# Pine: What to do with it?



## Skier76 (Apr 21, 2009)

We just purchased a weekend house in Southern VT. We're going to install a wood stove this spring/summer. (Piping and chimney is already there, previous folks took the stove with them). 

Currently, there's a pretty decent stack of pine logs in the back yard...I'd say anywhere from 18-14" long...12" or so in diameter. Problem is, they look a bit "old". I've been running around doing other things, but took a few seconds to give one a good whack with my maul....stuck right into it. 

I know pine isn't the best wood to burn; I plan on getting some hardwood and stacking it this summer to burn next season. But I'd also feel bad about wasting all this wood. I'm thinking of renting a splitter, and making a big collection of kindling. Since we'll be using this house a lot on the weekends, having some pine kindling to get things going could be a good thing. 

I will take some pics of the wood this weekend and post them up if needed. 

Any thoughts on my plan? I'm open to suggestions.


----------



## d.n.f. (Apr 21, 2009)

Some of us out west only burn pine.
Some in Alaska only burn pine.
Some in the Yukon only burn pine.

It burns fine.
If it is dry it burns really fine.
Dry pine will burn cleaner and with less creosote than any other wet wood.  I have burned pine all winter and have not had to clean my chimney in the spring.

It throws lots of heat.  It burns long in a cat stove.  It smells great.

It can be sticky though....


----------



## Bubbavh (Apr 21, 2009)

d.n.f. said:
			
		

> Some of us out west only burn pine.
> Some in Alaska only burn pine.
> Some in the Yukon only burn pine.
> 
> ...



+1


----------



## pulldownclaw (Apr 21, 2009)

Sometimes pine goes punky fast.  If it does it usually just shatters when you try to split it.  If so, us it for campfires or something.  If not.....

Split it.
Stack it off the ground.
Cover the top only, or not. (Some people say pine will soak up water)
Burn it next year.
Enjoy your getaway!


----------



## Skier76 (Apr 21, 2009)

Awesome! Thanks guys! I'm glad to know this pile won't go wo waste. Also, it's great to know I can use this for more than just kindling. 

I'll snap a few pics this week so you can see how much I have. 

Also, I have a few smaller dead pines on the property. They're not rotten, so they may make some good wood as well!


----------



## SlyFerret (Apr 21, 2009)

I like to have some pine on hand for the shoulder seasons.

I checked with Englander and was told that it's perfectly fine to burn in my 30-NC, as long as I'm running it properly, the secondary combustion system will still burn clean.

You can't damp pine down for an extended burn like you can with other types of wood, but it's great for a quick shot of heat to knock the chill off when you only want a short burn cycle.

-SF


----------



## Henz (Apr 21, 2009)

use it in your outdoor firepit. that is all I would do with it


----------



## Skier76 (Apr 21, 2009)

SlyFerret said:
			
		

> I like to have some pine on hand for the shoulder seasons.
> 
> I checked with Englander and was told that it's perfectly fine to burn in my 30-NC, as long as I'm running it properly, the secondary combustion system will still burn clean.
> 
> ...



That's good to know. So just burn it with the damper wide open?


----------



## daveswoodhauler (Apr 21, 2009)

Skier76 said:
			
		

> SlyFerret said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



If its dry, I wouldn't keep the damper wide open, as its going to burn real hot.


----------



## pinewoodburner (Apr 21, 2009)

Burn it, if it is dry it will burn just fine.
For longer burns, use larger splits than hardwood.
I get 6-8 hour burns with pine vs 10-12 hardwood with a cat stove.


----------



## MountainStoveGuy (Apr 21, 2009)

there are alot of myths out there about burning pine, like that it produces more creosote then hard woods, that it contains less btu's the hardwood. The truth is, the only difference between pine and hardwood is the density. The btu's/lb is higher in some species of pine then hardwoods. The problems of course with buying wood, is that its sold on volume not on weight, so if you are actually buying wood you are getting about half as many btu/cord as hardwood. That of couse changes as well, pine at my altitude is as hard as most hardwoods from the east. But all in all, most wood is consistant when it comes to btu/lb.


----------



## pinewoodburner (Apr 21, 2009)

MountainStoveGuy said:
			
		

> there are alot of myths out there about burning pine, like that it produces more creosote then hard woods, that it contains less btu's the hardwood. The truth is, the only difference between pine and hardwood is the density.



Don't give away my secret.  People won't burn pine so they give it away.  If they know the truth, I won't get as much free wood.


