# Any reason not to burn cedar?



## Warm_in_NH (Mar 18, 2015)

There's a shoe tree company down the road from me and one of their more ambitious employees sells red cedar scraps for short change.

I know a couple of guys that burn it regularly,  but they burn anything and everything anyway. It's all kiln dried chunks from baseball size to actual shoe trees. 

Aside from having pay attention to not over fire the stove with this kiln dried stuff, any reason anyone can come up with not to burn it? I know it's oily,  but I'm test running it tonight and it burns great with decent coals and good heat.

Thoughts. ...


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## claydogg84 (Mar 18, 2015)

A lot of the guys on this site say it makes great kindling. I haven't had the opportunity to use it myself though.


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## jotul8e2 (Mar 18, 2015)

I have always felt like the main difference between burning cedar and gasoline is that it does not slosh as much.

Eastern cedar will have less than half the btu value of most hardwood per unit of volume.  It had a reputation for burning uncontrollably in the older stoves with poor air control.  I suppose (but just suppose, mind you!) that you could keep it from melting down a modern EPA stove.  It does make terrific kindling.


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## Fastdonzi (Mar 18, 2015)

I have burned a lot of it in my Non Cat stove without any issues. I too am interested in the answer for use in newer Cat or SB (secondary burn) stoves... It grows rampant here...


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## begreen (Mar 18, 2015)

Just be mindful that cedar is high in oil content and the wood is going to be dry. The pieces sound small. I would not burn it alone, especially not in large loads. But mixed with hardwood it could be ok.


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## Calentarse (Mar 18, 2015)

Smells nice and definitely burns hot. It also sparks heavily, so it can be unnerving to hot reload when you've got some in a dampered down stove. 

Aside from those points and the ones others have made, I'd burn it if it were free and going to go to waste already. Around here, the policy we abide by regarding the acquisition of wood is as follows: never cut anything when one has access to free, downed wood. We take from the side of the road, offer to free people of trees they need removed, etc. So if it's already cut and otherwise going to go to waste, I say Burn It!


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## iluvjazznjava (Mar 19, 2015)

I have burned some cedar exactly like that.  It will burn hot and fast - any kiln dried wood will burn that way.  If it was me, I would try and mix it in with other types of wood.


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## jatoxico (Mar 19, 2015)

I like cedar. Had maybe a 1/4 cord last year and use it mainly the way I use pine. That is; get the firebox up to temp on cold starts and/or a few med/sm mix in splits for shoulder season burning. I do a lot of cold starts so the quick burst of heat is a big plus for me. If you're more of a 24/7 burner maybe less useful especially if it's all small bits.


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## Warm_in_NH (Mar 19, 2015)

My primary concern was the oils in it, and if they'd affect the pipe or stove, but that doesn't appear to be an issue. 

I burned half a bag (40 lb onion bag 18" across, 30" tall) of small stuff last night by itself. Just fed a little at a time, stacked them in tight to each other, maybe a 10" square by 6" tall. I had to cut the air very quickly, but they burned really nice and hot. Definitely not good for 24/7 burning like I'm doing now, as it needs a lot of attention, but I think it'll be great for a quick shoulder season fire. 

Bonus is that the house smells great with that big bag of cedar sitting by the wood stack.


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## firefighterjake (Mar 19, 2015)

Excellent for kindling or a quick, hot fire . . . not the type of wood you want to rely on in middle of January.


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## Highbeam (Mar 20, 2015)

We have the western red cedar trees here in the PNW and they get really big. When one comes down I am not going to waste that wood. I've CSS'd many cords of the red cedar and treated it like any other tree for firewood. It burns great in a non-cat, I've never tried it in my cat stove, just like any other wood. It doesn't spark as much when it is in firewood sized pieces. The oils in the cedar are no more corrosive or harmful than the oils in any other evergreen.

I'm currently burning a mixture of doug fir and juniper/cypress which is pretty much cedar in my cat stove. No worries at all. Yes, it is less dense than other woods but that just means you burn more of it. No big deal when the price is right.


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## begreen (Mar 20, 2015)

Our neighbor burned cedar firewood, split into 6-8" pieces in his Spectrum without issue too. The oils make it a bit more volatile, not corrosive that I know of. Pine, fir, even eucalyptus have this characteristic. The big difference being for the OP is that the cedar pieces are small and kiln dried. Large firewood sized splits slows down the burn a lot. Small pieces, kiln dried are going to burn more like cabinetry and construction lumber scraps. They'll burn, but will need mindfulness.


