# Birch drying time?



## Pine Knot (Aug 17, 2010)

This spring while clearing for a new fence I cut some trees and piled them aside for fire wood. Among them were a couple 10"-12" birch. This morning I started cutting them for wood, the oak was pretty good but the Birch was still running water when I sunk a splitter in it. After it's split how long does it take to dry? It sure does smell good.


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## Jags (Aug 17, 2010)

12 months of split and stacked will do the trick nicely.


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 17, 2010)

Once the birch is split it can dry out fast. I'd say if they are split and stacked now you might be good to burn them shortly after Christmas.


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## smokinj (Aug 17, 2010)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> Once the birch is split it can dry out fast. I'd say if they are split and stacked now you might be good to burn them shortly after Christmas.



+1 river birch I know is really fast.


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## Jags (Aug 17, 2010)

Black birch can be a little tougher to dry out.  The 12 mo. statement above was a safety net to catch them all.


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## Battenkiller (Aug 17, 2010)

The great smell indicates that it is probably black birch.  Great firewood that will dry in one year no problem once split.


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## Pine Knot (Aug 17, 2010)

As I split it I think I will toss it in a pile by it's self and let it "weather" awhile.


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## Vic99 (Aug 18, 2010)

White/Paper birch has a nice smell when split.  Black birch smells of wintergreen, also pleasing.


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## peakbagger (Aug 18, 2010)

I routinely cut White Birch in February and burn it in December. It has to be split as soon as cut and smaller splits are better. I store it undercover. I find that yellow birch takes longer.


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## mikepinto65 (Aug 18, 2010)

Vic99 said:
			
		

> White/Paper birch has a nice smell when split.  Black birch smells of wintergreen, also pleasing.


 I love that wintergreen smell in black birch


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## Battenkiller (Aug 18, 2010)

mikepinto65 said:
			
		

> Vic99 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Makes ya want to chew a stick of gum, doesn't it?


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## roddy (Aug 18, 2010)

birch dries quite fast,but it has to be split,the bark in all species of birch has real water retention qualities,birch rots on the ground real fast(water retention)drys in the stack real nice

rod


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## Pine Knot (Aug 18, 2010)

This had the wintergreen smell.


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## WOODBUTCHER (Aug 18, 2010)

Pine Knot said:
			
		

> This had the wintergreen smell.



Black Birch smells like Birch Beer and will make ya thirsty. Yellow Birch has the same type of smell but no where near as good as BB.
BB gets my vote next to Hickory, 12 months should do for seasoning. A few years back I burned some after 8 months c/s/s.
It ignites very fast. BB gets my Oslo up to 650 quicker than our 660 can buck logs.


Post some bark pics I bet you have BB

WoodButcher


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## cmonSTART (Aug 19, 2010)

+1 on the birch drying fast.  I love the stuff.  The bark makes great fire starter too.


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