# Who else burns birch?



## kobudo (Nov 12, 2008)

In Northern Minnesota I have mainly birch and pine on my lot that I use for firewood.  There is a good deal of maple around I just don't have it on my property. 

When burning birch I try to pull some of the bark off before burning.  I was told it is bad for the woodstove pipe.  Does anyone else do this or do you just throw 'er in and let it burn?


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## Adios Pantalones (Nov 12, 2008)

Burn it BURN IT ALL!!  MWUHAHahahaaa

ya, I burn the bark.  It's also maybe natures absolute best fire starter material.

I love birch.


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## VTSR5 (Nov 12, 2008)

Throw 'er in and let 'er burn.


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## Custerstove (Nov 12, 2008)

Don't believe that nonsense - burn it all. The only advantage to removing bark is to allow the wood to dry faster without splitting the log. Apparently the bark can trap water moisture in the log. Ever notice that the center of a log is not always seasoned when you split wood?

Actually, if I remember correctly the center of the log is dry but the layer next to the bark is often un-seasoned?


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## Vic99 (Nov 12, 2008)

Birch is becoming one of my favorite species to process and burn.  Easy on the saw, easy to split.  Decent BTUs.

Strip off some of the bark so that the wood dries faster.  The bark is wicked good kindling when dry.  As long as it is dry it will not harm your stove.


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## ScottF (Nov 12, 2008)

I just burned up about a cord of birch recently that someone was disposing of because it was not hard enough wood for him.  All dry and cut up and I just needed to split.  It burned great bark and all and provided plenty of heat for over a month


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## Dill (Nov 12, 2008)

Before I found this site, I had never heard of removing bark. I don't have enough time to bother with that. 
Toss it in, more btus. I'll burn birch, if the tree needs to come down. Heck the last 2 years, I've burned alot of poplar cause thats what I needed to cut in order to make the garden bigger.


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## LLigetfa (Nov 12, 2008)

I'll burn Birch if Ash is not available but I peel off all the bark that I can.  Birch also has to be much dryer to burn well.  It will simply rot if not split and put under cover.


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## skinnykid (Nov 12, 2008)

I have a butt load of birch. I like it.

It burns well and heats just fine.


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## Wrigley (Nov 12, 2008)

Burn birch here all the time, bark and all -- no problemo.  Like any other wood the key is making sure it is dry!


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## MadTripper (Nov 13, 2008)

I have some in the stove as I type.  It is one of my favorite woods although it needs to be seasoned very well.  I had some unseasoned two years ago that tossed a lot of creasote out.  The stuff I have now actually has mushrooms growing out of it but after a week or two in the basement, it dries completely and burns great.  

I never heard of pulling the bark.  Black locust bark makes great kindling as well and that usually just falls off once it is seasoned.

Tripper


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## JustWood (Nov 13, 2008)

Whoever told you birch bark is bad for stove pipe,,,,,,,,   hunt him down and STUFF a fist full of curlies in his mouth and tell him I said  BS !  BURN IT ,  it is some great wood!


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## peakbagger (Nov 13, 2008)

I burn a lot of white birch and use it for my first logs after the kindling is burning. I frequently drop them in the winter and let them sit for a few months before getting around to cutting and splitting. I find that if I slit the bark down to the wood lengthwise with a chainsaw (twice on big logs), that when I do get around with dealing with it, that the bark has pulled away from the wood and can easily be left in the woods (except at branches). I have also found that if this is done the wood dries qucik and doesnt rot any faster than any other hardwood. I usually split it by hand and its goes well. Yellow birch also burns well but usualy needs a splitter as it can be real stringy. 

Be aware that its not worth cutting up the smaller branches unless you can split them, they usually start rotting before they dry out fully.


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## RedRanger (Nov 13, 2008)

Paper bark birch is like "gold" in these parts.  About as close to hardwood as we are ever gonna get?   Rare to score some of that stuff though %-P


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## Gooserider (Nov 13, 2008)

Birch is great burning stuff.  However, if you don't get it cut to stove length and split soon after you drop it, then get it under cover, it also rots really fast - that bark is a great moisture seal.  However I do save branches over 1" or so, even if I can't split them and they get a bit punky, they still make good kindling.

