I've had a big, I mean big pine that has been down for about three years. I have no intention of burning it this year, but would it be burn able of next year? This pine is easily about 2 cords of wood.
Big Pine
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Cut and split now . . . good chance that it would be ready for next Fall.
Do you think it would be burn able now? Even though it's down 3 years? Also, how does pine burn? Will it mess up my liner?
Possibly . . . honestly the best way to tell would be to test a split with a moisture meter. General rule of thumb is that once wood is dead -- whether cut or naturally dying -- the wood will start to dry out, but very slowly in log form. Once bucked up and split the drying process happens much quicker. Sometimes you will have dead wood that can be burned right away . . . and sometimes not.
For example, in Year One of burning I cut down some standing dead elm. Some of the wood was halfway decent and burned well enough . . . other wood was definitely not ready for burning . . . and sometimes this was wood from the same tree.
As a rule white pine (the predominant type of pine in my neck of the woods) burns fast and hot with few if any coals. In general I tend to use pine in the Fall and Spring and as kindling. It also works well to help burn down the coals. That said, I have been known to burn some pine even in middle of the winter . . . as long as I am home since it tends to burn up quicker than most hardwoods and does not leave a lot of coals for a long time compared to most hardwood.
As far as messing up your liner . . . pine is fine. Some uneducated old time wood burners may try to convince you that burning pine will result in excessive creosote . . . but as long as the pine is seasoned and you don't pack your stove with a bazillion small splits and light it off you will be fine.
Ok great! I'll cut it up this week and put it in the shed for next year. If I let it sit 2 years, I assume it should be fine.
BIGDADDY
Feeling the Heat
- May 17, 2012
- 416
Some of the smaller diameter parts of the tree may be ready to burn now. Test the moisture content. If it was dead prior to falling a good bit of it might be ready to burn.
bigbarf48
Minister of Fire
If its been laying on the ground and there's any punk be sure to keep that dry or itll soak up water like a sponge when it rains 
Split, stack, pine is about as dry as it will ever be in about 9 months. As I have said before- the sapwood sucks up water, so keep it dry at the end of that period.
BCC_Burner
Feeling the Heat
Make sure you keep it well top covered. Pine has the uncanny ability to re-absorb surface moisture deep into the wood, even when seasoned. I have had pine splits that are dry and well seasoned get snowed on, then had it melt, and they gained significant water weight. As long as it is seasoned and sheltered, it makes great fuel. If I had a cat stove, I wouldn't seek out anything else to burn.
It depends upon what kind of pine it is. By your estimate, it sounds like white pine. If so, that is well ready in a year or less and probably some could be burned now.
I'd say some of it may be in question if it's been laying for 3 years. Bugs and decay may have taken over some of it.
Left laying around, even in rounds it can start to get soft.
I have half a cord that I put a crappy tarp on and the ends of the stacks that were exposed to rain the splits are decomposing.
I need a decent shed for pine too, as I have plenty of pine I could use but stacked exposed to the elements just isn't working.
Nice hard white pine can make some fairly loud cracking when it pops in a hyd splitter.
I have half a cord that I put a crappy tarp on and the ends of the stacks that were exposed to rain the splits are decomposing.
I need a decent shed for pine too, as I have plenty of pine I could use but stacked exposed to the elements just isn't working.
Nice hard white pine can make some fairly loud cracking when it pops in a hyd splitter.
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Bacffin
Minister of Fire
I burn white pine all the time and just laid up 4 cord for the next couple of years. I also cut down standing dead pine. Most of the trees are dry enough to split and burn right away, but I do find that the lower portions hold water longer and therefore needs to dry longer. I just stack it apart from the rest.
Bruce
Bruce
I'm burning pine for the first time and love it! I split mine in April and its <20% now which is good enough for me. Some of the huge splits are in the low 20's, but overall its already as dry as my 2-3 year oak and 1-2 year maple/cherry. I'll be burning it first this winter to save as much hardwood as possible for next winter.
I'll also be hunting for pine to split/stack this winter too.
I'll also be hunting for pine to split/stack this winter too.
Good knowing all this info on pine. Who would of thought burning pine was possible after always being told it was full of sap and would crap up my chiminey withy creosote.
Yup. Old opinions die hard. My father hasn't had a wood stove in 35 years and thinks I'm nuts. Heck, even my wife who the closest she has ever come to lighting a fire is striking a match for a candle thought I wasn't supposed to burn pine.
It was probably true for the past 1000 years of fireplace and wood stove burning. Burning it soaking wet is horrible for your chimney, and maybe the wet fresh sap makes it even worse? Now that EPA stoves demand dry wood, regardless of the species......it doesnt matter anymore. Btu's is btu's.
It was probably true for the past 1000 years of fireplace and wood stove burning. Burning it soaking wet is horrible for your chimney, and maybe the wet fresh sap makes it even worse? Now that EPA stoves demand dry wood, regardless of the species......it doesnt matter anymore. Btu's is btu's.
eclecticcottage
Minister of Fire
It's a long standing rural legend here too. We gave up and just tell people we have a special stove from out west where they have to burn pine.
eclecticcottage
Minister of Fire
Pine is nearly the only wood I burn. We lost a large pine two years ago from a lightning strike. I got just over 4 full cords of firewood from that behemoth. Would have loved to have sawed it into lumber, but the lightning shattered the interior of the trunk from top to bottom.
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