Burning pine

[bennn*e]

Just a question on burning pine. As hard eucalyptus is the most common burnt wood over here every one thinks pine is rubbish and no on wants it so it's easy to get for free. Any precautions with burning it? Some have said issues with resin building up in the flu

 

[bert the turtle]

Let it dry well and burn it. The bad reputation comes from people burning it wet.

 

[Fred Wright]

Yup, ensure that it's welll seasoned and it'll serve.

 

[cat-face timber]

That is mostly what I burn, easy to get, easy to split and leaves very little ash.
Keep it dry, and it will burn great for you.
Not sure if all pine is the same, but I burn Ponderosa Pine.

 

[Nosmo]

Let it get seasoned and it will burn just fine. In the northwest parts of the U.S. a lot of folks burn it. It may burn a little faster than the harder woods but if it is free wood who is to complain.

 

[turnkey4099]

We, and all our neighbors, burned nothing but pine/spruce/fir back in N. Idaho when I was a kid. A lot of it was not anywhere near what would be called "seasoned" Only one house that I know of burned and it was in the middle of the summer.

Would I burn pine today? You bet if that was the stuff available for free. Burn it unseasoned? No.

Harry K

 

[603doug]

Pine you say I have 75 cord setting in a field waiting to come to its new home and it all is free. Well not quite free I pay taxes on the land and we used our excavators, dump trucks in the process so maybe only $2000 a cord
Burn pine all year long

 

[firwood_ag]

Keep in mind that pine splits much easier green! We burn pine all year. Many people around our area just leave the stuff to rot. Easy to come by and easy to burn....

 

[3000 FPS]

How long do you guys who burn pine let the wood season. I am thinking maybe a year is all, but that is just a guess.

 

[cat-face timber]

the pine i am bucking up now i will burn next winter

 

[firwood_ag]

Here on the dry side of Washington State we cut it in January and start burning it by October/November.

 

[MuskokaSplitter]

I bucked and split a bunch of white pine....probably about 3 cords worth last summer. And its goin in the stove this winter. It should dry plenty well over 16 months.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I will burn all the pine I can get my hands on, or anything else for that matter! lol

Here's a mountain of white pine I burned a couple winters ago, as I was logging/milling a lot of white pine the summer before,

It heated my house just fine, it just took more of it!

SR

 

[Revturbo977]

how come everyone tells me you cant burn pine?

 

[3000 FPS]

how come everyone tells me you cant burn pine?

Good question. There are a lot of people here where I am that burn pine.

It is a matter of logistics. If all that is available where you live is pine then season it and burn it just like any other wood.
Like Sawyer Rob said it just take more of it.

If you have a lot of hardwood available to you then pine is just considered junk wood for those people.

 

[CTYank]

how come everyone tells me you cant burn pine?

Probably they don't understand that the MC (moisture content) of the wood is critical. It's not a matter of time, nor the seasoning you sprinkle on it. It's how it's cut/split/stacked so mainly the soft summer breezes can carry off the moisture in the wood. Water's a lousy fuel and definitely will not burn.

Stacking off the ground, top covered (not sides) are important.

 

[3000 FPS]

Where I am located I do not cover my wood.

The wind is always blowing here and it is very dry. The wood if split and stacked drys out really fast.

 

[discounthunter]

one precaution is heavily pitched pine. sometimes called heartpine or fatlighter plus a score of other names.great for starting a fire but I would not suggest it for continuous burning.

 

[Fred Wright]

how come everyone tells me you cant burn pine?

Probably due to burning it green & old wives tales. If you repeat misinformation often enough people start believing it.

Some species of pine contain higher resin content than others. If not properly cured it can glaze up your flue. That's pretty much the case with any firewood.

I've heard the same warnings about sweetgum. Bah... we've been burning gum for years and all I've brushed out of the flue is brown dust. The gum has been stacked and top covered for a couple years, though.

 

[ponyexpress976]

one precaution is heavily pitched pine. sometimes called heartpine or fatlighter plus a score of other names.great for starting a fire but I would not suggest it for continuous burning.

I usually keep this stuff separate. It does make wonderful fire starter material. You can literally touch a match to a 4-6" diameter piece and walk away. No other kindling needed. I burned about a cord and a half of it this year, mostly at the end of the season. It was a variety of species that came down during Hurricane Sandy.