# Burning bark



## Stelcom66 (Oct 19, 2015)

I've got quite a bit of bark from the stumps I've been splitting. Most of it is currently damp, but after it dries is there any reason not to burn it?


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## johneh (Oct 19, 2015)

I use the bark after it dries for kindling
That is if I beat the wife to it she uses it for around her plants


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## English BoB (Oct 19, 2015)

Stelcom66 said:


> I've got quite a bit of bark from the stumps I've been splitting. Most of it is currently damp, but after it dries is there any reason not to burn it?



If the bark was on your splits would you burn it ?
I use dry bark as kindling, also fills gaps when overnight loading.

bob


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## lindnova (Oct 20, 2015)

Yes it will make good kindling, but not worth it for me. I use the good clean splintered pieces for my kindling. 

I use all the bark for mulch.  It is dusty and makes a mess; not worth bothering with for me unless some makes it in the house anyway.  I am putting the bark that falls off when moving to the shed in a hole I dug to mine out topsoil - topsoil runs about 4 feet deep in my backyard.  I figure I will have a pit of nice compost in a few years.


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## mass_burner (Oct 20, 2015)

lindnova said:


> Yes it will make good kindling, but not worth it for me. I use the good clean splintered pieces for my kindling.
> 
> I use all the bark for mulch.  It is dusty and makes a mess; not worth bothering with for me unless some makes it in the house anyway.  I am putting the bark that falls off when moving to the shed in a hole I dug to mine out topsoil - topsoil runs about 4 feet deep in my backyard.  I figure I will have a pit of nice compost in a few years.


Topsoil 4 ft deep? Is that right, we have sandy soil around here, sandy starts about 8"-12", if that.


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## Stelcom66 (Oct 20, 2015)

Never thought of using the bark as compost. I've used it in the stove as long as it's completely dry, seemed fine.


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## Jags (Oct 20, 2015)

I think you will find that bark in any real amounts is gonna be a smokier fire and leave quite a bit of ash.  To start fires, probably a non-issue, but as a fuel in any abundance...I'll pass.


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## Grisu (Oct 20, 2015)

My experience is similar to Jags. Lots of smoke, burns poorly, leaves lots of ash. Plus, contributes significantly to the mess when bringing the wood inside. I don't really peel it off but when it falls off before moving the wood into the house I take it. I use that bark then as mulch around my woodstacks and other places to keep the grass/weeds down.


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## maple1 (Oct 20, 2015)

I'm not sure about the compost part. Think I heard that too heavy on the wood part of the compost mix can deplete nitrogen. Which might be why our rhubarb took a downturn in health that year I put the sawdust to it.


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## Jags (Oct 20, 2015)

maple1 said:


> I'm not sure about the compost part. Think I heard that too heavy on the wood part of the compost mix can deplete nitrogen. Which might be why our rhubarb took a downturn in health that year I put the sawdust to it.


Once fully composted (back to dirt) the wood gives back the nitrogen that it sequestered during the rotting stage.


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## Fred Wright (Oct 20, 2015)

Bark is great for starting fires but it's gotta be bone-dry. The stuff absorbs moisture like a sponge.

We were late last year getting our wood worked up (3 years ahead). As a result, all the bark was peeling off the rounds. I tossed it into a pile, later broke it up in smaller pieces and stowed away in trash barrels. It burns fine, only need a couple pieces for fire starting.


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## Stelcom66 (Oct 20, 2015)

I've also had the bark peel off and I've been throwing it aside. I have also experienced more smoke, and wouldn't want to load the stove primarily with bark. Thanks for the information, I may reserve some for mulch and compost.


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## billb3 (Oct 20, 2015)

pine bark has almost no value nutrients wise and unlike sawdust doesn't rob nitrogen during decomposition because it decomposes  so darned slowly.
It makes up almost 30 percent of many potting soils you buy at the big box stores. Peat/pine bark/perlite. Some even use sewer treatment sludge as a nutrient source. Flowers thrive in the treated s h i t .
It holds moisture and nutrients.
Sawdust can be a nitrogen depleting problem because of the rate at which it decomposes.