----------



## MountainStoveGuy (Apr 21, 2009)

my mouth is :zip:


----------



## Bubbavh (Apr 21, 2009)

pinewoodburner said:
			
		

> MountainStoveGuy said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



+1
Some people are so desperate to get rid of it around here they'll even drop it off!  
Now if I can just figure out how to get them to split and stack it!


----------



## d.n.f. (Apr 21, 2009)

Wow.

Burning pine causes genital herpes in your grandfather.  

He told me that once.


----------



## Pagey (Apr 21, 2009)

I burned a cord of white pine this past heating season.  The wood came from a decent stand of pine trees located around the large pond on my grandparents' cattle farm.  When split and seasoned, it tested anywhere from 12%-18% moisture content.  That stuff burned hot, fast, and clean.  I had no problems with creosote, contrary to ye olde wives' tale.  Like any other wood - proper seasoning and you're good to go.  I would love to have another cord for the coming shoulder season heating needs!  You could barely touch that stuff to even a mild coal bed and you'd have a huge fire in just minutes!  Great for morning restarts.


----------



## Skier76 (Apr 21, 2009)

That's good to know about the restarts or starting a fire. Since this is a weekend place, getting it warm in a hury will be a nice bonus. 

This thread delivered! I was just hoping to find out if I could use the wood for kindling. Now I may have to fix that chainsaw that was given to me and start helping neighbors withe pine blow downs!


----------



## Pagey (Apr 21, 2009)

My dad is about to buck up 2 cords of black pine (it's a little more dense than the white pine).  I'm looking forward to getting it split and stacked.  I'm a big fan of pine.


----------



## North of 60 (Apr 21, 2009)

SlyFerret said:
			
		

> You can't damp pine down for an extended burn like you can with other types of wood.
> 
> -SF



Why not?


----------



## MountainStoveGuy (Apr 21, 2009)

north of 60 said:
			
		

> SlyFerret said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I assure you you can, i do it just about every night. I get 8-14 hour burns out of my mansfield that has never seen a piece of hardwood.


----------



## North of 60 (Apr 21, 2009)

MountainStoveGuy said:
			
		

> north of 60 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Exactly Thats all I got. Shoulder season and beyond. For me, due to my CAT stove it smolders just as good as any wood. Always seasoned is the key.


----------



## BrowningBAR (Apr 21, 2009)

So, what is the length of time needed to season pine?

12 months? 18? 24?

Does it take less time than wood that is more dense?


----------



## North of 60 (Apr 21, 2009)

That will all depend on climate etc...Even type of pine. Iam sure northern pine will be denser than southern as an 8" tree can be 20 to 50 years old here.


----------



## moosetrek (Apr 21, 2009)

Geez, all you Easterners want us to freeze?  So far we've made it through the season with almost entirely pine.  Our Englander doesn't know there's other kinds of wood out there, so shhh!  As mentioned, out here in the West there's pine, pine, and even more pine.  Forest Service permit, truck, trailer, and chain saw and off you go!  I'm pretty sure we've had to damper down the stove, about every night.  It burns fine, and when dry will easily throw enough heat for us to keep the windows open.  Since our oak forest won't be ready for harvest for another... Yeah right!  There's so much beetle-killed standing dead pine I can't imagine burning anything else; so far no creosote probs other than the spark arrestor on the chimney cap from a couple loads of not-too-dry wood.


----------



## smokinj (Apr 21, 2009)

just finised a pine tree last night the smoke smells funny because This was the frist time that ever burnt it.My dad always said not to but after reading the post I gave it a shoot work out well enough that i would do it again but  that pine tar sucks


----------



## Todd (Apr 21, 2009)

smokinj said:
			
		

> that pine tar sucks



That's what I hate too, it gets all over everything. If I happen to come across an easy score of Pine I'll take it, but won't go out of my way for it.


----------



## fossil (Apr 21, 2009)

BrowningBAR said:
			
		

> So, what is the length of time needed to season pine?
> 
> 12 months? 18? 24?
> 
> Does it take less time than wood that is more dense?



Since there are somewhere around 115 different species of Pine, you'd really have to be more specific.  Rick


----------



## jadm (Apr 21, 2009)

I am a Westerner and have used pine for years.  Burned with it in our cabin growing up and still use it the way my dad did then.  

I use it to get the fire going in the morning- 2 smaller sized splits and then I put a piece of hardwood on top of that once it gets going.  Heats everything up really quickly especially when using the Super Cedar fire starters. 

