Yellow pine

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Microduck17

Burning Hunk
Dec 21, 2017
241
New Concord Ohio
I helped my neighbor drop a good sized yellow pine today. I would say it is around 50 feet tall and about 30 inces at the base. He said I could have it for firewood. How long should it be seasoned before burning? I hope to have it CSS by the end of December. Im thinking it would be good for shoulder season and kindling. What are your thoughts on yellow pine?

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You could easily burn it next fall. It's less dense so expect more frequent reloads.
 
I helped my neighbor drop a good sized yellow pine today. I would say it is around 50 feet tall and about 30 inces at the base. He said I could have it for firewood. How long should it be seasoned before burning? I hope to have it CSS by the end of December. Im thinking it would be good for shoulder season and kindling. What are your thoughts on yellow pine?

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We have white pine here that we burn during the shoulder season, we give it a full year of seasoning after it's c/s/s.
 
Pinus Echinata is a hard pine so probably takes a little longer to season than eastern white pine.
 
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Thanks for the input! I've only dealt with white pine before. I sorta guessed that it would dry fairly quickly once split. I really like the smell of burning pine. I try to find a few peices every year just for that alone.

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Pinus Echinata is a hard pine so probably takes a little longer to season than eastern white pine.
I've only seen Yellow in board form, but it's definitely heavier than Spruce and other Pines as well. I bet it would burn well and last a little longer..
 
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I split up a whole long leaf pine. What the Fiskars maul would knot split I just cut it 1/3 to 1/2 through with the saw then the maul made short work. Trees that blew over last September and were bucked and split In January and February are 15% MC now. Burns better than tulip poplar.
 
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Burns better than tulip poplar.
We have quite a bit here but I haven't burned Tulip for heat, just kindling. Doesn't really seem to take off too well..kinda like Silver Maple. What didn't you like about Tulip?
 
My pines BTU content is higher. The poplar burns great. Hot and fast. I did some quick math and at today’s burning rate I’m burning roughly a cord every 22 days. And it’s not cold here. Seems crazy but then I’m missing 25% of my ceiling do to a remodel. I’ll burn what I got and right now it’s a lot of poplar.


We have quite a bit here but I haven't burned Tulip for heat, just kindling. Doesn't really seem to take off too well..kinda like Silver Maple. What didn't you like about Tulip?
 
I'm burning some tulip mixed with my oak. It sure burns fast. Its almost not worth the effort to CSS if other woods are available.

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Got the pine all bucked up this afternoon!

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I'd take that tree 10 times out of 10. Out here in Idaho, most people only burn pine, fir, or larch, and yellow pine (we have Ponderosas here) is a staple. It's a b*tch to split compared to other softwood, but it's denser than most, and it smells WONDERFUL. Season it at least a year, or it will be a creosote monster. Most people complain it doesn't burn for very long, and they're mostly right, but if you know your stove you can get a 5 or 6 hour burn with big splits properly arranged. It gives off those big bright yellow flames, but if you run your stove wide open it'll sound like the Battle of Fallujah is happening in the room (here Tamarack/Western Larch is especially prized for its intense crackling sound, apparently it scares off the bears). Burn it seasoned and you'll never have a chimney fire.
 
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I've burned white pine successfully after 6 months. I split it small, stacked it so a lot of air could get in. 12 months is better. No experience with yellow pine as firewood.
 
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I have lots of southern yellow pine in my area. It is a slow growth pine. I use it mainly for kindling.
I look for standing dead trees the bark has come off of. These I can use in 6 months. If the tree has recently
died and the bark is still tight and the tree solid, after splitting I need to wait a year or longer before burning.
 
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