The short answer
- Tree of heaven is poor to fair firewood. It burns safely when it is seasoned, but it is light and burns fast.
- It gives a lot less heat per load than oak, hickory, or black locust, and it leaves few coals for an overnight burn.
- It splits easily and dries fast, so it works well as kindling and for chilly October and April nights.
- Wear gloves and long sleeves when you cut it, because the sap irritates some people’s skin.
- Check the bark for spotted lanternfly egg masses, and burn the wood close to where you cut it.
Updated October 18, 2026. Fall is in full swing, and a lot of us are looking at the woodpile and wondering what to do with the brush we cleared this summer.
Yes, you can burn tree of heaven, but it is not good firewood. It is a light, low-density wood that catches quickly and burns out fast. It will not heat a West Virginia house through a January night. Use it to start fires, take the chill off in fall, and get rid of an invasive tree you were going to cut anyway.
What’s in this guide
- How good is tree of heaven as firewood?
- How does it compare to oak, locust, and other WV hardwoods?
- Does tree of heaven stink when you burn it?
- Is the sap dangerous to handle?
- How long does tree of heaven take to season?
- What about spotted lanternfly and moving the wood?
- Where tree of heaven fits in your wood supply
- Frequently asked questions
How good is tree of heaven as firewood?
Tree of heaven is low-grade firewood, closer to poplar or soft maple than to oak. The wood is light and open-grained, so a full stove of it holds much less fuel than the same stove full of dense hardwood. You will load the stove more often, and the fire will drop to ash faster.
That does not make it useless. Dry tree of heaven lights easily, burns with a bright, hot flame for a short time, and makes very little smoke if it is seasoned. Those are good traits for kindling and for short fires.
The weak point is coals. A good overnight burn depends on a thick coal bed, and tree of heaven turns to a fluffy ash fast. If you try to run the stove on it all night, you will wake up to a cold firebox.
How does it compare to oak, locust, and other WV hardwoods?
Tree of heaven gives far less heat per cord than the dense hardwoods most West Virginians burn. Red and white oak, hickory, and sugar maple all have much heavier wood, and heavier wood carries more heat in the same space. If you want to see the other end of the scale, our guide on why black locust burns so long and hot covers one of the best firewoods in the state.
A fair comparison is tulip poplar, which most of us have burned at some point. Both woods are light, dry fast, and burn quickly. Neither one is what you want on the coldest night of the year.
This matters when you figure your winter supply. A cord of tree of heaven will not last as long as a cord of oak, so do not count it at full value when you work out how much firewood you need for a winter.
Does tree of heaven stink when you burn it?
The smell is mostly a problem when you cut the green wood, not when you burn dry wood. Fresh-cut tree of heaven has a strong odor that people compare to rancid peanut butter or burnt peanuts. Anyone who has run a saw through one remembers it.
Most of that odor fades as the wood dries. Seasoned splits burned in a closed stove do not usually make the house smell. In an open fireplace or a fire pit you may notice a slightly sour smoke, but it is not as bad as the fresh wood.
Is the sap dangerous to handle?
The sap can irritate skin, so treat it with some care. Some people get a rash after contact with the sap, and there are medical case reports of more serious reactions after heavy exposure. Most people who cut a few trees have no problem, but there is no reason to take the chance.
Wear gloves and long sleeves when you cut and split green wood. Wash your hands and arms when you finish, and do not rub your eyes in the middle of the job. If you get a rash, wash the area with soap and water and talk to a doctor if it spreads.
Vgo Leather Chainsaw Gloves
Leather saw gloves keep sap off your hands and give you cut protection while you buck up the trunks. They are a sensible choice if you are clearing a stand of tree of heaven along a fence line or a road bank. They also work for regular firewood cutting the rest of the year.
- Cowhide leather construction
- EN ISO 11393-4 saw protection on both hands
- High-visibility orange
How long does tree of heaven take to season?
Tree of heaven dries faster than most hardwoods, and split wood is often ready after one warm season. Wood cut and split in spring is usually dry enough to burn by fall if it is stacked off the ground in sun and wind. Thick unsplit rounds take longer, so split it small.
