I just was given pine trees and was wondering how to burn them. I am in the hardwood snob north and we do not burn pine. I am rather embarrassed to tell my neighbors about it. I plan to pile it in log length over the winter and cut/split next year. should i wait 1 or 2 years.
pine burning questions
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I have burned pine pretty much since the Coolidge administration and one year is fine. Last year I had a half cord of two year seasoned for the first time and that stuff was fantastic. I am seasoning it two years top covered from now on.
I've got pine that was split in July that is reading 18-20% from a fresh split. Now, I will say it had been down for a while and was standing dead before that...but! I have just over a cord of it, and I can't wait to burn it. The wife is home most days in the winter, and you can't beat pine for quick heat when someone is home to load the stove.
However: pine causes hairy palms and blurred vision. Stock number ST710, dealer retains all rebates and holdbacks, not all buyers will qualify for 0% APR, not responsible for glazed creosote.
However: pine causes hairy palms and blurred vision. Stock number ST710, dealer retains all rebates and holdbacks, not all buyers will qualify for 0% APR, not responsible for glazed creosote.
Pagey said:
LOL! And in some cases, it causes young children to run away from home and join the circus....
I'm a convert thanks to the advice here. The previous owners of our weekend place in VT left a huge stack of the stuff. I split it and stacked it back in the spring. I've burned a bit of it in our new Castine and it burns just fine once it's seasoned. It burns quickly, but that's great for getting things up to temp in a hurry. As mentioned, it doesn't produce a lot of coals.
Split it, stack it and it may be ready sooner than you think. 90% of my recent scrounging has been pine. Everyone tells me it's for outdoor use only. I tell them I have a firepit. :smirk:
My neighbor came over yesterday, hearing my splitter and was wondering what I did with all the pine splits I was processing. Told him I simply burn it. He has been clearing his land a bit and has lots of piles of 3' & 4' pine logs that he offered to me free. ChaChing! More free wood.
I have prediminately eastern white pine and red oak on my lot , so that's what I have in stacks.
The pine sure does seem to burn a little hotter if it's been split for two years.
Staying 2 years ahead seems to help with keeping just a fine white layer of ash in my chimney,so I'm going to continue the two year ritual.
If home heating oil stays cheap this Winter I may be even further ahead.
Pine is nice for backyard and campground fires just because it DOES burn quick. No oak coals still smoldering in the morning.
The pine sure does seem to burn a little hotter if it's been split for two years.
Staying 2 years ahead seems to help with keeping just a fine white layer of ash in my chimney,so I'm going to continue the two year ritual.
If home heating oil stays cheap this Winter I may be even further ahead.
Pine is nice for backyard and campground fires just because it DOES burn quick. No oak coals still smoldering in the morning.
Most folks are anti-pine. Its almost always given away, theres a local sell/trade magazine here that people post "FREE PINES" typically they need to be cut and almost always are near some form of property waiting to be damaged. Everyone wants something for free.
I have a large stand on my property of southern yellow that the bark beetles desimated last winter, Its kind of like the old days when firewood trees where girdeled and allowed to dry standing and cut when needed. If I were to stack and split them I'd have a big termite nest. Now the longleaf pines those are some sweet firewood, Talladega National Forest has the last standing tract of the stuff. Its slow growing and burns like hardwood (tight grains). I have a 24" base tree that will be supplementing the large pile of hickory ready for this years burn
I have a large stand on my property of southern yellow that the bark beetles desimated last winter, Its kind of like the old days when firewood trees where girdeled and allowed to dry standing and cut when needed. If I were to stack and split them I'd have a big termite nest. Now the longleaf pines those are some sweet firewood, Talladega National Forest has the last standing tract of the stuff. Its slow growing and burns like hardwood (tight grains). I have a 24" base tree that will be supplementing the large pile of hickory ready for this years burn
4acrefarm said:
Burn pine with pride . . . but definitely cut and split 6 months to a year before using . . . and feel free to laugh at the folks who fear burning pine in their own woodstoves.
Our local landfill won't take pine in the burning season. I am thinking of putting a sign at their gate with my address. Of course the goofy part is that they only take any firewood starting this month. Ya just gotta know how good that stuff is gonna be to burn this year. And it all gets grabbed and burned every year.
God bless our county fire department.
God bless our county fire department.
im up for burning pine after listening to reason from all you guys. in fact i just cut up a couple . i need to know something though. after cutting them up i had more sap on me and the saw than i could imagine. i mean all over.almost felt like i could just release my grip on the saw and it woulda just stuck right there................. is it always like that with pine? i had to break out a can of pvc cleaner to get the stuff the saw. what do you guys use to clean the saw after cutting pine?
I get the pine sap on me only when it is green, or that's my story. When mowing under pine I usually get it on my hands from raising bows, I use gasoline to remove it, works great, but no smoking please!
Sometimes I will mix a little Spruce with my Pine to help keep the little creosotes out. After its below 18% MC of course.
N of 60
N of 60
raven said:
For the saw I use gas, but I try not to get it on the saw at all, or on my hands for that matter. (get a timber jack)
For splitting....Get it cut to length and let it sit for a couple months in the round before splitting. It will save you a lot of sticky fingers.
My friends think I'm crazy for burning pine in my insert. Their ignorance is my gain as there is usually plenty around that nobody else wants. I just mix it in with my hardwood and burn away.
Bubbavh said:
Whenever I get pitch on me, I simply go to the refrigerator. Miracle Whip. It is just about like the old Brylcreme ads say; A little dab will do ya. It is true. Just a little dab of that stuff and it comes off so easy. Try it.
So, if one cuts dead pine that has been standing or laying on the ground and there is very little sap, does that mean the wood (still in the round) is well on its way to being seasoned, ready to burn?
i burnt some standing dead pines not to long after cutting them down last year. they burnt good, no smoke just like my seasoned hardwood
Jerry_NJ said:
They still hold the moisture when DS but season a bit faster. The top 1/3 of the tree might be ok to burn soon. When they are dead standing they don't bleed the pitch the way live ones do.
If you got the time season it long like you would Oak and it will not dissapoint! I got some 2-3 year old stuff that burns like Kiln dried lumber!
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