Once I have a hot fire going I do use hardwoods because, for me, they burn longer - I get more for my money.  A cord of pine will last me 3 or 4 years.  I go through about 3 cords of hardwoods per winter.


----------



## eernest4 (Apr 21, 2009)

I been burning mixed loads of pine & hardwood for 5 years now. I like the pine because it kindles up two or 3 times faster than hardwood to a big blaze. 
When I get a load of predominately hardwood in the stove, I am wondering why it takes 3 times longer to get into a big blaze until i remember that there is no pine wood in the stove.

pine equals big hot fire really fast, like a race car and hardwood equals hard to start, long time kindling up to a blaze but lasts a long time once you get it going good,like an old desial truck that dont want to start easily.

I like mixed loads of hardwood & pine the best because I get the best of both worlds, a fast and easy start with some long time staying power once the hardwood finally decides it is hot enough to want to burn.

You have to watch(decrease as appropiate) the primary air with pine as it burns hot & fast 
with not a lot of air & you may or may not have to readjust the primary air for the slower burning hardwood. I usually check my stove at 10 to 15 minute interavels to insure that the primary air is appropiately adjusted to the way that the stove is burning. after the fire has settled down to red embers, i set the stove for overnight burn and don't check it but once an hour.

Once you are down to red embers, the wood is too spent to be able to be dangerious in respect to a too open primary air setting.


----------



## myzamboni (Apr 21, 2009)

Adirondackwoodburner said:
			
		

> use it in your outdoor firepit. that is all I would do with it



Pine likes to spit in an open air condition (fireplace/firepit).  It is much more mellow in a woodstove (at least until you open the door and start poking it).


----------



## Bigg_Redd (Apr 21, 2009)

Skier76 said:
			
		

> We just purchased a weekend house in Southern VT. We're going to install a wood stove this spring/summer. (Piping and chimney is already there, previous folks took the stove with them).
> 
> Currently, there's a pretty decent stack of pine logs in the back yard...I'd say anywhere from 18-14" long...12" or so in diameter. *Problem is, they look a bit "old". I've been running around doing other things, but took a few seconds to give one a good whack with my maul....stuck right into it. *
> 
> ...



What does this mean?  Is it punky?  Is your maul a POS?  Did you take a weak-sister cut at it? 

If the wood is sound burn it in your stove.  If it's punky burn it outside.


----------



## Bigg_Redd (Apr 22, 2009)

SlyFerret said:
			
		

> I like to have some pine on hand for the shoulder seasons.
> 
> I checked with Englander and was told that it's perfectly fine to burn in my 30-NC, as long as I'm running it properly, the secondary combustion system will still burn clean.
> 
> ...



Yes you can.


----------



## Bigg_Redd (Apr 22, 2009)

BrowningBAR said:
			
		

> So, what is the length of time needed to season pine?
> 
> 12 months? 18? 24?
> 
> Does it take less time than wood that is more dense?



3-4 months.


----------



## Stevebass4 (Apr 22, 2009)

spoke with my log guy last weekend and asked if he had any pine 

he's gonna drop 3 cord worth of logs for free in the next week 

figure it will be great for the shoulder seasons and getting the fire going in the winter


----------



## North of 60 (Apr 22, 2009)

Bigg_Redd said:
			
		

> BrowningBAR said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



If you have your own kiln to finish it off to bring it down below 18% moisture content.  3-4 months just allows you to burn it. You can save up to a couple of cords a year with burning dryer wood that is SEASONED . Less draft open to get the same heat= longer burn times.
N of 60


----------



## madrone (Apr 22, 2009)

Adirondackwoodburner said:
			
		

> use it in your outdoor firepit. that is all I would do with it



Your loss.


----------



## Bigg_Redd (Apr 22, 2009)

north of 60 said:
			
		

> Bigg_Redd said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



*sigh*

ok.


----------



## North of 60 (Apr 22, 2009)

Good evening Redd. Glad you finally agree. I just wanted to be as stubborn as you. :lol: I will stop now. Cheers
N of 60


----------



## CowboyAndy (Apr 22, 2009)

People have to stop starting these threads... pretty soon people will stop giving me free pine!


----------



## Henz (Apr 22, 2009)

madrone said:
			
		

> Adirondackwoodburner said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I dont think so. I jsut dont burn softwood when I have 50 acres with a lifetime supply of hardwood. Softwood to me is outdoor wood and camp wood. Its not worth the time and effort I would need to put into it for what I would get out of it in the winter months when I have hardwood...plain and simple.


