Not being familiar with manzanita, I did a search and Wiki now has me a little wiser. Still can't decide if your friend makes furniture, plans weddings, is an aquatic supplier or simply has lots of parrots in desperate need of something to grab on to. :laughing:
The relevant passage in the
Wikipedia citation is this one, Eric:
"Manzanita wood, when dry, is excellent for burning in a campfire, barbecue, fireplace, or stove. It is dense and burns at a high temperature for long periods. However, caution should be exercised, because the high temperatures can damage thin-walled barbecues, and even crack cast iron stoves or cause chimney fires."
We both like the wood for our heaters because it takes less of it to stay warm, and it leaves behind much less ash than oak or pine so we don't have to clean the stove out as often. And because it burns so hot, it doesn't leave creosote deposits in the flue.
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The most common variety here grows to ten or fifteen feet high and has very shallow, if any, roots. That makes it easy to push over with the tractor, or to pull out with a chain. Not sure if I should call it a bush or a tree, regardless the large plants with the red bark in the photo above are manzanita. Most of the wood on the ground is also manzanita, but it's covered in dust. Once the rains start this winter, most of that should wash away, a good thing because the stuff is hard enough on saw chains as it is without adding dirt to the mix.