Gooserider


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## CowboyAndy (Nov 13, 2008)

We have a few different types of birch in our wood pile... yellow, paper, white and a little bit of grey. 
As long as it burns, i'll be happy.

this is our first year burning, and we started harvesting in april. When we first started, it was maple and maple only. no exceptions, all that birch will set fire to our chimney, burn down the house, pillage the fridge, key my car and knock up my daughter (says my father in law). it took us from april to august to get 6 cords. When I finally started taking everyone heres advice "it ALL burns" and stopped being so selective we harvested another 6 cords in a little more than a month.


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## mayhem (Nov 13, 2008)

Birch is a nice burning wood, but as noted above, its gotta be dry or it'll just sit and sizzle.  Leave the bark on when you split ti and stack it bark side down to aid in drying...bark side up on the very top layer and you barely need to put a tarp on your stack.  Remember birch bark is totally waterproof...the indians used to make canoes out of it for this reason.


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## breamer999 (Nov 13, 2008)

Wonderful stuff it is, has a sweetish smell to it when burning.  I prefer yellow birch to maple, and it has more BTU's than maple


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## homebrewz (Nov 13, 2008)

I peel off the white paper birch bark whenever I can.. because its too good to throw into the stove! 
I save it and use it to start fires. I was splitting some black birch this summer.. man, that stuff smells great.


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## gerry100 (Nov 13, 2008)

Indians made canoes of the bark.
That's why you need to split the larger stuff (> 6" dia), although I've had good luck not splitting, as long as it's covered and given a year to dry.


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## Adios Pantalones (Nov 13, 2008)

gerry100 said:
			
		

> Indians made canoes of the bark.
> That's why you need to split the larger stuff (> 6" dia), although I've had good luck not splitting, as long as it's covered and given a year to dry.



ya, split it or the injuns will steal it for canoe building.  Going to have to tell my Blackfoot friend about that- accusing the NDNs- huh!


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## flewism (Nov 13, 2008)

I have 1 cord plus in  the wood pile, as that's what in the insert right now roaring away. great wood to add to the coals when it get home for work. This the first year I've had birch but I will get some more. Mine was cut and split in March of this year and she is ready.


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## gerry100 (Nov 14, 2008)

They built canoes out of it due to the fact that it's not permeable by water.

That's why you'll find birch on the ground in the woods with the wood turned to mush and the bark intact.

If you keep it under cover and its' not to big, it will dry through the cut ends after a while.


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## Rich_CT (Nov 14, 2008)

I haven't burned any birch yet, but it sure looks like that will be my main source of heat next winter.  This past WE my dad and I cut down 3 black birches and 1 black cherry on my property.  I wasn't sure what to expect from the birch, so I sure am glad to see all the positive feedback re. how well it burns.  I'd have to say it is splitting fairly easily (with my 6lb maul). 

All of the trees that we cut down had quite a bit of rot at the base of the trunk.  I've got at least 2 more birches that have some rot that we'll cut down later this winter.  Anyone else seeing issues with birch and trunk rot?

Rich


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## Tfin (Nov 14, 2008)

Birch is great to burn....bark and all.


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## Adios Pantalones (Nov 14, 2008)

gerry100 said:
			
		

> They built canoes out of it due to the fact that it's not permeable by water.
> 
> That's why you'll find birch on the ground in the woods with the wood turned to mush and the bark intact.
> 
> If you keep it under cover and its' not to big, it will dry through the cut ends after a while.



I was just screwin with ya


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## kobudo (Nov 17, 2008)

I guess I won't bother to pull off the bark any longer.  I was concerned about the oil in the bark posing a problem with the pipe.  We do have a lot of paper birch on our lake lot so I am good to go.


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## chad3 (Nov 18, 2008)

I don't mind birch (and I have a Sh%T load of oak).  It actually burns very well, and makes a good base for some harder wood.  Downside, if you don't split it it will rot on you while in the round.  It goes quick as a whole.  Make sure you split it quick and you will like it.
Chad


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## jklingel (Nov 18, 2008)

Everyone in Interior Alaska burns birch; some wood snobs burn nothing but. Peel? Never heard of that for any species. When I get to burning, everything will have bark. Birch goes for $225 a cord, + or -.


