# Need help from Southern Burners about Southern Yellow Pine



## jackofalltrades (Mar 1, 2011)

I was raised to not burn pine, but on here you see some people talk about burning it with no problems. The concern I have is if they are burning our pine(Southern Yellow Pine) or Eastern White Pine which is nothing like ours. I have two large ones that have died and are on the ground, but I need to make a decision to cut them for firewood or whatever else I decide to do with them. I would like to hear some personal experiences with burning Southern Yellow Pine.


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## Wood Duck (Mar 1, 2011)

The only problem with your pines might be that they are getting rotten, not that they are pine. Well seasoned pine, southern or otherwise, will but perfectly safely in a wood stove. It does tend to get hot quickly compared to hardwood, especially compared to poorly seasoned hardwood, so if you have a chimney coated with creosote, and you load up the stove with pine and set the air controls the same way you do with hardwood, the pine might get hotter and ignite the creosote. This is my theory on why people think pine causes chimney fires. Pines have a lot of fast burning stuff in them (for example, the stuff turpentine is made of) which i think is what makes it light up and burn so hot.

I agree Eastern White Pine is different than southern pine. We do have other pines up here, such as Pitch Pine, Virginia Pine, and a lot of the more northern and western pines that have wood a lot more similar to southern pines than to Eastern White Pine. I think 'yellow' pines, which include the southern pines, are nicer to burn than Eastern White Pine because the Eastern White Pine seems lighter and seems to burn faster than yellow pines. They are similar, but I'd take the yellow pine if I had to choose.

If you cut, split, and stack it now the pine should be in fine shape to burn this fall 2011.


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## mayhem (Mar 1, 2011)

Any species or variety of tree can be safely burned in a wood stove...provided you dry it properly.

You'll get alot more creosote buildup from burning 1 year seasoned oak that 1 year seasoned southern yellow pine due to the higher moisture content.

Wood is wood...some is denser adn has a higher btu content per unit volume, but it all burns just fine when its been properly dried.  I would have no hesitation to cut up, split and stack your pine for next season.  Don't think for a moment that its seasoned now since its been dead for awhile...wood basically does not season in the round at all, it has to be split open to expose the heartwood in order for it to dry properly.


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## bertrn (Mar 1, 2011)

I have heard all my life that you should not burn pine due to it causing chimney fires. I guess its a Southern thing, however after reading on this forum I am going to try it out this fall. Did your trees die due to Pine beetles? After losing 3 I now cut them down as soon as I see evidence of infestation and I believe this has helped diminish the spread. I am curious if anyone has experience burning beetle damaged pine.


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## jackofalltrades (Mar 1, 2011)

These trees were out in the pasture totally separate from any other pines and they were not close to one another either. I don't think it was beetles because of that. Usually they spread through trees that would not have been possible likw this. We have had some real drought over the last few years and I think it finally took its toll on these. Although we did have a lot of rain last summer; I just dont think they ever caught up or too much stress or something. They were both really big trees; a 36" bar barely went through them.


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## mayhem (Mar 1, 2011)

BertRN said:
			
		

> I have heard all my life that you should not burn pine due to it causing chimney fires. I guess its a Southern thing.



No its not a southern thing...this myth is everywhere.  Like most myths it does have a basis in fact...lots of chimney fires from people burning unseasoned pine.  Cut it, split and let it dry for the summer adn you'll be fine.  Cut it, split it and throw it in your stove now and you're asking for it.


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## billb3 (Mar 1, 2011)

I've only burned a little bit of kiln dried construction cut-offs s. white pine.
Seems denser than  fir, hemlock and eastern white pine.


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## JeffRey30747 (Mar 1, 2011)

I burn pine mixed with hardwood during the fall and spring, It is SYP, usually loblolly which is probably the same thing you have in northern MS unless you find a few of the native varieties. There are few of the short needled natives still around here but as the timber companies replant with loblolly year after year, it becomes increasingly prevalent. I split it and let it season a year or more. It lights off super fast and easy making night time fires very easy to start. The glass sometimes darkens a little more with the pine but it burns off with the next fire if I don't clean it off first and I have found no noticeable increase in creosote.