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## Warm_in_NH (Mar 20, 2015)

I've got a lot of experience with the kiln dried part. Make a living cutting it into pieces and usually give it out to everyone and anyone who burns wood in the fall for kindling. 

Overall, the small chunks of cedar seem to burn a little hotter than pine, but no big benefit, I can get it super cheap, but it's still not really worth it since I can essentially just burn my own scraps that I get for free if I want to burn small loads and feed the stove every 45 minutes.  I was hoping I tapped into a secret wood source gold mine, but not so much.

Does smell nice though.


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## iamlucky13 (Mar 20, 2015)

I'm pretty sure once the fire is hot the oils burn up just like the rest of the wood.

I've always used western red cedar for kindling. It's near the bottom of the charts for BTU's, but thumb-sized splits can be pretty easily lit with a match (I still use newspaper to get the draft started, however). Right now I've got 5-6 cubic feet on hand. The neighbor also just scrapped an unstained fence where the bottoms of the slats have a moderate amount of rot, but the tops are in fine condition. I'm going to collect a bunch of that from him, too.

I've never tried it for anything other than kindling, though, because it burns up so fast. That doesn't mean an eastern variety of cedar will be the same.

I've got about a cord of Port Orford cedar that I haven't tried yet, but I'm told burns much more like pine. I keep meaning to throw one or two splits in just to see what it does. I've got some older stuff to finish up before I start burning the Port Orford in earnest.

Splitting it is just about euphoric because of the smell. I've always loved the smell of western red cedar, but Port Orford adds a ginger note that's almost a drug to me.


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## begreen (Mar 20, 2015)

I wince when I hear of Port Oroford cedar being burned. That is a valuable and exceptional cedar wood. It's highly prized in the marine industry.


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## mstoelton (Mar 20, 2015)

Cedar makes Great Kindling.


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## iamlucky13 (Mar 20, 2015)

begreen said:


> I wince when I hear of Port Oroford cedar being burned. That is a valuable and exceptional cedar wood. It's highly valued in the marine industry.



I figured it was - wonderfully straight and even grain - and felt kind of bad about it, but the guy I got it from said he had to take it down after a second top fell and barely missed his neighbor's house. The tree service apparently didn't have any customers for the wood, and left it in his yard bucked to 18" rounds.

Whoever beat me to the rest of the tree took the smaller rounds, so I got all the big, beautifully clear, if heavy lower sections.


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## Dix (Mar 20, 2015)

I lucked into some free cedar this season, bucked for a tleast a year. I split it in June, single stacked, and added it to the arsenal this winter.

I was glad I had it, as I dipped into some less than marginal oak that was close to the house, I couldn't get to some of the stacks that I planned on using this year ( *That's going to change, big time, this coming heating season ) .*


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## Poindexter (Mar 21, 2015)

I would take it and make room for it somewhere to keep it dry until next season.  I would plan to rake my coals forward, fill the bottom back of the firebox to level with cedar chunks, and then load full sized splits on the level surface, and get the cat engaged pretty darn quick on reloads.  How many truckloads can I have delivered to zip 99701 please?


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## dotman17 (Sep 26, 2018)

Well, I had 3 large western cedar trees cut down in my back yard.  Turns out, as expected, they were rotting on the inside.  So not only did I save my roof by having them cut down, I also probably saved my house.  But the benefit is I have all this free firewood and this is the first year I'm burning it.  I gave 2 of those trees away to my friend last year and he burned the entire season with it.  Trick is simply to be sure you burn hot fires.  It's not, as someone above mentioned, the type of wood you want to use to burn over night.  The stuff literally burns and leaves little residue.  So the only thing I can think of that would be a concern is creosote buildup in the flue.  But that's why you want to burn hot fires.  My friend  never had any problem after burning all year -- and I plan on burning all year with this stuff.  I'll be sure to let you all know if there is, but so far this stuff is a joy to burn. Smells great and who doesn't enjoy the snap, crackle, pop?  I think all this bad cedar talk it's all a bunch of misinformation. Folks in the PNW and Canada have been burning it for years.

One of the better articles I've read about it can be found here:

https://www.wildflower.org/expert/show.php?id=10655

If you plan on giving away your cedar, please give it to me.  I'll burn it.


