I got some today. And have read for starting fires it's great. Any thoughts. I usually burn maple and oak. But I got a few rounds of pine pretty much dropped off at my door.
Pine a no go?
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Warm_in_NH
Minister of Fire
DRY Pine and Hemlock get me through fall and spring every year.
Just hauled to FULL pick up truck beds full of pine home to cut split and stack. Other than the sappy mess when processing it, it's perfect for the shoulder season.
Just hauled to FULL pick up truck beds full of pine home to cut split and stack. Other than the sappy mess when processing it, it's perfect for the shoulder season.
A lot of folks from the Rockies westward burn pine exclusively. As noted the key thing to avoid creosote build-up is to dry it out. Give it 9 months to a year after splitting and it should be fine. Split it a little thick for a longer burn.
Grisu
Minister of Fire
And cover it for drying. Pine really likes to take up water. A good downpour can ruin weeks of seasoning.
Hills Hoard
Minister of Fire
I am burning some pine this winter and I love it! its explosive and easy to split.. Use it to start the fire then switch to hardwood. NOTE: I checked the chimney after a month of burning it and did notice a bit of gunk ....more than normal at that stage of the year so cleaned it up and its all good..
Burned a cord and a half of white pine with no problems. It smells great! Lower in BTU's but dry wood is better then no wood. Just make sure it is around 20%
Hills Hoard
Minister of Fire
Thats interesting...i had noticed this with the pine this winter.....a few splits at the bottom of my pile were really wet after rain...(my piles are stacked on pallets and top 2-3 rows covered with plastic)...
Warm_in_NH
Minister of Fire
Down side of burning pine is that you forget how much heavier the hard woods are. You think you're superman lugging full arm loads without even thinking about it. Then you switch to the hard woods and it's like someone slipped a chunk of kryptonite into your pocket!
I burn alot of poplar and it has less btus than pine. And it starts out weighing a ton. I had a couple of splits of pine kicking around in my stacks and they ended up back out in the piles for next year.
Im actually afraid of burning it. That is years of my father drilling it into me. We grew up burning wood in open fireplaces. And it makes perfect sense that when you get into Yukon territory conifers are all there is. The coldest areas on earth are all coniferous forests. Despite my understanding this I still feel squeamish of the dreaded pine.
Im actually afraid of burning it. That is years of my father drilling it into me. We grew up burning wood in open fireplaces. And it makes perfect sense that when you get into Yukon territory conifers are all there is. The coldest areas on earth are all coniferous forests. Despite my understanding this I still feel squeamish of the dreaded pine.
HisTreeNut
Minister of Fire
As other posters have already mentioned, pine is fine as long as it is seasoned and dry. My folks always burned it in the fall & spring, and used it to start fires. When they burned more pine, they cleaned the chimney more, to be safe.
Grisu
Minister of Fire
I also appreciate pine when it is really cold outside. Since it burns really hot, quick, and with little ashes I can fill up the stove about every 4 hours and keep it humming before the house cools down. Hardwoods with their sometimes really long coaling stage can just not keep the stove temp high enough to keep the house comfy when it is subzero outside.
Seanm
Minister of Fire
I live in soft wood land in a 3.5 - 4 grow zone with a frost free period that often lasts only threeish months. Most people consider pine being any wood that is coniferous or holds a needle. I like to think that on hearth we can assume that most recognize the difference between a spruce, a pine and a larch (If not then youve just been schooled 
) I will burn pine throughout the winter and will reserve larch for my over night burns. The thing I like about burning pine is that when its real cold out (like -30 c) I can put a 3/4 load of lodgepole in and get a hot burn going and not have to reload for 5 hours if not a bit longer. Also when its our shoulder season I will burn it as well as it gets the house up to temps quickly. Please be careful that you do a few test runs with it to make sure you know how hot your stove will get with it before you go full out. I dont want to hear about people over firing stoves because they arent familiar with burning this kind of wood. Love me some pine!
