2 yr old Pine: Worth the Wait

[Pallet Pete]

I often read alot of threads about the negatives of burning Pine. I'm sure some of them have there merit, but this year for shoulder season I decided to burn up some 2 yr old Pine. I am pleasantly pleased. Burns fast and hot. Produces a good set of coal for my harder woods and doing work outside...smells great. I now plan on scourging for some more Pine...Let it sit for 2 yrs or so and simply enjoy.

I love pine and it is readily available around us. We us it throughout the spring and fall as well as when we need heat fast.

Pete

 

[cptoneleg]

My family says that pine isn't good to burn and we shouldnt bother with it. We have access to lots of wood - choice of cherry, ash, locust, hard maple, white or red pine, hickory, walnut, etc, etc.

Should we cut pine? If you had an unlimited supply of hardwood, would you still burn pine?

Trying to decide if we should cut some on our next trip after reading this thread.

I also have an unlimited supply of mostly Oak-Locust-Cherry-Ash so I don't bring Pine home- shoulder season I burn the Cherry, so thats up to you.
Bring some home then you will decide for yourself.

 

[cptoneleg]

We too have lots of pine but lots of other good wood. My thoughts is that it takes no longer, and sometimes not as long (because of all the limbs on pine) to cut the better btu wood than cutting pine. So, it seems to make more sense to cut the better wood if you have it. Here is what we did with some of our pines.




So what are you doing with it -- Looks like maybe chipping it and selling it to maybe a paper mill or for alternate fuel for some plant.

View attachment 79949View attachment 79950View attachment 79951

 

[Dune]

Is most of the pine burned out east called white pine? Ive noticed its low on the btu charts and see that not all pine is created equal. My pine is lodgepole and ive never seen the sap issues ive read on this site. When I split my pine my hands dont get sticky ever, nor do I see much sap when Im burning it. There is so much of it from blow downs and the pine beatle that aged pine isnt often hard to find. Dont have to cut it green as there is enough aged to choose from. Dave, what kind of pine do you burn up there? Im suspecting its lodgepole?? Ive noticed you burn lots of birch which is scarce around here. I see mostly pine, larch, fir and then aspens and cottonwood.

No, most of it is pitch pine AKA knotty pine, at least here on the Cape. White pine is an awesome fuel, I burn both.

 

[Dune]

My family says that pine isn't good to burn and we shouldnt bother with it. We have access to lots of wood - choice of cherry, ash, locust, hard maple, white or red pine, hickory, walnut, etc, etc.

Should we cut pine? If you had an unlimited supply of hardwood, would you still burn pine?

Trying to decide if we should cut some on our next trip after reading this thread.

Yep. Well actually no, I never cut pine, I just allow tree guys to dump it in my yard, as long as it has been cut to stove length first.
If I didn't get it free though, I would cut some, because once or twice per winter it is so bitterly cold that the amount of oak I need to burn fills the stove with un-consumed coals, till there is no room for any more wood. On those few nights, I mix pine in. The fast burning, hot pine enables the oak coals to burn down.

Until I learned this trick, I suffered ocasionally.