Little used resource in the PNW

Hi all; Here in the inland pacific north west the common preferred wood to burn is tamarack (buckskin,western larch) or red fir (Douglas fir) Both are readily available . This is the wood that everybody is looking for. Now that I have a RMH , my eyes have been opened to a little used wood that is also readily available and everybody just drives by it. Known by several names, rocky mountain maple , vine maple , mountain maple and i'm sure others. This is perfect size wood for a rmh , no splitting needed and it is the only true hardwood available (yes birch & tamarack are a hardwood just softer ) This wood grows in clumps and averages 2-4" in diameter , the larger ones die off and dry out on the stump leaving wonderful dry checked wood that is just waiting to be dropped into a rmh ! Also what a difference in heat output ! My fir & tamarack are cut standing dead and seasoned for at least the whole summer if not a full year . There is no comparison , This maple Rocks!!! A very hot fire that leaves almost no ash ! yes, it is hard work to harvest , but so is falling, skidding ,cutting and splitting a 100' Douglas fir ! A set of 2x4 saw bucks to hold your maple (logs) off the ground and hopefully a helper to load into the truck . I will still use fir & larch but i will cut as much maple as i can to supplement it.

Good research, thank you for sharing your findings with everyone.

Here in Kentucky, we have many choices for wood fuel species, and most people ignore the 'mountain maple' that you speak of; however, I burnt a great deal of it this past winter in my woodstove. A 10" rechargable chain saw works great, and it doesn't take long to season.