How much is too much?

[Studdlygoof]

I met with a gentleman today that is looking to take down about 70 pines that are surrounding his house. He is going to lay them down, limb them and buck them in 4' lengths for me. I'm still new to the hoarding game so how much do you take when you come across a large score. I know pine rots fairly quickly compared to other woods so I don't want to end up with a bunch of rotted wood down the road. Should I just take enough that I could burn in one year? I don't want to turn this into a to burn or not to burn pine thread but more of a to take or to take more kind of thread. Thanks

 

[TheRambler]

If you store it properly it wont rot any faster than any other wood. Dry and off the ground.

 

[BrotherBart]

Yep. The longer I leave pine split and stacked the better it gets. Approaching the burn times of some hardwoods. I burned some three year split/stacked/top covered pine a couple of years ago and decided that I could heat with that stuff forever.

Only issue with it was there is some kind of borer bug around here that loves to drill holes in it. Can go out at night and hear them drilling.

 

[Beardog]

I'd take whatever amount will get you 3 years ahead, unless you have a shed in which case I'd take more. Once you get 3 years up, you can be a bit more selective on the wood you take.

 

[Roundgunner]

Pine is a mystery to me, I have landscaper friends who drop off loads. Some burns very well and last year it was a blessing. I have some that burns so bad I only use it to heat my pool. No weight, feels like picking up crumbled newspaper. I have 3 cord of good (I hope) stuff CSS to use when the temps are above freezing.

 

[Studdlygoof]

Yep. The longer I leave pine split and stacked the better it gets. Approaching the burn times of some hardwoods. I burned some three year split/stacked/top covered pine

I'm glad to hear that pine lasts a lot longer then I thought. I see most people leave theirs stored split and stacked. I know that the wood needs to be split in order to get it dry enough, but for storage purposes do you think I could leave it unsplit for a year or two. It would be easier I think to keep it up off the ground in 4' lengths stacked.

I'd take whatever amount will get you 3 years ahead

This made me smile knowing I should take more then one years worth

 

[paul bunion]

Do the softwood 2x4s that your house is made of rot? Get your wood dry and keep it dry and it will last a long time.

 

[Seanm]

You can leave it in rounds if you want if its top covered but I would split each round in half and keep it out of the elements if it were me otherwise you will start to experience rot. If you take away the moisture it will last a long, long time. The big issue for me is that pine will dry quicker than other woods which can be a blessing but if it dries to much it can be as bad as not being dried enough. I wouldnt split it small if your plan is to use it several winters down the road. With it being green I would process it with somewhat larger splits and forget about it until the following winter. I burn pine during the day and use better woods for overnights. If you have the space dont pass it up!

 

[Andy S.]

'm still new to the hoarding game

There it is... take all you can get. I'm going in to my 2nd season and have this coming winter covered only because of Pine. Us new guys don't have the luxury of taking summers off or being choosy about our wood. Pine doubles the work of tending the stove but that work is a lot less than the work to split it and stack it. It also doubles the storage space needed but I will burn a lot of it to try to use as little of my good stuff as possible. I plan to have plenty of Pine even when I get ahead on the good stuff. Coals are an issue with my small firebox and I use Pine to burn them down.

 

[Shawn Curry]

How much is too much?

Too much is always enough!

 

[Bigg_Redd]

I met with a gentleman today that is looking to take down about 70 pines that are surrounding his house. He is going to lay them down, limb them and buck them in 4' lengths for me. I'm still new to the hoarding game so how much do you take when you come across a large score. I know pine rots fairly quickly compared to other woods so I don't want to end up with a bunch of rotted wood down the road. Should I just take enough that I could burn in one year? I don't want to turn this into a to burn or not to burn pine thread but more of a to take or to take more kind of thread. Thanks

1) "Too much" is when you can't burn it before it turns punky

2) Pine rots no faster than most other species

3) Assuming you keep it off the ground and dry, pine (and pretty much all wood) has an indefinite shelf life

4) It would seem that your limiting factors are physical space and your own ambition

 

[Applesister]

My poplar and grey birch rots pretty quick but I find white pine logs in the woods that are in perfect condition. Missing the bark and slightly petrified but still solid. I use the poles as my runners in my racks. I never burn it and I should, it has higher BTUs than than the poplar I cut more often. Im just not fond of pitch.

 

[Highbeam]

The only drawback to pine for me is the pitch bubbles. I suspect that is related to the specific variety of pine. The pitch (sap for you easterners) gets on your hands, and tools, and hearth, and even squirts onto the glass when burning. If I had access to that score I would not stop taking it until you were three years ahead.

Is there some sort of deal where you must take it all or nothing? Will others be invited to take? Sometimes these types of scores become races.

 

[Studdlygoof]

Is there some sort of deal where you must take it all or nothing? Will others be invited to take? Sometimes these types of scores become races.

No the deal is I take what I want and I'm sure it's just not limited to me. Around my area pine is still the forbidden wood to burn indoors so it really doesn't move that fast unless people need bonfire wood so I think I'll be safe.

I currently don't have a large wood shed to store wood and just tarp what I want to keep dry. In my circumstance, other than tarping, is there any method to keep large piles of wood dry that I don't know about. I'm planning on keeping the wood in 4' lengths in 8'x4'x4' stacks. Possibly stack the top so it's pitched to shed water with a tarp on top and off the ground on cinder blocks? Any other tricks?

 

[Seanm]

I'm planning on keeping the wood in 4' lengths in 8'x4'x4' stacks.

Why not buck it up and split it? Ive done this as well but I wasnt planning on burning it that year. The clock doesnt start ticking on drying until its c,s,s.
Cheers!

 

[wahoowad]

Too much is when it interferes with storage space for better hardwoods you obtain.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

when you die of old age and there is left over wood, then it's to much.

 

[BrotherBart]

He who dies with the most firewood wins.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

He who dies with the most firewood wins.

This^

 

[PDXpyro]

He who dies with the most firewood wins.

I hadn't thought competitively about the height of my funeral pyre, but now that you mention it...

 

[Dune]

The only drawback to pine for me is the pitch bubbles. I suspect that is related to the specific variety of pine. The pitch (sap for you easterners) gets on your hands, and tools, and hearth, and even squirts onto the glass when burning. If I had access to that score I would not stop taking it until you were three years ahead.

Is there some sort of deal where you must take it all or nothing? Will others be invited to take? Sometimes these types of scores become races.

You callin' us saps?

 

[Studdlygoof]

Picked up my first load. Was told all I need to do is call when I want more and he'll cut more up. This could be a score that could last me a couple years

 

[jillybeansisme]

Too bad you're so far from Oregon -- I'd have my nephew come pick some up!

 

[NordicSplitter]

Get as much as you can. I just got a log load of various pine for $150.00. All together I got 10 face cords out of it. So far I have c/s/s 6.5 face cords. Some of the bigger rounds (22" across) I will let sit in the sun and wind with both sides exposed for a year and then I will tackle those. I don't plan on using this pine until the fall of 16'. Give it extra time to dry out.
I am still amazed as to how many folks refuse to burn pine because of ignorance or mis-placed myths. Too them I say...Leave it for me.

 

[jillybeansisme]

Since I'm just learning about all this, I guess ignorance is bliss! I'll burn what wood I can get as long as it is dry! I even told my Builder (which I'm sure I've said a few times) to keep my 2x6 and 2x4 cut offs for me. But one guy told me oak was not good to burn . . . that, to me, was really funny. He said pine was the best -- I am guessing that's pretty much all he has around his place. I still plan to burn my oak in 2017--it should be seasoned by then.