Eastern White Pine

[trukn2004]

So as I introduced earlier, new burner, new to woodcutting. I am trying to work on my stacks and clean up my immediate yard of dead and dying stuff. I know people burn pine, once seasoned it should give a hot, but quick fire. I haven't seen anyone really talk about Eastern White pine though. I have a few standing dead that I could get pretty easily. Being new, I am suffering from the lack of a wood stash, so im trying to shore it up with as much wood that will be ready to burn as feasible. I do have access to a lot of hardwoods, but getting the pines cut and into the stacks would help to clean the forest up and make the yard a lot nicer looking.


So, any thoughts or experience burning the stuff? Should I bother? cut them down and firepit it?

 

[ST98]

White pine burns pretty good. I mix it with oak and get good heat out of it. For me it keeps me from getting huge piles of oak coals. A little over six months burning this season, about 13.5 cords and I've cleaned the ash out once.

 

[svk]

White pine burns great when it's dry. It's not a very dense wood (wont burn for very long compared to other species) so I'd use what you get for starting/restarting fires in the morning and use higher density wood for the workday and overnight burns.

 

[Ronaldo]

Pine burns great. Like any wood just needs to be dry......Pine is all some folks have in their area to burn.

 

[trukn2004]

I figured as much, but thought I would ask. I will mix it in with the Ash, oak, hickory and sugar maple in the piles. should burn nice next to it all.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I burn white pine, but all of the nicer butt logs go to the sawmill, as it makes GREAT lumber! Then I burn what is left...

SR

 

[mainewoods]

Pine snaps, pops, throws sparks and burns up quick. Good shoulder wood, fine mixed with hardwood when it's really cold. Covering the top of the pile helps it stay drier, and slows down rot. Dead standing, c/s/s and cover the top. If green, run your bar down the length of the wood and score the bark. Helps dry it out faster when the bark falls off. Lot's of moisture under pine bark. Dead standing pine is famous for snapping off tops or falling over at anytime. Good to get it on the ground for safety's sake.

 

[dancan]

Funny , I was talking about pine just yesterday , I've used it for kindling but large blocks don't seem to burn well in my furnace all by themselves so I get low heat output , small splits mixed with other works fine for me .
Pine will keep longer than popple or fir but keep your eyes open for dead standing spruce if there's any in your area .

 

[svk]

Funny , I was talking about pine just yesterday , I've used it for kindling but large blocks don't seem to burn well in my furnace all by themselves so I get low heat output , small splits mixed with other works fine for me .
Pine will keep longer than popple or fir but keep your eyes open for dead standing spruce if there's any in your area .

Almost like it doesn't get got enough to burn itself? I see that with larger rounds in a campfire too.

I agree standing dead spruce is probably the best quick fire wood out there.

 

[brenndatomu]

I have noticed that a piece of dry pine on top of some Oak or some other hardwood gets the party started right now! (EPA firebox)

 

[stihly dan]

I have noticed all pine needs lots of air,

 

[mr.finn]

Definitely go for it. Just because it is dead don't expect it to be dry though. Makes for great firepit wood, just give it the necessary time to dry out. I split some last fall that was in log form for 3 years, thought it would be dry in no time. It was still soaking wet in the middle and still won't burn well even now.

 

[NHMike]

When we built our house I had some big pine ( 18" - 36" ) logs stacked as the intent was to have them milled for lumber for the barn. That was 4 years ago.

Last fall I thought I'd cut some rounds off & try it as kindling. Those logs were still very wet. I was quite surprised. On the plus side, once split it dried out within a week of being stacked and made for excellent kindling. I will be processing the rest of it for camp fir and kindling.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I've burned a LOT of white pine... What ever slabs and scrap comes off my BSM, all get's cut into firewood lengths and burnt in my wood stove.

I've heated my house all winter on just white pine before and I would do it again...

SR

 

[svk]

I've actually got some old growth white pine in my firewood stack for this fall.

http://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/100-year-old-original-growth-firewood.265044/

 

[benp]

I LOVE pine!!!! Love it. I will take it any day over popple.

Like others have said, mix it in with the hard wood and you'll be good to go.

Or when reloading the stove in the morning throw a split or two on the coals and in 5 minutes, it is roaring.

 

[trukn2004]

Great advice! I just started on a big broken pine limb. Wood is pretty solid, but one log was full of ants. I pulled that aside and split the rest then left it in the woods for the turkey's to clean up! Other then that, I'm excited to give the pine a go this fall.

 

[jwilly]

We have a bunch of 4' pine pulp that we can't seem to give away. Too many hardwood snobs around here. Even offered to load it for them. It has been stacked for at least a year.

The fellow that buys firewood will take 4 cords, he splits it and sells it roadside for the campers.

 

[Brushwacker]

Makes a big difference if its standing dead. If its getting good air and sunlight standing it drys pretty good. Not sure how long it usually takes, but I think 2 or 3 years might be ideal in good conditions. If its in the shade and low land usually doesn't do so well.
I usually burn about 1/2 cord of pine, mostly rounds, in a season. Quick and easy to put up when dead and dry. I know it is good to build up a quick fire, but I learned here on AS, years ago when you add pine to a fire or start a fire with a cool or cold chimney, that is when it causes excess creosote and that was my experience. Since, I use little pine building a fire until my fire has been hot enough to have a hot chimney, best usually with a bed of coals already burning to add bulk, then let the draft enough until its all burning well several minutes. I can hardly tell a difference in creosote now as if I burned no pine. Before I had build up and a few chimney fires. I do like the smell of pine and it throws plenty of heat. It just don't last as long for when leaving the house.