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## Highbeam (Sep 26, 2018)

I’m currently burning 100% western red cedar in my cat stove. It works great. Easy to light and very controllable. Nice long burns. 12 hours from 4-5 big splits. The cat easily keeps up with the smoke. Very well behaved wood despite the reputation of being explosive!


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## dotman17 (Sep 26, 2018)

Highbeam said:


> I’m currently burning 100% western red cedar in my cat stove. It works great. Easy to light and very controllable. Nice long burns. 12 hours from 4-5 big splits. The cat easily keeps up with the smoke. Very well behaved wood despite the reputation of being explosive!



That's been my personal experience so far.  The other great thing is it's a joy to split and stack.


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## Dieselhead (Sep 27, 2018)

I have some ready for the short ‘n hots (As I call em) aka shoulder season fires.


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## dotman17 (Sep 27, 2018)

Dieselhead said:


> I have some ready for the short ‘n hots (As I call em) aka shoulder season fires.



This makes sense particularly if you live in a more harsher climate.  But out here in the PNW, I think they're good for all times of the year.  I assume you think they are better for the shoulder season because they don't put out the BTUs or last as long? You are not the only one I've read on the Internet that has stated this position.  I know that cedar burns up quicker and the coals don't linger.  It's probably not a good over night burner.  But if you don't mind shoving it more frequently into your stove's 'wood hole', I think it's a solid.


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## Highbeam (Sep 27, 2018)

dotman17 said:


> This makes sense particularly if you live in a more harsher climate.  But out here in the PNW, I think they're good for all times of the year.  I assume you think they are better for the shoulder season because they don't put out the BTUs or last as long? You are not the only one I've read on the Internet that has stated this position.  I know that cedar burns up quicker and the coals don't linger.  It's probably not a good over night burner.  But if you don't mind shoving it more frequently into your stove's 'wood hole', I think it's a solid.



There are some very cold parts of the country that burn only cottonwood or only pine. People stay plenty warm with whatever they have. Sure, I would love to burn super dense woods but it all works.


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## dotman17 (Sep 27, 2018)

100%.


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## Jazzberry (Sep 28, 2018)

I burn incense cedar all the time. Burns a little better than most of the pines we have. Great fire starter and leaves very little ash. Works much better as material for my mill and wood for outdoor projects. Burning pine and cedar makes for almost no need to clean the stovepipe.


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## AlbergSteve (Sep 28, 2018)

If it falls on the ground and burns, it's going in the stove.  Lots of cedar in this area. Lots of neighbours with dead cedars that's making up about 25% of the wood I burn. I make the splits as big as 8'', 14'' rounds I just split in half. With a cat stove I'm getting 12-14 hour burns.


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## dotman17 (Sep 28, 2018)

Not surprisingly most folks out West with more experience burning cedar seem to have zero issues burning it. I don't get it.  I've read articles from folks back East with arbor backgrounds who inform the average user not to burn with cedar and yet when you inspect the articles they write, nothing but excessive oils and possible creosote buildup is their argument against. What?  Those articles aren't originating in the West and they sure aren't consulting us folks out here that burn it.  My friend now burns exclusively cedar and he gets his flue cleaned every other year.  Burn hot and, if necessary, investigate your flue from time to time and you make the call. If you clean your flue annually then you have nothing to worry about. If you're feeling lazy and don''t want to clean or pay for it to be cleaned, remember my friend who does it every other year.  And if you're still apprehensive, then that's on you.


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## GadDummit (Sep 28, 2018)

I'm in Oklahoma and we have a crap-ton of red cedar out here. I cut up a bunch of it last summer and couldn't give it away. I'll be burning it just as soon as the cold hits. The only problem is it pops so you get coals popping out of the fireplace from time to time.


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## Jazzberry (Sep 28, 2018)

GadDummit said:


> I'm in Oklahoma and we have a crap-ton of red cedar out here. I cut up a bunch of it last summer and couldn't give it away. I'll be burning it just as soon as the cold hits. The only problem is it pops so you get coals popping out of the fireplace from time to time.



Your right it does pop more than most but most have it in a wood stove where it doesn't matter when the doors are closed. I am curious why you are burning wood in a open fireplace after being on this website for over a year?


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## GadDummit (Sep 28, 2018)

Jazzberry said:


> I am curious why you are burning wood in a open fireplace after being on this website for over a year?