The catch is that it also rots fast. Left on the ground or in a damp pile, it goes punky in a year or two, and punky wood gives almost no heat. Our guide on how to season firewood for winter explains how to stack it so air moves through and the bottom row stays dry.
Check the wood before you burn it. Dry splits feel light, sound hollow when you knock two together, and show cracks in the ends. If you are not sure, see how long firewood takes to dry for the signs and the moisture meter method.
The good news is that it splits very easily. A light splitting axe goes through most rounds, and you do not need a heavy maul unless you hit a knotty piece near the base of the trunk.
Hitdudu 27-Inch Splitting Axe
A short splitting axe is a good match for tree of heaven, because the wood splits with little force. It is easy to swing for small rounds and kindling. Keep a heavier maul for oak and the knotty base pieces.
- Forged carbon steel head
- Fiberglass shock-reduction handle
- Anti-slip rubber grip
Fiskars Pro IsoCore 8 lb Splitting Maul
If most of your pile is oak or hickory and the tree of heaven is a side job, an 8 lb maul does the heavy work. The long handle gives you more force on big, tough rounds. It is overkill for tree of heaven alone, but it covers the rest of the woodpile.
- 36-inch IsoCore shock-absorbing handle
- Rust-resistant forged steel head
- Built for hardwood rounds
What about spotted lanternfly and moving the wood?
Burn tree of heaven close to where you cut it, and look at the bark first. Tree of heaven is the favorite host of the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect that is now in parts of West Virginia. The females lay egg masses on bark, and those masses look like patches of dried gray mud.
If you see egg masses, scrape them off into a bag with rubbing alcohol before you move or stack the wood. Do not haul the wood to camp, to another county, or to a friend’s place. Firewood movement rules change, so check the West Virginia Department of Agriculture for the current quarantine areas and reporting steps.
There is one more thing about cutting it down. Tree of heaven sends up root sprouts after the trunk is cut, so cutting alone usually makes more trees. If your goal is to get rid of it, read up on control methods from the WVU Extension before you start the saw.
Where tree of heaven fits in your wood supply
Use tree of heaven for kindling, short fires, and the in-between weather of October and early spring. It is good for a quick fire on a cool evening when you do not want a full load of oak cooking you out of the living room. That is about all I would ask of it.
Another good way to use it is to mix it with dense wood. Put a few splits of tree of heaven under oak or hickory to get the fire going fast, then let the hardwood carry the long burn. You get a quick start and a solid coal bed.
Burn only dry wood. Wet light wood burns cool and smoky, and that is how creosote builds up in the flue. If you burn a lot of soft, fast wood, stay on top of how often to clean your wood stove chimney. You can find splitting tools and other firewood gear on our deals page.
Frequently asked questions
Can you burn tree of heaven in a wood stove?
Yes, seasoned tree of heaven is safe to burn in a wood stove. It burns fast and leaves few coals, so you will reload more often than with oak. Burn it only when it is dry, to keep creosote down.
Can you burn tree of heaven in a fireplace?
You can, and it lights easily and makes a bright flame. Dry wood smells much milder than fresh-cut wood, but you may notice a slightly sour smoke in an open fireplace. Use it for short fires, not long ones.
Is tree of heaven a hardwood or a softwood?
It is a hardwood in the botanical sense, because it is a broadleaf tree. As firewood it acts like a soft, light wood such as poplar. Do not expect oak-level heat from it.
Does tree of heaven need to be seasoned before burning?
Yes. Green tree of heaven is full of water, smells bad, and burns poorly. Split it small and stack it off the ground, and it is often dry enough after one warm season.
Is it safe to cut tree of heaven?
It is safe if you protect your skin. The sap irritates some people, so wear gloves and long sleeves and wash up after. Check the bark for spotted lanternfly egg masses before you move the wood.
If you have tree of heaven coming down this fall, go ahead and burn it. Split it small, stack it where it gets sun until it is seasoned, and keep it for kindling and cool shoulder-season nights. Save the oak and locust for January.
Do not bother to haul it far, and look over the bark before you stack it. A pile of fast kindling from a tree you wanted gone anyway is a good trade.