----------



## CowboyAndy (Apr 22, 2009)

Adirondackwoodburner said:
			
		

> madrone said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I'm with you in a way... we get our firewood off a 400 acre farm, 200 acres of woods with lota of maple, hickory, birch, ash, popple and pine. even though we could have cut 100% maple and hickory, this year we cut 60% ash because it was so accessable and easy. we did 10 cords in just a few days because we were attacking 20" 100' ash trees. makes it pretty easy.


----------



## Henz (Apr 22, 2009)

YUPPERS, AND YOU HAD SOME HEAVY DUTY HELP i SEE TOO!


----------



## SolarAndWood (Apr 22, 2009)

Adirondackwoodburner said:
			
		

> madrone said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Those Adirondack pines and firs make great kindling, get a hot fire going quickly, take the chill off an August evening and make spectacular camp fires.  I have found that ours split and stack with a lot less effort and time than our hardwoods.  However, I can't fault you for using those abundant hardwoods when it comes time to heat the house as I do the same thing.


----------



## Hurricane (Apr 22, 2009)

Just split and stack it. When it is dry make the decision. I say if it is not rotten burn it. 
If you ever burned 2X4 scraps and saw how hot they burned that was most likely some variant of pine.


----------



## MountainStoveGuy (Apr 22, 2009)

here is what happens when you go to clean your chimney when you burn the evil pine...
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/1598/


----------



## Skier76 (Apr 23, 2009)

MountainStoveGuy said:
			
		

> here is what happens when you go to clean your chimney when you burn the evil pine...
> https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/1598/



ShamWow! It turns to olives! I'm definitely burning pine.... ; )


----------



## MountainStoveGuy (Apr 23, 2009)

Hurricane said:
			
		

> Just split and stack it. When it is dry make the decision. I say if it is not rotten burn it.
> If you ever burned 2X4 scraps and saw how hot they burned that was most likely some variant of pine.


most of the 2x4's around here are doug fir. The reason they burn so hot is one they are kiln dried to about 5% moister content, and there is lots of surface area so you get a high fuel to air ratio. Kiln dried lumber can destroy a stove, good ole split pine cant.


----------



## CowboyAndy (Apr 23, 2009)

MountainStoveGuy said:
			
		

> Hurricane said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Ive been burning kiln dried dimensional lumber and pallets all season. if you use them in moderation they are perfectly fine. i use 2-3 pieces of lumber , let em burn for 10-15 min or so then add hardwood. voila, instant heat. and if you call now, we'll throw in a happy wife and kids at no charge!


----------



## North of 60 (Apr 23, 2009)

MountainStoveGuy said:
			
		

> Hurricane said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



The BK will smolder a full load of that stuff with no problem.  They recommend 12%mc or less. Any full blazing load I have had can rid the visible flames within a minute after turn down.  The smoke will roll in the stove for hours feeding the CAT.


----------



## SmokinPiney (Apr 24, 2009)

We're pretty much out of seasoned hardwoods now so im lettin my dad burn whats left of the oak. Im burnin some nicely seasoned pine splits we have around for backup. It's burnin nice and hot and I do love the smell of burnin pine! :coolsmile:


----------



## jeff6443 (Apr 29, 2009)

My (son in law )   yea I know we are stuck with them .  Is a fireman emt haz mat rescue me kinda guy . Had cut pine logs on him property. He was takeing it to the  dump'
 Told him to drop it off 4 f 150 truck loads cut bark off . I split some  burns fine . He told me not to call when my house burns down . Told my daugther I was dumb.
 I explained to her about dry wood , She s smart enough to listen to POPA. ( yea I know We are never wrong ) Then I thanked her for the wood .Took her to lunch . Let him think I  stupied 
 Give me some more  great shoulder season burn .


----------



## firefighterjake (Apr 30, 2009)

Dumbfishguy said:
			
		

> My (son in law )   yea I know we are stuck with them .  Is a fireman emt haz mat rescue me kinda guy . Had cut pine logs on him property. He was takeing it to the  dump'
> Told him to drop it off 4 f 150 truck loads cut bark off . I split some  burns fine . He told me not to call when my house burns down . Told my daugther I was dumb.
> I explained to her about dry wood , She s smart enough to listen to POPA. ( yea I know We are never wrong ) Then I thanked her for the wood .Took her to lunch . Let him think I  stupied
> Give me some more  great shoulder season burn .



