white Pine, and it's your fault!!! multiple questions!

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captainjim04

captainjim04

New Member
Mar 4, 2009
37
Delaware
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Well here I go... I live on the East coast and I am going to try pine for the first time in my stove. Sure I used the 2x4 scraps before but to cut a pine down to burn it would just be crazy talk. I just couldn't take it anymore hearing all you guys ok with burning pine. I normally use tulip poplar as my starter wood but I have more then 40 giant white pines in my woods at my house all over 60' So today I cut down 2 and have them bucked. I will be splitting them tomorrow. One of them is a little punky in a couple of spots and the other was leaning on another tree (was a groan to get down. It was locked up in the branches of the other tree and had to use my truck to pull it off the stump.) neither had needles left on, some bark is coming off them but the wood seems ok.

So my questions are:
1. Is it worth my time to bother with the punky spots (punky spots on locust still burns great when dry)?
2. It appears both trees were dead for a while, and I still plan to let this wood season till next year and longer. will the burn be much different then if I drop a green pine and seasoned it? I don't want to get discouraged if these trees were poor quality and I have more pines to spare.
3. Should I keep my splits fatter then normal since pine is light? I plan on making small and normal size splits but do you guys make some bigger?
4. Here is one I run into so many times. When you have a tree slightly up rooted and leaning on another tree at 80 degrees. Whats the best cut to make? I always use my truck in this situation and I wrap plenty long straps around and around the tree a few times to make it roll away from the other tree when I pull on it. (Wasn't so easy with pine. just twists)I make the back cut just before my saw gets pinched and use my truck from there. Does anyone have a better approach to take?
5. Should I expect white pine to always loose its bark when it gets seasoned?

any help would be great...
 
forest pirate I burn a lot of punky wood during shoulder season and I think it's a good burn for those times.

Sorry never burned pine in a stove before....
 
forest pirate said:
Well here I go... I live on the East coast and I am going to try pine for the first time in my stove. Sure I used the 2x4 scraps before but to cut a pine down to burn it would just be crazy talk. I just couldn't take it anymore hearing all you guys ok with burning pine. I normally use tulip poplar as my starter wood but I have more then 40 giant white pines in my woods at my house all over 60' So today I cut down 2 and have them bucked. I will be splitting them tomorrow. One of them is a little punky in a couple of spots and the other was leaning on another tree (was a groan to get down. It was locked up in the branches of the other tree and had to use my truck to pull it off the stump.) neither had needles left on, some bark is coming off them but the wood seems ok.

So my questions are:
1. Is it worth my time to bother with the funky spots (punky spots on locust still burns great when dry)?
2. It appears both trees were dead for a while, and I still plan to let this wood season till next year and longer. will the burn be much different then if I drop a green pine and seasoned it? I don't want to get discouraged if these trees were poor quality and I have more pines to spare.
3. Should I keep my splits fatter then normal since pine is light? I plan on making small and normal size splits but do you guys make some bigger?
4. Here is one I run into so many times. When you have a tree slightly up rooted and leaning on another tree at 80 degrees. Whats the best cut to make? I always use my truck in this situation and I wrap plenty long straps around and around the tree a few times to make it roll away from the other tree when I pull on it. (Wasn't so easy with pine. just twists)I make the back cut just before my saw gets pinched and use my truck from there. Does anyone have a better approach to take?
5. Should I expect white pine to always loose its bark when it gets seasoned?

any help would be great...
Click to expand...

Im from the north country and we burned pine all the time . Huge pines would drop in the wind . 3 or 4' at the base and it would have to be cut and 1/4 red so we could move it . One tree could be 3 cord +.
As far as burning it ,Pine burns good , it gives off a hot fast fire.
As far as the amount of work to heat . I think its about the same as maple . Pine cuts very easy its lite to load and lift into the splitter .
I would make some large 6x8 pieces and the rest i would keep 3x5 +- .
pound for pound it heats the same as oak .
I have to take the punky wood any way so i split the solid stuff off and discard the rest.

When i have a leaner I like to cut it about shoulder height and i would vee notch it sideways away from the pulling force . Then make a good back cut . I don't pull with my truck much I will use a come along and snatch block or a hydraulic winch on a skid steer .

I don't get hug up much I use a bass rod with a 1oz sinker to pull a line up in to the tree so i can pull it into a clear drop zone .
 
My White Pine tends to drop its bark when it dries. Since I have both hardwood and softwood, I split the pine medium to small for quick fires, and keep the hardwood thicker for longer burns. I can"t say that this actually works well, since I haven't installed the wood stove yet, but it makes sense to me. I think punky pine would be like any punky wood - it will burn if dry. I assume any pine, dead or alive, that you split and stack now will be seasoned OK by next winter.
 
wellbuilt home said:
I don't get hug up much I use a bass rod with a 1oz sinker to pull a line up in to the tree so i can pull it into a clear drop zone .
Click to expand...