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## Rich_CT (Nov 21, 2008)

Thought I'd follow up on a previous post with some pix of some of the birch on my property.  As I mentioned, I took down 3 sick birches recently.  I've included pix of some of the rot.  A pic of some nasty larvae I found when splitting and finally a pic of a standing birch that will be the next tree to meet my chainsaw.  

Any thoughts on what the larvae is whose home I wrecked?  Do you think that these bugs were the cause of the birch's ills -or- did they just find a nice home in an already diseased tree? 

Not sure I would've cared about all this a year ago... just part of my new found hearth/firewood obsession, I guess.

Rich


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## gyrfalcon (Nov 21, 2008)

Rich_CT said:
			
		

> I haven't burned any birch yet, but it sure looks like that will be my main source of heat next winter.  This past WE my dad and I cut down 3 black birches and 1 black cherry on my property.  I wasn't sure what to expect from the birch, so I sure am glad to see all the positive feedback re. how well it burns.  I'd have to say it is splitting fairly easily (with my 6lb maul).
> 
> All of the trees that we cut down had quite a bit of rot at the base of the trunk.  I've got at least 2 more birches that have some rot that we'll cut down later this winter.  Anyone else seeing issues with birch and trunk rot?
> 
> Rich



I have a fair amount of black birch in my mixed hardwood c/d/s cords, and it's quickly becoming one of my favorites.  Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears to be harder and longer-burning than paper (white) birch, and I think it resists rotting better.  Of all the split stuff I stacked out in sun and wind in late April/early May, it's dried the best and is most reliable about burning nicely.  I like it a lot, though the bark isn't as pretty.  It's dark gray, thin and doesn't peel.  If I have a split I'm not real sure of, I make sure to put one of the black birch in with it to make it behave.


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## LLigetfa (Nov 21, 2008)

Rich_CT said:
			
		

> I haven't burned any birch yet, but it sure looks like that will be my main source of heat next winter.  This past WE my dad and I cut down 3 black birches...


If you just cut them down, unless you have some ideal drying conditions and peel off most of the bark, it won't be ready for next winter.  More like the winter after next.


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## Rich_CT (Nov 22, 2008)

When I say next winter, I really mean the 2009-2010 burning season.  I've got about 5 seasoned cords left for the 2008-9 season.  Or are you trying to tell me that I need 2 summers  to season the birch?  I thought this would be fine to burn next season.

It's been so darn cold here the last week, it already feels like winter 

Rich


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## LLigetfa (Nov 22, 2008)

24 months unless you have ideal drying conditions.  I had a two year supply of Birch and the one year old stuff stored out of the weather in my woodshed with bark removed was not nearly as good as the two year old stuff.


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## gyrfalcon (Nov 22, 2008)

LLigetfa said:
			
		

> 24 months unless you have ideal drying conditions.  I had a two year supply of Birch and the one year old stuff stored out of the weather in my woodshed with bark removed was not nearly as good as the two year old stuff.



Two years for black birch split and stacked outside?  Boy, that sure wasn't my experience this year.  Split not too big, admittedly, but six months outside and it's burning beautifully.


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## jpl1nh (Nov 22, 2008)

There are 4 birches that are native here in the Northeast, grey, white, black, and yellow.  Grey and white look a lot alike.  Some people refer to paper birch and white birch as seperate species but they actually are the same tree.  Grey is mediocre to good fire wood, white is good fire wood, and black and yellow are really good fire wood with BTU's per cord close to the oaks.  All the birches have lots of volitile oils in their bark which make them both exceptionally water resistant and also quite combustible.  Black and yellow birch are both rich in oil of wintergreen which you can distinctively taste by chewing on young twigs. Native Americans used teas made from the different birches for a wide variety of medicinal purposes.


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## gyrfalcon (Nov 22, 2008)

Interesting.  Thanks for the info.  I had never even heard of black birch until I moved here to Vermont and started dealing with firewood.

