How Much Wood Could A Woodchuck Chuck...

That is a fantastic question, Kevin - I'm glad you asked. They actually get their name from the Algonquin tribe of Native Americans, who originally called them “wuchak.”  English settlers, in trying to use that word, likely came up with the name “woodchuck.”  Depending on where you are in the country, woodchucks are also known as groundhogs, land beavers, and whistling pigs. This from the Wikipedia.

Personally, I prefer the "whistling pig" moniker, even though the rodent is not related to the porcine species in any way. Nor does it whistle. It just sounds more fun than groundhog or woodchuck. Land beaver just sounds like a weekend goal for a twenty-three year-old fella.

But I digress. About the chucking, one must first examine the ability of the animal to chuck. Since the name attributed to the land beaver (tee-hee) is based on it's Native American sobriquet, we can assume it had nothing to do with the animal's ability to hurl wood, or any other object for that matter. And the composition of its body does not lend itself to easy-chucking, with its short, stumpy arms and tiny paws. Unless the whistling pig is inclined to sling a branch using its jaws to grip the stick and its powerful, thick neck to propel it, the chances of it successfully tossing wood are very slim indeed.

That said, I believe that if a woodchuck could chuck wood, I imagine it would be quite a bit, given the animal's boundless energy and tenaciousness. 

If it only had thumbs and some longer arms. God is cruel.

Answer: two to three pounds of wood per hour.

Good day, sir.