I didn't receive my free woodstove upgrade when I signed up for the site, I guess. I have a fireplace that holds 38" logs in my living room. It gets cold in winter, so we burn wood in it. Not sure what you're curious about.


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## heavy hammer (Sep 29, 2018)

I burn a lot of cedar in the early part of the season and in the end.  I have access to old cedar poles from work I start fires with it and kindling for the winter.  Burns great hot.  I say if it is dry burn it.


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## mass_burner (Sep 30, 2018)

a lot of cedar here in MA, love it, super hot, lights easy...the only drawback would it's tough to process, limbs don't break, real sharp ends, even thin branches need to be cut. 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk


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## WiscWoody (Sep 30, 2018)

I work PT at a cedar wood shop and I’ve been using cedar scraps for kindling for years. Wonderful stuff.


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## Bushels20 (Oct 1, 2018)

WiscWoody said:


> I work PT at a cedar wood shop and I’ve been using cedar scraps for kindling for years. Wonderful stuff.



I use cedar as kindling as well. Where I am located; I don’t have access to it. I do however, through out the year check the cull lumber bin at my local hardware and they sell the (non pressure treated) picket fence slats for $.25 each. If they have any, I grab them up. A quick chop with the mitre saw to get them down to 12 inch pieces or so and the hatchet takes care of the rest. Excellent fire starter/kindling/stoking wood.


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## dotman17 (Oct 2, 2018)

I'm not talking kindling.  That stuff is awesome.  I'm talking using cedar as splits and burning it in your stove as the primary fuel.  Dry cedar splits require no kindling... another great feature of burning it as the primary resource.


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## Jazzberry (Oct 2, 2018)

dotman17 said:


> I'm not talking kindling.  That stuff is awesome.  I'm talking using cedar as splits and burning it in your stove as the primary fuel.  Dry cedar splits require no kindling... another great feature of burning it as the primary source.




We took out 7 large cedars in our backyard a few years ago. Burned cedar all year in an old pre airtight stove. Worked great. I haven't cut or used any kindling at all in over a year now since I been burning cedar or pine. Starts super easy with one of those wax blocks. Oak is available here also but you have to scrounge it up. I get pine and an occasional cedar dropped in my backyard for free from the guys doing the beetle killed clearing.  Easy choice for me to burn pine delivered to my backyard next to my splitter for free or work my butt off chasing oak.


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## dotman17 (Oct 2, 2018)

Jazzberry said:


> Easy choice for me to burn pine delivered to my backyard next to my splitter for free or work my butt off chasing oak.



No doubt. The best wood is free wood followed closely by easy wood. If it's free and easy, then you've got it made.


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## Bushels20 (Oct 2, 2018)

dotman17 said:


> No doubt. The best wood is free wood followed closely by easy wood. If it's free and easy, then you've got it made.




Couldn’t agree more. We burners in the Midwest are spoiled with the wood that is available. Oak is just as easy to come by as any other species. Ash was killed off by the ash borer in the last 10 years so ash has been very plentiful but it is not hard to come by oak, ash, cherry and maple on a very regular basis. I would never turn down pine but there is a general misconception over this way that it causes chimney fires; so generally speaking, you have to seek it out if you want it. People tend to trash it. Cedar on the other hand, I’ve never even seen/had a chance to grab any. I wouldn’t turn it down either if I had a chance. This website has really educated me over the years. People think I’m silly for burning pine. But, I’m the only person I know that heats (full time) with wood and has any knowledge base on how to do so properly, too.


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## Jazzberry (Oct 2, 2018)

dotman17 said:


> No doubt. The best wood is free wood followed closely by easy wood. If it's free and easy, then you've got it made.




It don't get much easier than a truck full of logs pulling up to your house and asking where do you want them? Most of there logs they cut have been standing dead for a while and never touched the ground. Then they thank you for taking them before they leave.


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## billb3 (Oct 3, 2018)

A lot of the "cedar" here is actually juniper and cypress.
Regardless, it burns hot and fast just like eastern white pine.
There's nothing magical, mystical or supernatural about it, it's firewood if it is seasoned well. 
As with any new/unfamiliar species of wood, but especially softwoods, kiln dried and compressed sawdust products - start with smaller fires to learn the burning characteristics of both the wood and how your stove and chimney system handles it.


