Blue Gum Firewood

If you're looking for information about blue gum firewood, or even where you can buy it, you've come to the right place.

Blue gum are Eucalyptus trees which are part of the Myrtaceae family.

These evergreen trees get their name from the blueish grey flowers that are scattered amongst its leaves.

These flowers are essential for the pollination of crops by bees, making blue gum trees a crucial component of the crop farming industries in countries such as South Africa and Australia. 

Being considered an invasive species by most organizations and countries, there are many regulations regarding these trees. 

In South Africa for instance, it is illegal to plant a blue gum tree near a water source.

These trees grow fast and require copious amounts of water.

They will often compete with other species and often times they will win, driving other species out of the area.

The only way to protect other tree species is to stem the drain and cut blue gum trees down.  

However, because of their essential requirement as commodities for the manufacturing of products, blue gum trees will always be needed.

Blue Gum Firewood - Quality and Usage

The blue gum tree does not grow uniformly straight, it coils and contorts so because of this it is more difficult to fell and chop the tree into firewood segments. 

Once chopped into chunks the wood needs to be seasoned.

The blue gum tree is filled with the compound Eucalyptol.  

This along with other elements present in the wood needs to be dried out before the wood can be burned.

Blue Gum Trees

Once seasoned for the appropriate amount of time this wood gives off a fresh aromatic smell when burnt, some enjoy it and yet others don't. 

Blue gum firewood is a dense hardwood and thus the wood does not burn up fast.

Once it is alight the hardwood burns long and hot.

It produces a lovely hot bed of coals that will burn throughout any winter night, although perfect for any time of year. 

Blue Gum firewood is known for being nearly smokeless when burnt, which is great for indoor heating devices, such as open and closed combustion fireplaces and chimineas.

Fire Inside A Chiminea

As for using blue gum firewood for cooking.....unless you enjoy an extra layer to your flavors this would not be recommended.

The smell released from this wood when it is burnt is closely described to that of mint.

The smell is from the oil inside the wood which remains even after the wood has been allowed to season.

When cooking with wood it is best to use a wood that has a palatable smell and taste, which would complement the ingredients being used.

If you're considering cooking with wood, firewood choices such as mesquite, apple, pecan and almond would all be a far better choice than cooking with blue gum.

Cooking Over A Campfire Using Apple Firewood

Blue gum wood is an all-around great wood to use for firewood.

Those who use it love it as long as it seasoned to perfection, which is normally about 2 years.

Plus, using the tree for firewood is important for the environment because it is an invasive species of tree.

This helps control the spread of blue gum.

Since blue gum has the tendency to burn very hot due to the oils in the wood, many people choose to mix in other types of firewood instead of burning strictly blue gum.

By mixing the wood it helps control the temperature, making sure it does not burn so hot that it damages your wood stove.

Eucalyptus Blue Gum produces 34.5 million BTUs of heat per cord.

Other Uses For Blue Gum Wood

Making Paper/Pulpwood

Hardwood and softwood are both needed to make paper.

Hardwood makes the paper opaque and softwood makes the paper durable and firm.

Blue gum trees are the most popular choice for making papers and tissue in South Africa as they meet all the requirements to produce a good quality final product.

Eucalyptus oil 

Blue gum (Eucalyptus Globulus) is the predominant supply of eucalyptus oil by the whole of the eucalyptus genus.

The oil is abstracted from the leaves of the blue gum tree by the use of a separation process known as steam distillation.

The oil has a diverse range of use.

Eucalyptus oil is used mainly in the pharmaceutical industry in the making of cold and flu remedies.

Buying Blu Gum Firewood

If you're looking to purchase blue gum to burn in your fireplace, wood stove or even to use it at your next campfire, it's important to buy the firewood from a reputable dealer.

If you live in South Africa near Johannesburg, Roodepoort, Midrand, Randburg or Sandton, check out Randwood.  

They deliver high quality, seasoned, packaged firewood that includes free kindling and free delivery.

Blue Gum Firewood - Overall

Whether you're using it to create the perfect fire in your fireplace to cozy up with on a cool night, or you're using the wood to make a campfire, blue gum is a great firewood choice.

With its great coaling qualities, density and heat output, blue gum won't leave you disappointed.

About the Author

Nick Greenway

Obsessed with firewood, Nick is behind over 350+ of Firewood For Life's articles, as well as countless reviews, guides and YouTube videos to help readers like you reduce heating costs and create the perfect fire.