# How long to season Birch



## Beer Belly (Aug 5, 2018)

I've got a load of log length that I've been cutting whenever I get a chance. I have some Birch in the load that is ready for splitting and stacking at the moment.....I also have some Ash. Should I be splitting and stacking the Ash, or the Birch first ?....which will season the fastest ?


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## kennyp2339 (Aug 5, 2018)

I'd do the birch because it tends to rot or go punk a faster rate than most firewood if left in log form, at a minimum you can take a chainsaw and zip a couple grooves into the wood (not deep but past the bark) to prolong the deterioration of the wood.


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## Prof (Aug 5, 2018)

I agree with kennyp, it does tend to rot faster than most woods. The problem is that the bark stays relatively intact and prevents moisture from leaving the wood. I use a fair amount of birch and really like it: smells good when you are processing it, splits easy, and burns well--a good mid-level hardwood in my opinion. I split every birch round down to a few inches and if I have anything smaller than that I cut a groove in the branch before I cut it to firewood size.


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## begreen (Aug 5, 2018)

I think the ash will season fastest if the intent is to burn it soonest. It is a low moisture wood. Birch can take about 9-12 months to season.


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## Poindexter (Aug 7, 2018)

Birch is either split, or rotting.  If you split it all down to nominal 2x6 or 4x4 size now and have decent sun exposure and top covered off the ground it should be burnable in September 2019, one entire summer.  When the bark is loose on the splits it is pretty much ready to go.  If the bark is tight to the wood, not ready yet.

I have never seasoned ash.  

For birch, it would be better to split all the rounds in half and toss them into the single most chronic mud puddle on your property rather than leave the rounds unsplit.


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## Beer Belly (Aug 7, 2018)

Poindexter said:


> For birch, it would be better to split all the rounds in half and toss them into the single most chronic mud puddle on your property rather than leave the rounds unsplit.


It's that bad, eh


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## peakbagger (Aug 7, 2018)

If you cant get around to split the birch, run your chainsaw lengthwise along the length of the tree and cut down through the dark brown inner bark. Do it twice on larger diameter logs. It can stretch the duration that birch can be stored considerably. It doesnt take that long. A side benefit is the bark will be easy to remove when you do split it as it will start curling away from the log. Its great to save and put in a box and use for fire starter.


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## Prof (Aug 7, 2018)

peakbagger said:


> If you cant get around to split the birch, run your chainsaw lengthwise along the length of the tree and cut down through the dark brown inner bark. Do it twice on larger diameter logs. It can stretch the duration that birch can be stored considerably. It doesnt take that long. A side benefit is the bark will be easy to remove when you do split it as it will start curling away from the log. Its great to save and put in a box and use for fire starter.


That's a good point, after taking down a large birch one year, I had enough bark to start fires for a couple months. It burns like cardboard dipped in kerosene.


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## Firewood Bandit (Aug 7, 2018)

Birch needs to be split IMMEDIATLY!

It gets punky super fast.  3-4 months after laying on the ground and it is worthless in my book.  I have some and it dries slower than hardwood.  I won't go out of my way to get any more birch.


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## tadmaz (Aug 7, 2018)

Due to the bark being 100% waterproof, they need to be split moments after bucking.  I cut some 1.5" thick discs for wedding centerpieces, they were stacked on top of each other which was a mistake.  They molded within DAYS.  Will need to use the belt sander with some rough grit to try and sand off the mold.  I cut some other discs out of red oak, red maple, and some ash.  The bark wants to come off the red oak, the red maple did some weird splitting internally but is still intact, and the ash is pretty much fine since it's so dry.


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## Alpine1 (Aug 7, 2018)

Firewood Bandit said:


> Birch needs to be split IMMEDIATLY!
> 
> It gets punky super fast.  3-4 months after laying on the ground and it is worthless in my book.  I have some and it dries slower than hardwood.  I won't go out of my way to get any more birch.


+1 on this.
Birch (and beech) are considered excellent firewood here, but they share the same shortcoming: they begin to rot almost immediately after felling if left in the woods. Cut, split and stack as soon as possible, but if stacked on a sunny and windy spot they can be burned in six months.


