Birch drying time?

[Pine Knot]

This spring while clearing for a new fence I cut some trees and piled them aside for fire wood. Among them were a couple 10"-12" birch. This morning I started cutting them for wood, the oak was pretty good but the Birch was still running water when I sunk a splitter in it. After it's split how long does it take to dry? It sure does smell good.

 

[Jags]

12 months of split and stacked will do the trick nicely.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Once the birch is split it can dry out fast. I'd say if they are split and stacked now you might be good to burn them shortly after Christmas.

 

[smokinj]

Once the birch is split it can dry out fast. I'd say if they are split and stacked now you might be good to burn them shortly after Christmas.

+1 river birch I know is really fast.

 

[Jags]

Black birch can be a little tougher to dry out. The 12 mo. statement above was a safety net to catch them all.

 

[Battenkiller]

The great smell indicates that it is probably black birch. Great firewood that will dry in one year no problem once split.

 

[Pine Knot]

As I split it I think I will toss it in a pile by it's self and let it "weather" awhile.

 

[Vic99]

White/Paper birch has a nice smell when split. Black birch smells of wintergreen, also pleasing.

 

[peakbagger]

I routinely cut White Birch in February and burn it in December. It has to be split as soon as cut and smaller splits are better. I store it undercover. I find that yellow birch takes longer.

 

[mikepinto65]

White/Paper birch has a nice smell when split. Black birch smells of wintergreen, also pleasing.

I love that wintergreen smell in black birch

 

[Battenkiller]

White/Paper birch has a nice smell when split. Black birch smells of wintergreen, also pleasing.

I love that wintergreen smell in black birch

Makes ya want to chew a stick of gum, doesn't it?

 

[roddy]

birch dries quite fast,but it has to be split,the bark in all species of birch has real water retention qualities,birch rots on the ground real fast(water retention)drys in the stack real nice

rod

 

[Pine Knot]

This had the wintergreen smell.

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

This had the wintergreen smell.

Black Birch smells like Birch Beer and will make ya thirsty. Yellow Birch has the same type of smell but no where near as good as BB.
BB gets my vote next to Hickory, 12 months should do for seasoning. A few years back I burned some after 8 months c/s/s.
It ignites very fast. BB gets my Oslo up to 650 quicker than our 660 can buck logs.


Post some bark pics I bet you have BB

WoodButcher

 

[cmonSTART]

+1 on the birch drying fast. I love the stuff. The bark makes great fire starter too.