I leave the bark for the forest. Return something besides ashes.


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## FishKiller (Oct 20, 2015)

in my experience, bark is fine for kindling. i actually pick up most of the bark and splintered wood around the splitter and put it in a box to dry. after a few days of splitting i have a good pile of great fire starter. never noticed extra smoke but things are always a bit smoky during start up though. on a side note, i got a ton of saw mill scraps a few years back (guy was nice enough to run em through the kiln too), so i was burning a lot bark heavy wood. it does create a lot of ash, but that was the only negative aspect i found.


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## Paulywalnut (Oct 20, 2015)

If it stays on the firewood fine. The stuff that falls off I use it for paths through my wood piles. Great traction in the winter.
Exception , would be oak bark. Anything oak burns very nice. It usually stays on the firewood anyway.


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## Wood Duck (Oct 20, 2015)

I use bark as mulch. It decomposes slowly and looks nice under shrubs.


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## jb6l6gc (Oct 21, 2015)

some gets used as mulch and some I put in a bin in the garage and use for starting


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## lindnova (Oct 21, 2015)

mass_burner said:


> Topsoil 4 ft deep? Is that right, we have sandy soil around here, sandy starts about 8"-12", if that.


Only deep in a few spots.  My backyard is in a fairly flat valley between 3 hills.  I am guessing there was a deeper valley at one time that filled in with grazing, farmyard and later plowed fields .  The topsoil has been eroding off the hills and depositing on the flat bottom there for many years.  It can vary from nothing to 4 ft.  The deep vein runs from my wood shed through my garden into the woods.  I actually dug out 3 ft under where my woodshed sits and found a spot for some concrete rubble.  Then used the topsoil around the yard as there wasn't much in the front when I built the house.  Never know what you get around here - topsoil, sand or solid rock.


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## David.Ervin (Oct 21, 2015)

If it's tight on the wood when it comes in, I burn it.  If it falls off, I toss it on the weeds around the woodshed and smash 'em down.


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## Stelcom66 (Oct 22, 2015)

I should collect it and keep it separate, then see what will be good for burning. Crazy weather here in New England, for the first time ever while mowing the lawn it was snowing lightly Sunday. Had the wood stove on during the weekend, since then I've been splitting wood while it's been in the 70's.


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## mass_burner (Oct 22, 2015)

I toss it aside and throw it into the chipper for mulch.


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## DougA (Oct 22, 2015)

This question came up last year and at the time I said that I always left the bark on the split unless it fell off. In the last month, I've been splitting a lot of dead oak and the bark is soaking wet. It often falls off but I am pulling everything off anyway, just to help the wood dry.  I have not had that problem previously and now understand why people debark when splitting.

Yes, the bark makes wonderful compost. Mix it in with your regular compost - you are composting - right ?????


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## Rossco (Oct 23, 2015)

Bark is ok if it's still on the wood. If not then burning it sole will produce a huge ash pile. 

Depends on the wood.


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## Stelcom66 (Oct 23, 2015)

DougA said:


> Yes, the bark makes wonderful compost. Mix it in with your regular compost - you are composting - right ?????



Yes I am composting - but haven't added bark to the compost which I will start doing.


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## BlueRidgeMark (Oct 23, 2015)

Jags said:


> I think you will find that bark in any real amounts is gonna be a smokier fire and leave quite a bit of ash.  To start fires, probably a non-issue, but as a fuel in any abundance...I'll pass.




Agreed.  Unless it's cedar bark, I don't even use it for kindling.   Not that there's any harm in it, mind you, it's just not worth the effort.   

I just picked up an old chipper-shredder for 50 bucks to deal with my bark supply.   It's going to find a new home on my pathways around here.


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