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## peakbagger (Aug 7, 2018)

About 1/.3rd of my firewood is birch, I agree splitting it quick is the best but my previously described method works quite well to buy me several months. The problem most folks have with birch is if they wait to cut it when it looks like its dying its too late. If left alone a birch will rot standing. If there is any sign of die back in the crown drop it quick and you may salvage some wood. If cut healthy and slashed with the saw I have inadvertently left a few birches over the years on the ground over a winter and the wood was still good.


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## Beer Belly (Aug 10, 2018)

The Birch that I have is part of a load of log length........along with some Maple and Ash. Got it cut and stacked as soon as I read the responses.....now to get it split.


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## Alpine1 (Aug 10, 2018)

Well done! You will not be disappointed. Birch is considered THE firewood in Scandinavia.


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## PA. Woodsman (Aug 11, 2018)

Alpine1 said:


> Well done! You will not be disappointed. Birch is considered THE firewood in Scandinavia.


That is interesting. Years ago we were on vacation in New Hampshire and of course I talked to the person in the local stove shop, they said Birch is the state tree but most people when buying firewood tell them "not too much Birch" I guess because the are swimming in it plus it burns a bit fast albeit very nicely.

Interesting how in one area some species are revered while in others it is overkill!


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## peakbagger (Aug 11, 2018)

I burn what I have access to. I hand split so I like long straight trees and white birches usually fit the bill. I am north of the "oak line" so I do not have ready access to oak. I also have access to red maple ash and occasionally cherry. My new lot has lot of beech that needs thinning, maple and  some white and yellow birch so that is what I am going to be cutting. I will most likely finally buy a splitter as beech is not hand split friendly. 

I would guess that Scandinavia is on the edge of the boreal forest and white birch is about the most northerly hardwood. Compared to spruce/fir, white birch is superior wood.


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## weatherguy (Aug 11, 2018)

PA. Woodsman said:


> That is interesting. Years ago we were on vacation in New Hampshire and of course I talked to the person in the local stove shop, they said Birch is the state tree but most people when buying firewood tell them "not too much Birch" I guess because the are swimming in it plus it burns a bit fast albeit very nicely.
> 
> Interesting how in one area some species are revered while in others it is overkill!


Depends on what type of birch, white and yellow, yes black birch is a higher btu wood that I would take any day over 90% if other species.


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## Beer Belly (Aug 12, 2018)

White Birch


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## gerry100 (Aug 12, 2018)

split it or watch it rot.

One year seasoning after splitting is fine

Striping it with the saw doesn't do much per my first hand experience.

Dried Birch bark is great fire starter


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## PA. Woodsman (Aug 12, 2018)

weatherguy said:


> Depends on what type of birch, white and yellow, yes black birch is a higher btu wood that I would take any day over 90% if other species.


White Birch they were talking about. I should've mentioned that part!


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## MissMac (Aug 14, 2018)

i have a bunch of white birch that's been seasoning for 2 years bucked and stacked in my wood shed.  I have it cut into 14" rounds, and only split stuff larger than about 5-6" - left the rest as whole rounds.  It has seasoned beautifully, including the rounds i didn't split.  Maybe because i bucked it up right away and got it stacked neatly with lots of air flow?  Looking forward to burning it this winter, that's for sure!  It's the best wood in my neck of the woods - last year was jack pine and a bit of spruce.


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## Alpine1 (Aug 14, 2018)

You did the right thing MissMac! Birch is very good firewood if properly managed. You’ll be pleasantly surprised burning it: good heat, good bed of coals and almost no creosote. And the bark is ideal as fire starter.


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## MissMac (Aug 14, 2018)

Alpine1 said:


> You did the right thing MissMac! Birch is very good firewood if properly managed. You’ll be pleasantly surprised burning it: good heat, good bed of coals and almost no creosote. And the bark is ideal as fire starter.


you're bang on about the bark - when I bucked that load up a couple of years ago, I made sure to scrounge every piece of bark that fell off - I had 6 big garbage cans full, and used it all winter to light my fires!


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