That uses each where its weakness does not count.

Seasoning and handling

  1. 9–12 months for normal splits. Faster than its density suggests.
  2. Split green; it stiffens and goes stringy dry, and splits can hang together by fibres.
  3. Expect knotty wood. Mulberry grows short, crooked and heavily branched, so clean straight rounds are the exception.
  4. Stack off the ground, top covered only, ends to the wind.
  5. It stores well — the natural rot resistance means a stack left an extra year is still fuel.

It stains

Mulberry sap and fresh-cut wood stain hands and clothing a persistent yellow-brown. Gloves, and not your good jacket.

Cooking over it

Mild, slightly sweet smoke — closer to a fruit wood than to hickory — and it suits poultry and pork. Clean, seasoned, untreated wood only when food is involved.

Common questions

Is mulberry good firewood?

It is a genuinely good wood with one significant flaw. On heat it delivers roughly 25 to 26 million BTU per cord, above ash and close to oak, with a long burn, a strong coal bed and a pleasant smell. It is also rot-resistant enough to store well. The flaw is that it pops and throws sparks more than most hardwoods, which makes it an awkward choice for an open fire and a good one for a closed stove.

Does mulberry spark a lot?

Noticeably, yes, and it is the first thing people mention about it. The wood holds small pockets that snap as they heat, throwing embers out of an open fire. In a stove with the door shut this is irrelevant. In an open fire pit it means a spark screen is worth having and it is a poor choice directly beside a timber deck, dry grass or anything flammable.

How many BTU is mulberry?

Around 25 to 26 million per cord for red mulberry, which puts it above ash at 24 and just below oak, beech and hickory at 27 to 28. White mulberry is a little lighter and runs slightly lower. Either way, it is firmly in the upper group and a far better fuel than its reputation as a weed tree suggests.

How long does mulberry take to season?

Nine to twelve months for normal splits, which is faster than oak or beech of similar density. Mulberry does not hold water as stubbornly as those woods, and its natural rot resistance means a stack tolerates a damp season without degrading. Split it, stack it off the ground in single rows, cover the top only, and meter a fresh face before burning.

Can you cook over mulberry?

Yes, and it is underrated for it. The smoke is mild and slightly sweet, closer to a fruit wood than to hickory, and it suits poultry and pork well. Use clean, seasoned, untreated wood only. Note that mulberry sap and the fresh wood can stain hands and clothing, which is a handling nuisance rather than a cooking problem.

Is mulberry hard to split?

Moderately. Straight sections split reasonably well green and get harder dry, the usual pattern. Mulberry often grows with a short, crooked, heavily branched trunk, so a lot of what you get is knotty and awkward rather than clean straight rounds. The wood is also stringy, so splits can hang together by fibres after the maul has passed through.

Backyard Weekly

Know what to plant, week by week

Join the weekly email for seasonal jobs, fixes for what is going wrong, and gear worth buying.

Not ready to subscribe? The planting calendar is free and needs no email.

By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. Grow In Backyard will never sell your address.

Keep reading