Pre-Burned Firewood Question

[Hasufel]

OK I know that's a strange-sounding title but I'm wondering if anyone has experience with firewood from trees that were burned in a forest fire. The impression I had is that the surface of the tree burns but not the whole thing. Is the inside still usable for firewood and does it offer any advantages (for example, does the fire dry it out)? I'm asking because there's a wildfire burning near my retirement lot in WNC and, if the worst happens, I'll have a lot of charred trees waiting for me. At least there's no house yet to worry about.

 

[zenoparadox]

For a moment there, I thought you were going to ask about some product you saw for sale:

Pre-burned firewood: we've already burned it, so you don't have to.​

 

[Hasufel]

For a moment there, I thought you were going to ask about some product you saw for sale:

Pre-burned firewood: we've already burned it, so you don't have to.​

Hmm, that's a great idea...why dump your ash when you can sell it?

 

[peakbagger]

The fire doesn't dry it out much but stripping bark has to speed up drying. I know someone who salvaged fire damaged wood, the mess convinced him not to do it again. The char turns into a black goop that covers everything.

 

[Hasufel]

The fire doesn't dry it out much but stripping bark has to speed up drying. I know someone who salvaged fire damaged wood, the mess convinced him not to do it again. The char turns into a black goop that covers everything.

Ugh, I can see how that would be a problem. Any idea if the char eventually wears off if you let the log weather long enough?

 

[CheapBassTurd]

I'd guess it'll wear a bunch but still require gloves for processing
and bringing it in the house later down the road.
On the positive side there would be enough that you can take only the prime
rounds home.
The negatives sound potentially huge if this things keeps traveling.

 

[firefighterjake]

I burned some pine that was charred several years back . . . the char wasn't particularly messy, but this may have been due to the fact that the pine had been charred and exposed to the elements (rain, snow, sun) for several years before I got around to splitting it. I should mention that even then some of the black would rub off from the char on to my hands, clothes, etc. if I brushed up against it in a forcible manner (i.e. while manhandling the large splits on to the splitter vs. just picking up a smaller split and moving it.)

The neat thing about that charred pine however was the way it burned . . . I had a friend who called it "diesel wood" since it would burn with a black, oily looking smoke that looked like I had tossed on some diesel fuel or a tire on to a bonfire. It burned quite hot. The wood was plenty dry. I theorized later that the charring may have slowed down the seasoning process in the bucked up wood and perhaps allowed more of the resinous sap to remain behind . . . but this was only a dumb firefighter's theory.

 

[peakbagger]

When I go through the woods several years after a fire the charred trees still are quite messy.

I expect that how the wood burns is very dependent on the type of fire. I hot fire with a deep layer of duff is going to bake the wood and could possibly pyrolyze the wood (baked wood), while a fast burning wind driven fire would have far less of an impact to the wood.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

I have burned charred honey locust and didn't notice too much of a difference in burning behavior.

 

[Longstreet]

I theorized later that the charring may have slowed down the seasoning process in the bucked up wood and perhaps allowed more of the resinous sap to remain behind . . . but this was only a dumb firefighter's theory.

Ever too humble - you are one of Hearth.com's all time best members. You don't give yourself enough credit firefighterjake.

 

[Hasufel]

@firefighterjake - I would not call any firefighter "dumb," except that you all seem to have the same habit of running toward danger while everyone else is running away. I don't think us mere mortals could ever thank you enough for all you do. Latest update on the Party Rock Fire (the one that's closest to my little slice of retirement paradise) said that there were firefighters from nearly 300 miles away working 12-hour shifts. I can't imagine how rough that must be, but at least it's not in the middle of summer. The really sad thing is that some of the fires in WNC seem to have been deliberately set. Makes you wonder what's wrong with some people.

@peakbagger - Who are you calling a "duff"? I've never lived in an area that was prone to wildfires so I guess I'll have a lot of things to learn, like terminology. The official fire updates say the fuel is "hardwood litter" and, after reading your post, I wonder if the fire is burning just the low stuff and not actually killing the bigger trees. I hope that's the case because I'd hate to see thousands of acres of mature trees go up in smoke for nothing. At least no structures have been lost yet.

Thanks to all for your input. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope the southeast gets some rain soon!

 

[blacktail]

I hunted an area last month that had burned 14 months prior. The clothes I wore that day have black stains from every time I touched a tree.
I'd only take it for firewood if I had no other options.