I've heard of the bow-and-arrow technique, personally I tie the rope to a split and throw hard (and often 'til I get it right) or climb, but using a fishing rod and line to get a rope up high - that's brilliant.
 
I'm in the same boat. Got a lot of pines on my lot. I got a monster next to driveway that needs to come down. Carpenter ants are all over it and every winter a couple of limbs will fall. I like playing with my chainsaw but this thing is BIG. Got a price of 1100. to take down and haul away, or 350. just to drop. I thought burning pine was forbidden till I found this site, so I'm paying the 350. to drop it and I'm gonna burn that mother down. I just finished splitting about 3 cords of hard wood (mostly oak and maple alitte birch). Need 5 cords a year so I gonna get 2 more cords of rounds and the pine will be the bonus. Will take some pictures when I get it dropped, and will measure trunk.
 
I burn pine all the time but not in huge quantities anymore. I did once split and stack tons of pine next to my house and then I found termites all over it. So I decided never to keep pine at the house again. Now I only burn 2X4 scraps if I have them. I wouldn't stack it near the house and I would put it up off the ground. This way if it gets termites its not near the home. I don't know how fast pine normally seasons but mine seasoned quick because it was from a dead tree I believe so it may have come with the bugs and yours might not have that problem.
 
While I burn pine regularly (white, red and jack), you might consider getting some good lumber out of the big pines. If a dead tree, likely no good lumber unless died very recently. If ants in the tree, the part above or below the ant infestation may be very good lumber.

Fell the tree, cut into lengths you want (8' + 4", for example), always 4" longer than length to leave room for end trimming later. Then hire a sawyer with a transportable band saw to come on site and saw your logs into boards to your specifications, typically 4/4 for 1" nominal boards, and the widths you want. Have the sawyer show you how to stack and sticker, let air dry, have the boards planed and edged when dry, and you will have some of the best finish lumber a person can buy: cabinets, shelving, flooring, misc.

One such tree of mine that had ants in it still produced 64' feet of logs for sawing. I got 18" wide boards which now are the floor in one of our bedrooms, as well as 100's of feet of narrower boards (1 x 12, for example). All in all, about 1000 bd ft of lumber, which I valued at more than $1000.

Branches, slab wood and other trimmings go into the stove. The lumber I use or sell to local carpenters for finish work and cabinetry.
 
Wow thanks guys. (Jim) I like that lumber idea too...I love the look of white pine planks. you gave me some great ideas.
 
My neighbor suggested the same thing about getting a saw. I think ill make some calls can always use 2 x4s. Plan on finishing my basement over and got a lot of framing to do. I still want to burn it all up. My 1st year with insert and only had 3 1/2 cords of wood. Ran out a couple of weeks ago. I got about 2 plus cords of hardwood already split and plan on getting another 2 cords of rounds before summer. Good info Jim thanxs
 
Apprentice_GM said:
wellbuilt home said:
I don't get hug up much I use a bass rod with a 1oz sinker to pull a line up in to the tree so i can pull it into a clear drop zone .
Click to expand...

I've heard of the bow-and-arrow technique, personally I tie the rope to a split and throw hard (and often 'til I get it right) or climb, but using a fishing rod and line to get a rope up high - that's brilliant.
Click to expand...

You might also want to check out a throw line and weight. These are made for setting ropes in trees. You can check out most arborist/tree climbing companies for these products.
 
1. I find it (punky pine)burns like paper, so if I have a whole section of tree that is majorly punky, I toss it under the bus.
2. nice dry pine should burn like nice dry pine , the white pine here has a tendeny to lose its bark when it is dry, so if it hasn't lost its bark I don't bring it in the house.
3. I've tried that and it never really worked good for me, even with a regular old inneficient fireplace.
4. every tree and slope and wind influence is different, I've had three experienced fellers agree on the cut and fell direction should be and had it go 180 degrees opposite. Once even with control lines (sway influence).

5. Yes, although I wouldn't use that as an only indicator.

I cut oak, cherry, maple, white pine from my own lot. I target the hardwood first for its value.
If I have time after that, I hit the pine.
A lot of pine and hemlock rots on the forest floor sometimes.

I'll have a lot of cherry 2010/2011 because I'm targetting it this Spring.
 
Burn it all!!!

I love using pine!! It is great to mix with hard wood (it cuts down on ash accumulation)
Split and season it like any other wood.
It will burn hot and fast.
Great for kindling and start up fires!
But being from the East coast I would advise you to let all your friends believe it causes chimney fires... more free wood for you and some people will even deliver it to get rid of it.

Read the tree... do a pressure relief cut/notch then back-cut. block up under the stump and Watch the tree it can really toss a saw! If it looks too big or loaded up I would suggest leaving it to a pro!
 
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