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## Bushels20 (Oct 3, 2018)

Jazzberry said:


> It don't get much easier than a truck full of logs pulling up to your house and asking where do you want them? Most of there logs they cut have been standing dead for a while and never touched the ground. Then they thank you for taking them before they leave.



I have a good friend and who owns a tree company. When he is close to my home and it’s not a business loss for him (he can’t take the oak, maple or cherry and sell it to the Amish for furniture wood, he dumps the logs out back for me). My wife sends a picture to me and says “you got a delivery”. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning!


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## Bushels20 (Oct 3, 2018)

billb3 said:


> A lot of the "cedar" here is actually juniper and cypress.
> Regardless, it burns hot and fast just like eastern white pine.
> There's nothing magical, mystical or supernatural about it, it's firewood if it is seasoned well.
> As with any new/unfamiliar species of wood, but especially softwoods, kiln dried and compressed sawdust products - start with smaller fires to learn the burning characteristics of both the wood and how your stove and chimney system handles it.



Very good post. Season it. THEN, its firewood. I’m a young burner, relatively speaking but I have been browsing this site a while. The general consensus seems to be; season your wood, and burn it. Some people may argue on species and the quality of said species, but I don’t think you’re going to burn your house down with any wood, that’s seasoned.


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## WiscWoody (Oct 4, 2018)

dotman17 said:


> I'm not talking kindling.  That stuff is awesome.  I'm talking using cedar as splits and burning it in your stove as the primary fuel.  Dry cedar splits require no kindling... another great feature of burning it as the primary resource.


I know your not posting about kindling but I figured I’d put my $0.02 worth in. There’s a lot of hardwoods up here and pine too so I mix the softwoods in with the hardwood and it works for me, I never get any pitch in my chimney as long as the wood is dry- burn it and stay warm. And.... I like the crackle of cedar too.


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## dotman17 (Oct 5, 2018)

WiscWoody said:


> I know your not posting about kindling but I figured I’d put my $0.02 worth in. There’s a lot of hardwoods up here and pine too so I mix the softwoods in with the hardwood and it works for me, I never get any pitch in my chimney as long as the wood is dry- burn it and stay warm. And.... I like the crackle of cedar too.



I love your wood racks in your avatar.  Got schematics?  I use similar stuff but I seem to use about twice as many of the cinder blocks you do.


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## WiscWoody (Oct 10, 2018)

dotman17 said:


> I love your wood racks in your avatar.  Got schematics?  I use similar stuff but I seem to use about twice as many of the cinder blocks you do.


I use brackets sold by Menards and with those it’s just treated 2x4’s for the bottom and rack arms then I put 2x4’s from the bottom 2x4’s up to the arms for support. I’ve tried to make them without the braces but it seems to work better with them. I used to have to use the blocks where I used to live since the ground wasn’t level and if I built the racks too high, say... 6 foot they’d often fall but where I live now I’m on good flat ground and I’ve been building my racks 10’ Long and 6’ high with no problems.


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## dotman17 (Nov 9, 2018)

The snap, crackle, pop of an all cedar fire can't be beat either.


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## Busker (May 25, 2019)

When we moved here 10 years ago, there were old western red cedar logs that had not rotted in the bog. Although wet, they did not hold too much water. Split and partly dried, they burned beautifully: lovely flame, smell, popping, and long lasting (because of the remaining moisture). Now the cedar is gone, and I cut, split, stack, and burn what's fallen recently, before it rots. --If you're lucky enough to find some wet old cedar that's not rotted, try burning it only partly dry, as a luxury!


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## Kevin Weis (May 25, 2019)

dotman17 said:


> I'm not talking kindling.  That stuff is awesome.  I'm talking using cedar as splits and burning it in your stove as the primary fuel.  Dry cedar splits require no kindling... another great feature of burning it as the primary resource.



I would burn it without thinking about it if I needed no kindling to start it.  The only way to get it here is to hope for a roadside tree trimming crew to get into stand of it.  Seems nobody burns it here by choice.


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## dotman17 (May 26, 2019)

Yep. I had to cut down 3 trees near my house that shared the same root system and were starting to rot. I gave a lot away to a friend but kept one of them for myself. My wife (and I) love the snap, crackle, pop. The ONLY downside is I do load the firebox more frequently. It does burn faster but leaves little ash. I have another season of the stuff.


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## Bushels20 (May 27, 2019)

Makes great kindling too. Goes up like a match.


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