I got to thinking of a comment that a guy in a New Hampshire stoveshop told me about 6 years ago when I was on vacation up there. He said that when the locals order firewood they tell him "don't give us too much White Birch-or none at all". Is this because it burns somewhat on the fast side? I'm assuming that up there White Birch is like Poplar is here in PA.-it's looked as a not so "desirable" wood, although some of the posters here would LOVE to get their hands on either one of them! Your thoughts...
"Not too much or no White Birch"
- Thread starter PA. Woodsman
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Ductape
Addicted to ArboristSite
Well..... i live in NH and i like white birch. I suppose if i were paying hard earned money for a load of wood, i'd probably prefer something that burns longer.... but its not bad. I'd certainly burn it all winter if i were getting it free. There certainly is plenty of it around though...
Kneejerk Bombas
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Birch is great for fireplaces. It looks pretty in a little stack next to the fireplace, and when it burns, the flames have an array of beautiful colors! It burn like no other wood.
The rounds are the favored pieces, because it's the bark that is what you want. Once it gets to the size you need to split it, or the bark becomes furrowed, it loses it's appeal. The very small pieces are also less desirable. The best size being about 4" or 5" diameter, with lots of peeling bark.
It is a light weight, fast burning wood, so for a stove, it's not so good.
The rounds are the favored pieces, because it's the bark that is what you want. Once it gets to the size you need to split it, or the bark becomes furrowed, it loses it's appeal. The very small pieces are also less desirable. The best size being about 4" or 5" diameter, with lots of peeling bark.
It is a light weight, fast burning wood, so for a stove, it's not so good.
max2cam
ArboristSite Guru
Are you guys confusing white birch with aspen or poplar?
White birch is a fairly heavy dense wood, yellow birch even more so. Here in northwoods it's desireable in the woodpile. You have to split the larger pieces though or it can rot inside the impervious bark. The bark burns like gasoline. It makes decent coals but it also stinks when burned. It splits easy enough so that's a plus too. The branches are long and smooth and easy to cut up into kindling. I never pass up a white birch tree if it's sound and not rotten.
White birch is a fairly heavy dense wood, yellow birch even more so. Here in northwoods it's desireable in the woodpile. You have to split the larger pieces though or it can rot inside the impervious bark. The bark burns like gasoline. It makes decent coals but it also stinks when burned. It splits easy enough so that's a plus too. The branches are long and smooth and easy to cut up into kindling. I never pass up a white birch tree if it's sound and not rotten.
jerseydevil
ArboristSite Operative
Me likeum white birch too. My dad planted several in front of our house when I was a teen, now I'm 34 and he is cutting some down. I have him save it for me. They must be pretty slow growing or just a natural small tree(in our NJ envirement). They are still less than a foot wide at the base. I find it burns slow and hot, with the pretty flames spoken of. I wish I had more.
Hi--First post and new member. Yay! 
Anyway, white/paper birch is OK but I'd surely rather have other wood in the pile that is common around here (Vermont)--such as beech, sugar maple, white ash, yellow birch, black cherry and even red maple. White birch just doesn't seem to catch or burn as well as the others mentioned. Of course the bark is great for getting the camp fire going but after that--meh, nothing special.
Anyway, white/paper birch is OK but I'd surely rather have other wood in the pile that is common around here (Vermont)--such as beech, sugar maple, white ash, yellow birch, black cherry and even red maple. White birch just doesn't seem to catch or burn as well as the others mentioned. Of course the bark is great for getting the camp fire going but after that--meh, nothing special.
Tree Slayer
ArboristSite Operative
I really like white birch, Mostly for the campfire it really burns nice and I also peel the bark off and use it for firestarter it has lots of oils in it
I agree with all this. Over here we have River Birch and my understanding of all or most of the birch is the bark is air tight therefore unless you split or open up the bark it stars decaying in the middle. I am sure many people have seasoned it in rounds and had a bad experince with its quality that way. If I donot split every piece ,sometimes I will cut a deep groove the length of the log with the saw to open it up (small logs,4in. down),also cutting them shorter
helps air get toward the middle.
No, I do mean White Birch. I've used it myself, and found it to be decent wood, which is why I asked the question "why would they say don't give me any or very little White Birch". I think the one fellow summed it up when he said that it's okay, but there are so many other better hardwoods up in New England that they'd rather have than the Birch; same like here in Pennsylvania, you hear people say "I don't want much or any Poplar"-usually they don't want any Poplar; they want a better burning, longer-lasting wood for their money!
Could be that previous customers received dead standing birch.