Where does what's called River Birch fit into that?  Is that just another name for one of the four?

Also, do you know anything about the comparative longevity of those four species?  I know paper or white birch is supposed to be quite short-lived, as trees go.  Are all of them?


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## Rich_CT (Nov 22, 2008)

gyrfalcon said:
			
		

> LLigetfa said:
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well... since I won't have 24 months... I guess I'll have to go with smaller splits.

however, I am going to stack the wood in one of those miraculous holzhaufen's... so they should be fully seasoned in like 3 days or so ;-)

Rich


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## madrone (Nov 22, 2008)

Hey guys, I have some wood. Should I burn it? I'm not sure what will happen...


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## jpl1nh (Nov 22, 2008)

madrone said:
			
		

> Hey guys, I have some wood. Should I burn it? I'm not sure what will happen...


 :ahhh:


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## Vic99 (Nov 22, 2008)

gyr

In America, river birch (Betula nigra) looks a lot like white birch, sometimes called paper birch (B. papyrifera).  In lots of places, white birch is a common name used for all kinds of birches.

River birch peels a reddish/tan color.  Often peels thicker than white birch.

Not sure on how it stacks up BTU wise, but both white and gray 20.3 million BTU/cord.  Yellow is 23.6 and black is 26.8 according to Mr. Chimney Sweeps cool BTU page.

http://www.chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm

I think most people consider 20 MBTUs in the medium BTU range.  23 is high and above 25 is the good stuff.


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## jklingel (Nov 23, 2008)

As for the rotting birch and the bugs inside: I don't know what the grubs are, but, apparently, ALL of our birch rots from within. (Mostly white birch.) Every one I have cut that is over 12-14" or so a foot off the ground has signs of going bad. A landscaper who buys logs and turns them for paneling will not buy them much over 8-10" at the base, because of bad interiors. However, I have never heard of anyone giving a FRA about size when they burn them, and I have never heard of anyone peeling them, either. Drying time, everyone tells me, is one year, sometimes less, like if you have sapped the trees in the spring. Burn and enjoy. j


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## jpl1nh (Nov 23, 2008)

gyrfalcon said:
			
		

> .
> 
> Where does what's called River Birch fit into that? Is that just another name for one of the four?
> 
> Also, do you know anything about the comparative longevity of those four species? I know paper or white birch is supposed to be quite short-lived, as trees go. Are all of them?


 Oh yeah! River Birch. Growing up in NJ it grew wild along the brook in front of our house. My dad, a landscape architect, was always enamored with it. I thought it was ugly. The clumps of it growing bank side, always caught all the flotsam and jetsam from the brook flood stages and so it generally looked ratty. Doesn’t grow wild around here but the ornamental varieties have become one of my favorite trees, unique and beautiful in all seasons. Funny how I keep coming around to my Dad’s perspectives.    I’ve never burned it but imagine it would be at least as good as white birch. I’ll post a thread and see if anyone does burn it. As far as longevity, paper birch is a tree that takes over open spaces quickly but then looses out to other species in the long run and tends to be short lived. Same with grey. Yellow and Black, however hold there own and can get to be 150-200 years old though that's not typical as in oak. I'd imagine river birch is relatively short lived as well since it seldom, (at least in the central Atlantic) gets very large. I understand it can achieve decent size further south.


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## jklingel (Dec 2, 2008)

Regarding the grubs posted earlier: I just got this info from a prof bug killer and Ph D entomologist in Washington. I've heard of root rot (a few of my teeth have had the same....), but never knew it was apparently related to the core of the birches. FWIW: "These are beetle larvae, probably long horned beetles. They almost always are secondary pests of trees that are already sick. Your rot problems are probably a disease like Phytopthera root rot, the beetles follow the rot and can help kill the trees. Root rot is usually related to poor conditions for root growth." BTW: I have heard that if you squeeze those grubs to remove most of the feces, then boil them for 2 minutes, you can pop them right into stir fry  and have some good protein for almost free. Let us know how they are.


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## Rich_CT (Dec 3, 2008)

Thanks for the info on root rot and the beetle larvae.  

The finances are tight, but I don't think I'm ready to squeeze out the larvae poop just yet.

