How does Birch burn?

[Roundgunner]

I moved a rack of wood ( cord) into the shed today. I marked it "maple Birch Elm & poplar. It was 85% birch, not as I remember it 2 years ago when I CSS it. Will the Birch burn nice like Maple? I try to mix it with other stuff but knowing how hot to expect it to go will help me with loading ratio.

Thanks

 

[billb3]

yeah about the same as red/soft maple, maybe a tad better. I would mix birch, cherry and maple together although cherry can coal a bit sometimes.

I had a lot of grey birch two Winters ago from some trees that were dying out. I wish I had cut more of them down for firewood as they rot quick once they die. Solid wood though if you get them before they are dead. Once they have mushrooms growing on them they are worthless beyond bug farms for the woodpeckers. . Yellow birch is even better but not much of it here.

 

[drz1050]

Birch is a funky wood. Greater range/ hardness within the species than any other I know of... maybe maple?

Black birch is fantastic if you can find it. Smells like wintergreen too. Same BTU as white oak.

Yellow birch is also good, same BTUs as red oak.

White/ grey birch are fairly soft, about the same as red maple.

The bark also makes for great kindling.

 

[DUMF]

White/paper birch does rot fast if
1. Not split soon after bucking into log lengths
2. The bark is not scored through on the trunk after felling...multiple scores for DBH over 16".
Paper Birch is fast growing, a "pioneer tree" in logging. Butt as said, it is among the lowest hardwood BTU rated.
You can extend burns by using larger splits.

 

[kennyp2339]

I like me some black birch, burns hot, leaves great coals

 

[Ctwoodtick]

I moved a rack of wood ( cord) into the shed today. I marked it "maple Birch Elm & poplar. It was 85% birch, not as I remember it 2 years ago when I CSS it. Will the Birch burn nice like Maple? I try to mix it with other stuff but knowing how hot to expect it to go will help me with loading ratio.

Thanks

View attachment 191182
View attachment 191183

You have black birch in your picture. At 2 yrs c/s/s, it will be primo! I am burning a bunch of black birch this season that is one yr c/s/s and have been happy with how it has burned. When I last checked, the moisture content on a fresh split was 20 percent. Our drought helped with that. At 2 yrs, you're golden with what you have there. Cheers!

 

[Roundgunner]

That's Black Birch? I heard that was supposed to be really nice. It is burning good but not lasting as long as the Maple. Supposed to get cold Monday or Tuesday so I will mix it 30% BB, 30% Maple, 30% Cherry, and a bit of 3 year Red Oak.

Thanks.

 

[peakbagger]

Not sure about black birch, but white birch dies standing up. It rots while standing. If there is any hint of crown die off cut it quick or risk losing it for firewood. It also is a potential widow maker when standing dead. Contrary to stove users preferences, I have a bottom grate boiler where the air comes in under the grate and I want a good hot fire and really have no use for coaling, white birch works great for this purpose. Unfortunately my new wood lot has very little white birch so I am going to switch to much heavier beech blend.

 

[Chimney Smoke]

Those splits look like poplar to me. It can look like white birch but the bark in the pictures has the smooth gray/green color of poplar. I'd have to say definitely not black birch.

 

[fibels]

That white birch gives off a nice smell when burning.

 

[zig]

I agree with Chimney Smoke. If there's birch in there it's under the poplar.

 

[peakbagger]

I don't agree with those who think its poplar. I am not real familiar with black birch but there sure are clues that its birch. In the first photo, the center split definitely has the distinct markings of birch bark versus poplar. The second photo has a couple of splits with bark curling up off one corner of a split, that is also a distinct sign of birch bark. Looking at the end grain, the thin but distinct boundary between the inner bark and hearthwood is also similar to birch, poplar and most other tree type have a far thicker outer bark.