In which case insects could over-winter beneath the bark.
I had made these decorative birch branch candle holders.
Gave them away as gifts.
Every body loved them.
Even thought about selling them.
I had one displayed in the bathroom for the Christmas Holidays,
when I noticed a beetle, about 3/4 " long on the counter top.
And a tiny exit hole from where he emerged from.
Oh Well, Live and Learn.
In which case insects could over-winter beneath the bark.
I had made these decorative birch branch candle holders.
Gave them away as gifts.
Every body loved them.
Even thought about selling them.
I had one displayed in the bathroom for the Christmas Holidays,
when I noticed a beetle, about 3/4 " long on the counter top.
And a tiny exit hole from where he emerged from.
Oh Well, Live and Learn.
stonykill
ArboristSite Guru
I like white, yellow and grey birch...but with that said, they all have one fault. The wood rots or at least turns punky faster than any wood I have ever seen. 6 months on the ground, its rotted and useless.At least thats been my experience over the last 17 years of burning birch every year (loads of it on my land)
max2cam
ArboristSite Guru
Yep, it's important to split white birch and cover it. Then it seems to last as long as anything else. I've probably got some in my woodshed that's 20 years old and it's sound.
Maybe people who store their wood outdoors in the rain don't like white birch because it rots in the woodpile faster than oak, etc. when rained on and damp.
People might also think white birch a chimney clogging creosote producer. When burning it stinks like it could be. But I can't see that it loads up any more than other woods providing it isn't green.
There's lots of myths around burning wood. Just the other day I mentioned to a forester that I burn jackpine and like it. He warned me to clean my chimney about 6 times a years when burning jack pine. But I can't understand that because dry Jack pine burns fast and hot and clean.
Altho cleaning ones chimney 6 times a year can't hurt (I do it once).
Maybe people who store their wood outdoors in the rain don't like white birch because it rots in the woodpile faster than oak, etc. when rained on and damp.
People might also think white birch a chimney clogging creosote producer. When burning it stinks like it could be. But I can't see that it loads up any more than other woods providing it isn't green.
There's lots of myths around burning wood. Just the other day I mentioned to a forester that I burn jackpine and like it. He warned me to clean my chimney about 6 times a years when burning jack pine. But I can't understand that because dry Jack pine burns fast and hot and clean.
Altho cleaning ones chimney 6 times a year can't hurt (I do it once).
stonykill
ArboristSite Guru
I've always burned whatever is dead, needs clearing or is free, pine included. When I used a woodstove I burned pine. I had a metalbeatos chimney, it was always clean. Now its the owb, if its wood, seasoned, and free, I burn it.
max2cam
ArboristSite Guru
Stonykill,
That's my philosophy too: IT ALL BURNS (if dry).
The best wood is the easiest and cheapest wood. If aged hickory was lying around all split and stacked by some miracle I'd probably use that first (duh), but with a little gas and some labor I have all the firewood I can use and more FREE -- so long as I'm not too choosy about the type of tree.
That's my philosophy too: IT ALL BURNS (if dry).
The best wood is the easiest and cheapest wood. If aged hickory was lying around all split and stacked by some miracle I'd probably use that first (duh), but with a little gas and some labor I have all the firewood I can use and more FREE -- so long as I'm not too choosy about the type of tree.
stonykill
ArboristSite Guru
agreed. I have been picking up load after load of mainly dry cherry I found on craigslist. There is some ash, a little pine, but mainly cherry. All cut in 18 inch rounds a year ago and heaped. I don't need to split a piece. Its free, a 15 minute drive, and I got 6 cords so far, gotta go back tomorrow for more. good stuff. Didn't even need to fire up a saw!
spike60
Addicted to ArboristSite
if its wood, seasoned, and free, I burn it.
That's my thinkin'. Wood is wood. Plus, it's not a bad idea to have a little variety in the wood pile. I have some white birch around here, but it's not that common.
I've had the same problem as most of you guys with the white birch rotting pretty quick. I never realized it was the bark causing the problem. When I've managed to get it in the woodshed before it goes bad, it's fine as firewood. Like ash, it seems to light quick, so it's good when starting a fire, but it wouldn't be my choice for the last load before going to bed. That's for the hickory and white oak.
max2cam
ArboristSite Guru
That's a great story. Almost like WISHING for firewood and then have it drop out of sky!
max2cam
ArboristSite Guru
I'm thinking that quick-rot in the uncovered woodpile is what turns ppl off to white birch. I can remember seeing uncovered woodpiles several years old where the oak was still sound but the white birch was punk and soft inside its bark.