Send him to me . . . I'll set him straight . . . although if he lives in NJ he'll probably just think I'm a dumb hick firefighter in Podunk, Maine.   . . . and if he did listen to me it might mean the end of your free wood, so on second thought just let him think you're stupid and keep the free wood coming . . . or better yet let him think you're stupid and convince him that the best solution for him to keep his in-laws safe if for him to provide you with good, well-seasoned hardwood.


----------



## Skier76 (May 1, 2009)

Well thanks a lot guys! I've walked our property up north and found a few smaller pines that are on their way out. This has also inspired me to fix up a Homelite saw someone donated to me a few years back. I can already see where this is going. : )


----------



## Skier76 (May 4, 2009)

I split some of the pine this weekend. It doesn't split that evenly. It almost looks like the stuff pictured in the "ID this knarly stuff…  " thread. Think it's past it's prime? I may rent a splitter, split, stack it and hope for the best.


----------



## TreePapa (May 4, 2009)

Skier76 said:
			
		

> I split some of the pine this weekend. It doesn't split that evenly. It almost looks like the stuff pictured in the "ID this knarly stuff…  " thread. Think it's past it's prime? I may rent a splitter, split, stack it and hope for the best.



I've had some pine that was tougher than &#(( to split -- really stringy, especially when green, or not at least 1/2 way seasoned. I have two strategies for that wood (1 - preferred method) rent a splitter, prefably hort./vert and run in the vert. mode, or (2) let it dry out 'till it gets some nice seasoning cracks and really wack at it with the maul. If I had a chainsaw (and PPE), I could probably add (3) cut the logs in half so they're nice and short, then wack at them with the maul.

I'm trying to get away from the rental method due to economics, so that leaves axes, wedges, and mauls (oh my). I'll let you know how that goes!

Peace,
- Sequoia


----------



## Skier76 (May 5, 2009)

The problem with this stuff isn't being green...it's probably been sitting in the pile for a few years. I'll take some pics of it this weekend for you guys.


----------



## Wood Duck (May 5, 2009)

I have some Eastern White Pine in my pile that splits really easily, and some that splits only with a lot of effort. The wood is from the same trees. The difference is the number of knots in the wood. Really knotty White Pine can be a pain to split. There is nothing rottten about the wood, it just doesn't split well. I am sure it will burn well, and maybe the knotty pieces will burn even better than the straight ones, since I get the impression the wood is denser and pitchier in the knots.


----------



## firefighterjake (May 5, 2009)

Wood Duck said:
			
		

> I have some Eastern White Pine in my pile that splits really easily, and some that splits only with a lot of effort. The wood is from the same trees. The difference is the number of knots in the wood. Really knotty White Pine can be a pain to split. There is nothing rottten about the wood, it just doesn't split well. I am sure it will burn well, and maybe the knotty pieces will burn even better than the straight ones, since I get the impression the wood is denser and pitchier in the knots.



+1 . . . White pine is a very branchy tree and as a result you will end up with quite a few knots in pine which can be a bugger when hand splitting . . . whereas rounds with sections where there were no branches can result in easy, smooth splits. 

As Wood Duck said, there is nothing wrong with the wood . . . in fact I would suspect you'll be getting some wicked good fires . . . they will not last as long as fires fueled by some good hardwood but they should run fast and hot . . . just watch the temps when you get ready and don't load the firebox up chocker blocker full.


----------



## CowboyAndy (May 5, 2009)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

> Wood Duck said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I cut alot of ash this year, and have found that it is similar to pine when splitting. when it is straight, it splits nice. but when there are branches, watch out! I didnt have any problems like this with maple at all.


----------



## Skier76 (May 11, 2009)

I took some pics this weekend of the pile and what I split. I used a Stanley maul I picked up about 7 or 8 years ago. I haven't split wood in ages and forgot how fun/relaxing it can be. 

Some of this stuff was tough to split. The knotty ones were a real bear! Wet wood was interesting too. Nothing like the maul going into the log about 1.5" and oozing water around the edges of penetration. 

Most of this stuff looked pretty good..which impressed me. As you can see, that stuff was piled years ago; and has collected a lot of leaves and pine needles. I plan on splitting and stacking the reast over the next few weeks. I was going to rent a splitter, but I think a few hours with the maul will take care of business.


----------



## Skier76 (May 11, 2009)

More...

I took some close ups of some stuff that didn't look like the other pine. It had pine like bark, but the inside was almost redish. I thought cedar, but it didn't have much of a smell to it at all.


----------