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## pyper (Mar 1, 2011)

jackofalltrades said:
			
		

> I would like to hear some personal experiences with burning Southern Yellow Pine.



It burns well if it's seasoned. Our house is build of Southern Yellow, and I've burnt rough cut studs removed from remodel projects. That's hard wood (not hardwood, it's softwood, but it's really hard ;-) ). You can't drive nails into it without pre-drilling and screws will break.

I was burning some, and my wife says, wow, oak sure does burn well, doesn't it. I actually thought it _was_ oak based on how heavy it was, until I cut into it. No mistaking the smell of pine, even after 70 years.


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## BrotherBart (Mar 2, 2011)

Cut it fresh, not laying on the ground rotting for years, and season it over a year and the stuff is great firewood. The mistake most people make is either only burning old rotting pine or burning it too soon just because it will burn.


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## Heaterhunter (Mar 2, 2011)

You don't have to burn it all as firewood.  I've got a some pine out back I need to C/S.  My plan is to cut in 16" lengths, and split once or twice depending on how big the log is to season it.  As I need kindling throughout the winter I can grab a split and split down to kindling size.  I won't have to think about kindling for 3 or 4 years %-P


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## BurnIt13 (Mar 2, 2011)

Its an old myth, especially in the east.  I just had an argument with my boss just a few minutes ago.  I tried to point out that West/North of the rockies.....there is (almost) no such thing as hard wood.  What do you think....they have been shipping the oak in from New England for the past 300 years?  He wouldn't hear it.....stubborn as they come.

BURN IT!


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## jackofalltrades (Mar 3, 2011)

I appreciate the responses but I think its important to clearify Southern Yellow Pine from other pine. It is not all the same. That is why I ask Southern burners specifically. In the North you don't have this tree; the pine you do have is not near as rusinous as this tree. I am not familar enough with the Western varieties to make a comment on those. I know all wood will burn but I don't want to take an unnecessary chance just to burn it. Thats why I was asking for people who had specifically burnt it. Some of you have and thats great to hear from you. Thanks for everyone's thoughts.


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## WhitePine (Mar 4, 2011)

jackofalltrades said:
			
		

> I appreciate the responses but I think its important to clearify Southern Yellow Pine from other pine. It is not all the same. That is why I ask Southern burners specifically. In the North you don't have this tree; the pine you do have is not near as rusinous as this tree. I am not familar enough with the Western varieties to make a comment on those. I know all wood will burn but I don't want to take an unnecessary chance just to burn it. Thats why I was asking for people who had specifically burnt it. Some of you have and thats great to hear from you. Thanks for everyone's thoughts.



Southern Yellow Pine is not a single species, but a group of pines with similar characteristics. The exact members of the Southern Yellow Pine group depend on which "authority" you consult. The broadest definition I have come across includes Black, Jack, Jersey, Longleaf, Loblolly, North Carolina, Oldfield, Slash, Shortleaf, and  Virginia Pines. Some of the these southern pines grow as far north as New York state. Not all of them grow in all parts of the South. 

If you can identify the exact species that concerns you, someone might be able to speak specifically to burning it.


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## WoodpileOCD (Mar 4, 2011)

WhitePine said:
			
		

> jackofalltrades said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



With a screen name like that, I'd say you have found your authority.  :lol:


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## jackofalltrades (Mar 7, 2011)

Loblolly would be the trees in question here. We do still have  few shortneddle pines around but very few.


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## WhitePine (Mar 7, 2011)

WoodpileOCD said:
			
		

> With a screen name like that, I'd say you have found your authority.  :lol:



Not me! The only reason I knew that was from trying to figure out what all I have on my property. I've got a few species identified, but I've got a long way to go with the rest. There are a _lot_ of different trees in an East Tennessee mixed hardwood forest.


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