) I will burn pine throughout the winter and will reserve larch for my over night burns. The thing I like about burning pine is that when its real cold out (like -30 c) I can put a 3/4 load of lodgepole in and get a hot burn going and not have to reload for 5 hours if not a bit longer. Also when its our shoulder season I will burn it as well as it gets the house up to temps quickly. Please be careful that you do a few test runs with it to make sure you know how hot your stove will get with it before you go full out. I dont want to hear about people over firing stoves because they arent familiar with burning this kind of wood. Love me some pine!
No!! Pine will result in an Instant chimney fire and could possibly result in a mini Black hole inside your stove, not to mention the high levels of Gamma radiation emited
Ha ha ha we know that's BS.
The difference is, the pine we burn is super dry, dead standing, snag cut that will send a MM into a low level Error.
Ha ha ha we know that's BS.
I live in soft wood land in a 3.5 - 4 grow zone with a frost free period that often lasts only threeish months. Most people consider pine being any wood that is coniferous or holds a needle. I like to think that on hearth we can assume that most recognize the difference between a spruce, a pine and a larch (If not then youve just been schooled
The difference is, the pine we burn is super dry, dead standing, snag cut that will send a MM into a low level Error.
I use pine for starting sometimes in shoulder season and if a big pile of coals helps get it down to a reasonable level in a shorter amount of time while adding more heat to the area. I do not as a general rule go out of my way to collect it though.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Fred Wright
Minister of Fire
Pine is great for starting fires. Often easy to come by since many folks believe the urban legends and don't want it. In truth, the internal resin dries and hardens when it seasons.
Ensure that it's covered when stacked. Pine does put out some decent heat.
Ensure that it's covered when stacked. Pine does put out some decent heat.
Oldman47
Minister of Fire
Almost no pine here except Christmas tree plantings and yard trees where soil amendments or short cropping cycles are used to overcome the unsuitable soils. Spruce is not too uncommon but not as typical as the hardwoods. Eastern red cedar does grow wild without artificial plantings and fir just never happens. It simply will not tolerate our dense soils.I live in soft wood land in a 3.5 - 4 grow zone with a frost free period that often lasts only threeish months. Most people consider pine being any wood that is coniferous or holds a needle. I like to think that on hearth we can assume that most recognize the difference between a spruce, a pine and a larch (If not then youve just been schooled
red oak
Minister of Fire
I have about a cord of white pine that I cut this spring. No one else wanted it, I basically just cleared a trail and took the wood. It should have at least 6 months in the stack, top-covered. I'm hoping to use it during shoulder season and save the oak for December and January.
Hogwildz
Minister of Fire
Great for shoulder seasons, and particularly great for super cold days/nights, when you need a short, hot fire between reloads. And lastly, good for burning down excess accumulated coals.
Dix
Minister of Fire
Love pine. The Dixette cut her teeth on pine.
What Hogs said, plus when you are home, it's an easy reload.
I love it. Did I say that already?
What Hogs said, plus when you are home, it's an easy reload.
I love it. Did I say that already?
husky345 vermont resolute
Feeling the Heat
If I had to burn wood exclusively from my lot I'd have to burn eastern white pine and swamp maple.
There's a few oaks and cherry. Not a lot.
I've had to burn pallets for a whole Winter and another Winter just pine. Maybe a little hemlock and red cedar. Both are a lot of work and I've also had to push too small of a stove to it's heating limit when the power went out and did it with pine.
I try to keep some pine for fire starting, bringing temps back up quick and burning on top of a big pile of oak coals. I'll burn it in the afternoon when I have time to keep loading it in.
There's a few oaks and cherry. Not a lot.
I've had to burn pallets for a whole Winter and another Winter just pine. Maybe a little hemlock and red cedar. Both are a lot of work and I've also had to push too small of a stove to it's heating limit when the power went out and did it with pine.
I try to keep some pine for fire starting, bringing temps back up quick and burning on top of a big pile of oak coals. I'll burn it in the afternoon when I have time to keep loading it in.
All pine is dangerous to burn. It should all be sent to the FedEx freight terminal in Manassas, VA attn: BrotherBart freight pre-paid for approved disposal.
Jan Pijpelink
Minister of Fire
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