Dry Pine

[Jay106n]

I know pine generally gets a bad wrap. I recently acquired about a cord for free of split and seasoned pine cut into about 2-4" diameter pieces, and 12" lengths. It is dry. What uses do you guys have for pine? Kindle? Shoulder season fires? Is it safe to burn in stove when dry? Or just use for outside campfires? Thanks

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

There is NOTHING wrong with pine. It does NOT produce more creosote than other types of wood - that's an old wive's tale.

But based on the size, it's not good for much besides shoulder season or campfire use. It's just too small for serous heating.

 

[Jay106n]

Thanks. It was free (other than my time to move/stack) so I can't complain for whatever use it gets. My wife wants some open fire place fires this winter (aka ambiance fires) so i figure it might get some good use there if its safe to use indoors. If not, its got a date for a rager in the fire pit.

 

[BrianN]

Absolutely nothing wrong with burning pine inside. 99% of my wood is pine. Never had any problems.

 

[LocustPocust]

I don't burn Pine only because in my neck of the woods Hardwood is so abundant that I don't really see the sense in felling it, bucking it etc. It's kindling for me and that's about it.

There are many people in many parts of the world that burn only Pine and always have with no problems. Dry pine burns hot and burns clean.

I think the Pine myth comes from people who burn hardwoods, well not even really burn, but smolder them for months on end, and then one day load the stove up with dry pine and end up with a chimney fire. Pine burns very hot and very fast and spits a lot of sparks, and if your chimney is dirty that's almost a guaranteed chimney fire.

 

[Jay106n]

I love this site. Just the facts. I was just searching and I found this thread and its so true. In New England we have been told our entire lives not to burn pine, I even mentioned to my father recently that I got some pine and he was all like "Oh no, you can't burn that"
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/yes-or-no-can-you-burn-pine-safely-if-it-is-well-seasoned.7376/

 

[LocustPocust]

You're right Jay.. It's like it's driven into our heads from birth.

 

[Seanm]

Just like BrianN and others have said pine is fine. Burns hot and clean. I burn pine during the day and then switch to higher btu conifers like larch for overnight burns. There are many kinds of pine, some with higher btus than others. I prefer lodgepole pine myself. Its valuable enough here that I'm seeing cords of lodgepole pine being advertised on Kijiji for $150! If you have a true 4x4x8 cord of pine of this size you have a fantastic opportunity to turn it into kindling for some great top down start up fires. Be careful that you dont fill your firebox with it as you may get into an over fire situation. Pine, especially in smaller dimensions will get very, very hot! It would be a shame to use it all in the fire pit so save a large portion for kindling and if you get the chance to get some larger dimensions in the future for daytime burning dont pass up on this great resource.

 

[prezes13]

Pine is no good. Bring it my house and I will dispose it for you. Kidding. I never burn any pine either, but this year I got about a cord I will burn it next year. I will use it as mid load when I will come home from work to warm up the house really quick.

 

[jatoxico]

As already mentioned pine is good for the shoulder seasons. I also use it to warm the stove and chimney up quick from a cold start often mixed with some hardwood. The pine does it's thing before the heavier stuff takes over.

I do a lot of cold starts so always like it when I have some on hand.

 

[firefighterjake]

Kindling.

 

[Andy S.]

Aside from kindling, the small pieces of Pine you have will come in handy to burn down coals. Coals management is always in issue for me with my small firebox and a load or two of Pine can be a difference maker since it coals so poorly. I use my larger splits for meaningful heat throughout the season since I have so much of it.

 

[owingsia]

I have small pine splits that I am burning right now when the temps drop in the evening. I also have some much larger splits (Like half rounds) that actually make good morning and even evening loads. I like to get the house very warm before bed with the pine (It burns faster so when I am ready to lay down I have coals to load the hard woods onto for the overnight burn.)

 

[barmstrong2]

Another one from the NE that has always been told to never, ever burn pine in the stove. After reading this forum, I have some Eastern White pine stacked up for next season. I had to cut the tree anyway to build a woodshed. It was headed for the dump, but, I'll give it a go. It was only cut in June of this year, split and stacked in August. So, none of it will see fire this season.

 

[Longstreet]

A few notes on pine. While burning pine can be safe if done correctly, this is some truth in the stories of it causing chimney fires; they aren't completely old wives tales. Because it burns so hot and fast, if you already have a dirty chimney, it is more likely to light a chimney fire. Old timers would burn loads and loads of wet oak, line their chimneys with creosote and then set it ablaze with pine. And then blame the softwood for their problems of course! Secondly because of the resins in pine, it will "burn" reasonably well when it's wet, unlike oak. So people who didn't season would burn lots and lots of wet pine. Wet wood = creosote = chimney fires

In both cases, it's not really the pine which created the problem, it just put it in focus. Follow the hearth.com advice - keep your chimney clean and only burn seasoned wood - and you will have no problems with pine! In fact, during the most bitterly cold days you can put out more heat with pine because it doesn't coal. That way, you can always keep your stove operating at its highest temps as you can reload very fast. Doesn't work at night, unless you want to wake up all the time, however.

 

[Fastdonzi]

Some parts of the country ( and world ) only have access to different types of Pine, and they heat 24/7 just like we do...If done right Pine IS Fine

 

[Jay106n]

Finished stacking it out today, 3 pallets long, double stacked at approx. 4 feet. Not bad for free.