Rich


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## RedRanger (Dec 3, 2008)

gerry100 said:
			
		

> Indians made canoes of the bark.
> That's why you need to split the larger stuff (> 6" dia), although I've had good luck not splitting, as long as it's covered and given a year to dry.



Cheerokee`s also made paper to write on. aka, my ancestor`s from about 200 years ago.

Now, don`t go calling me a "savage",,  I am now dilluted to 1/8.  Sadly.

Anyway, round these parts it is considered "hardwood"  and is highly prized.


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## Gooserider (Dec 3, 2008)

sonnyinbc said:
			
		

> gerry100 said:
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Birch by definition is a "hardwood" as it is a deciduous tree - one that sheds it's leaves in the winter.  I've never understood why people wouldn't want to burn it, as most varieties do pretty well on the BTU/cord scale.  Maybe not as good as some of the oaks and other "super" woods, but definitely respectable and worth stuffing in the firebox...  I don't burn a lot of it, but only because I don't get much, not because I have any problems with it.

(IOW, If I can scrounge it, I grab it...)

Gooserider


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## cocey2002 (Dec 3, 2008)

Black Birch has higher BTU ratings than white oak on a few pages I looked through. I have a lot of them on my property but have not burned any yet.


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## CowboyAndy (Dec 3, 2008)

Im not even sure why people ask "should I burn XXX" questions. If you have wood, and dont want to burn it, drop it by my bouse.


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## gyrfalcon (Dec 3, 2008)

cocey2002 said:
			
		

> Black Birch has higher BTU ratings than white oak on a few pages I looked through. I have a lot of them on my property but have not burned any yet.



I'm becoming a big fan of black birch.  A fair amount of the c/d/s firewood I got this spring was black birch, and it turns out to season quickly and burn both easily and long.  Good stuff.


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## mikepinto65 (Dec 4, 2008)

Vic99 said:
			
		

> Birch is becoming one of my favorite species to process and burn.  Easy on the saw, easy to split.  Decent BTUs.
> 
> Strip off some of the bark so that the wood dries faster.  The bark is wicked good kindling when dry.  As long as it is dry it will not harm your stove.



Birch Beer is amazing also


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## pybyr (Dec 4, 2008)

mikepinto65 said:
			
		

> Vic99 said:
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I know it was originally made from the bark- but have never run into anyone who's still done that.  Have you, and can you fill us in on how, or point us to places?  thanks


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## mikepinto65 (Dec 4, 2008)

pybyr said:
			
		

> mikepinto65 said:
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There is a place in my home town that makes it. I still cruise down and buy some when i'm visiting the folks! I've never done so myself but i was able to find this online

http://www.writerbynature.com/2008/01/25/wild-food-recipe-birch-beer/

I may give this a shot this winter, i'd be curious to hear if anyone else trys it out


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## Der Fuirmeister (Jan 12, 2009)

mikepinto65 said:
			
		

> pybyr said:
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No you're getting me thursty.  I have some small birch (to young to cut but might make good beer).  I might look into that....


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## CowboyAndy (Jan 12, 2009)

I started dipping to some white birch...


ya, it burns...


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## syd3006 (Jan 12, 2009)

I just started burning wood Feb. of last year so this year is an experiment of sorts. I had on hand at the beginning of the heating season Poplar, Birch and Ash. I burned Poplar until mid December and since then have burned Birch. The Birch has been excellent for heating, it burns longer than the Poplar did. Toward the end of the week I am going to start to burn Ash and will be burning it for the remainder of the season.


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## Der Fuirmeister (Jan 12, 2009)

syd3006 said:
			
		

> I just started burning wood Feb. of last year so this year is an experiment of sorts. I had on hand at the beginning of the heating season Poplar, Birch and Ash. I burned Poplar until mid December and since then have burned Birch. The Birch has been excellent for heating, it burns longer than the Poplar did. Toward the end of the week I am going to start to burn Ash and will be burning it for the remainder of the season.




You will like the Ash if it's White Ash (used for baseball bats) or Black Ash (similar in appearance to Oak).  Green Ash is OK.  All should be seasoned of course.


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