Quote Originally Posted by blm28 View Post
Cottonwood is almost impossible to split without a log splitter. You end up with about three times the ash that you would get burning pine (have to clean the stove alot more often).
all true. but, it's free and plentiful and burns pretty hot. perhaps it's not optimum, but it's nice for the price (again, if you have a splitter). i'm not the strongest guy in the world by a long shot, but i can split pine and maple relatively easily with a splitting axe or maul, but i've got pieces of cottonwood three years old i can't split.