walnut as firewood

[Dave Fritz]

Around here no one burns walnut, in fact they say, "It's acid and will rot out the stove." When I look online it says it's ok to burn it, while not the best heat it does burn clean and long so mixed with other wood like oak, it's fine.

What's the general consensus here? [I had a big walnut blow down, uprooted, and a friend will take the three saw logs but there will be tops and pretty big branches I hate to just throw away.]

[Ronald Blue]

When I used to heat with wood I never had any issue burning walnut. It was a relatively easy splitting wood and better than some of the other woods like elm and soft maple. I never heard any claims to it being hard on the stove but mind you it's been nearly 40 years.

[Ed Aumiller]

You can burn walnut in a stove provided you make sure it is DRY to prevent creosote....
If you cut the branches, etc into short lengths and split it, it will dry fairly quickly...
Just don't use it in campfires, etc as the smoke is nasty... and possibly very unhealthy...

[Stan Calow]

How could it be any more acidic than oak? Nasty smoke? I knew a commercial sausage maker who used walnut sawdust in his walk-in sized smoker, making 100s of pounds of sausage at once. He got it from a local walnut furniture maker by the ton.

[Rob Luter]

Black Walnut is toxic to plants and animals. When I work with it I always use a dust mask, and even then it irritates the mucus membranes in my nose and throat. It's fine as firewood as long as it's used in a wood burner or fireplace. I wouldn't use it for campfire wood or to smoke meats. Use the Google. Knowledge is power.

[Bill Dufour]

Do not let anyone breathe the smoke. When my bother is working walnut in his shop I have to leave after a few minutes. I feel my lungs getting tight. I have no breathing problems or allergies.
BilL D

[Ronald Blue]

You can burn walnut just like any other wood. There are woods to avoid burning but walnut isn't one of them. This isn't the only article I found that confirms it. The irritants that bother you when when cutting and sanding are not an issue when burnt.

https://www.timbergadgets.com/walnut-firewood/

[Stan Calow]

Lots of google articles about using it for smoking meats, and how fire destroys the toxic compounds. Just not a preferred firewood.

[Curt Harms]

Speaking of walnut & toxicity, I guess the nasties don't carry into the nuts & shells. Several companies make cat litter out of walnut shells and I'm pretty sure they aren't trying to kill their customers.

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/blue-naturally-fresh-quick-clumping-cat-litter