Burning Cedar

[Samoyed]

Hello all,

Long time reader, first time caller .... Great Forum!

I am a complete newbie at using a woodstove. We bought a property and got an Oslo installed because the old stove was damaged. Anyway, the previous owner left about 1.5 cord of cedar (very old and bone dry) on the property. Due to space limitations, I want to burn this cedar this winter to make space for new wood. After reading many old posts about cedar, I am now a bit scared about burning it because it appears that it burns too hot and very quickly. I have way to much cedar to just make kindling out of it and not enough space to store it. So the question is:
How can I burn the cedar "safely" while making sure that by the end of the burning season, it is mostly gone?
- should I mix it with hardwood (I have birch, oak and maple)?
- should I use it only to make "small fires" with only a few small pieces during the shoulder seasons?
- ???

Please keep in mind, I am a complete newbie at this and I want to make sure that my lack of experience does not get me into too much trouble ....

Thank you.

 

[Highbeam]

I've burned many cords of dry western red cedar. Realize that there is more than one type of cedar and this will affect the answers given.

It works great. I really liked it and won't waste a 2-3 foot diameter tree because it isn't technically a hardwood. In modern stoves you can turn down the air control. You also don't want to fill the stove with small pieces, use large splits and it will be fine. I like the cedar because it smells good, splits good, and is plentiful.

 

[Corey]

Yep - I've burned many cords of cedar too....so once I got through that one cold night... [da...dum...dum...rimshot!]

Seriously, though...it's not hard wood, but lights easy, burns hot and smells good...for the few minutes each log lasts.

 

[glassmanjpf]

I have burned two or three cords of cedar one year, noticed a lot of sparking and popping in the stove. But no worries heat is heat.

 

[begreen]

Yes, cedar sparks a lot. You want to be careful when stirring the fire.

 

[fossil]

Cedar's a fine wood to burn. I've burned lots of it. Rick

 

[firefighterjake]

I mostly use the cedar in our neck of the woods (eastern white cedar) for kindling since it lights up . . . but that said I've had no issues burning splits that were just too gnarly or knot-filled to split into kindling. Treat it just like you would most softwood (assuming the type you have here burns fast and quick like white cedar) . . . don't stuff the firebox full of smalll, kindling size stuff and touch it off and expect it to last the night . . . me . . . I tended to use it (and the slabwood, softwood, etc.) for quick, hot fires in the Fall and Spring to take the chill out of the air.

 

[Wood Duck]

Start cautiously by building a small fire. After that burns down, try a little more wood, and so on until you are comfortable with the wood and the stove. I think this goes for any wood, not just cedar. Once you get the hang of it, I think you'll want to start fires with cedar, then mix with hardwoods when you want a longer burn.