# How well does BIRCH burn?



## woodburn (Aug 13, 2008)

I was just offered some birch wood.  I have always burned mostly oak and cherry.  I know birch probably won't compare to those, but is it still a choice wood?  I checked out the main informational article about heat values in wood, but I also wanted feedback from people here who have burned it.  I am not sure if it's white birch, paper birch, or yellow birch.  I live on Long Island if that helps.


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## EatenByLimestone (Aug 13, 2008)

I've heard about that Long Island Birch.  I've heard it's pretty good firewood.

Matt


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## RedRanger (Aug 13, 2008)

If you are a predomantily softwood burner, then paper birch is a "treasure to behold"..


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## woodburn (Aug 13, 2008)

So even though it may not be oak, it's still some good stuff?  I think white birch may be the same as paper birch.  I was just searching online and found some pictures of paper birch- the pictures I see look like the only birch I have seen around here- they have a white papery bark that likes to flake off.


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## woodburn (Aug 13, 2008)

Well, I guess I just identified it- white birch and paper birch are the same thing according to http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/whiteb.html  Anyone interested can check this site.  So, what do we think about white/paper birch for burning?


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## begreen (Aug 13, 2008)

I'd take it in a heartbeat. As a matter of fact, send it out to me.


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## Noah (Aug 13, 2008)

It better burn, that's all we have around here, well that and spruce but the birch burns longer.  I have never burned anything else, I wish I could get my hands on a pile of oak.


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## Todd (Aug 13, 2008)

White/Paper Birch is good firewood, it will burn similar to your Cherry. Yellow and Black Birch is even better.


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## donatello (Aug 13, 2008)

It doesn't just burn nice, but smells GREAT  %-P ! My wife caught me sniffing BIRCH once :red: , how embarrassing...


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## mayhem (Aug 13, 2008)

About half the wood I burned last year was white birch...burns just fine.  The bark is a great starter (or restarter after an overnight burn) too...goes up like napalm.

Its not oak and it doesn't have the same btu's, but it burns fine and produces good heat without monster ash piles.


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## gerry100 (Aug 13, 2008)

We've got a lot of white birch on the property, not as good as oak but not bad.

Burns fine if you let it dry.

Bark is water proof ( the indians made caonoes out of it), so make sure you split the larger pieces so it can dry.

The dry bark makes great fire starter, like  hot intense newspaper.


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## cmonSTART (Aug 13, 2008)

The bark takes a flame really easily because of the oil content.  I use it as kindling all the time.  I actually save the stuff.


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## Adios Pantalones (Aug 13, 2008)

Name one wood that doesn't burn, or burns badly.


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## Jay777 (Aug 13, 2008)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

> Name one wood that doesn't burn, or burns badly.


Woodpecker.


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## Vic99 (Aug 13, 2008)

"Name one wood that doesn’t burn, or burns badly."

Exactly.  Cherry and white birch have nearly the same BTUs, 20 million/cord.  When you remove the extremes of the scale (osage, cedar), white birch is in the middle of the pack BTU wise.

Birch has a slightly sweet smell and looks good on the indoor rack.  It tends to dry fast.

Birch should be split and stacked shorty after it's down because it tends to rot faster than most species.  If that's not practical, at least buck it into larger pieces and put it on pallets off the ground, especially with all this rain some of us have had.


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## Adios Pantalones (Aug 13, 2008)

Jay777 said:
			
		

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Touche!


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## Jay777 (Aug 13, 2008)

Adios Pantalones said:
			
		

> Jay777 said:
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Yeah, those feathers smolder something awful.


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## ScottF (Aug 13, 2008)

_Adios Pantalones - 13 August 2008 09:14 AM
Name one wood that doesn’t burn, or burns badly._

IPE or ironwood .  Supposively is fireproof due to its extreme density.  It is supposed to have the same fireproof rating as concrete.


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## Adios Pantalones (Aug 13, 2008)

LOL-well, considering it doesn't grow on this continent, it's not a concern.  I've used it as a core wood in making bows.  (It's ipe, not an acronym "IPE".  A pet peeve from bow making days).

Plus- I had a reaction to breathing the dust even sanding it.  I suppose that if I was in Brazil, or had a huge amount of decking scrap, it might be a concern (some reports of smoke toxicity as well... not sure if substantiated).


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## burntime (Aug 13, 2008)

In extreme northern Wisconsin ironwood is the wood of choice!


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## Adios Pantalones (Aug 13, 2008)

I think there are like 50 different woods that I've heard called "ironwood".  American hornbeam (carpinus carolinus), hophornbeam, one that grows in the desert, a bunch of tropicals.  Oi.


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## billb3 (Aug 13, 2008)

Jay777 said:
			
		

> Adios Pantalones said:
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You just need a bad cook.


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## jjhof0306 (Aug 13, 2008)

Birch is good firewood.  We burned yellow and grey birch (these may be the same - depends on who you ask, I guess) back in Vermont, along with some awesome rock maple.  The birch smells like incense when it burns.  It's especially nice in a campfire.


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## Adios Pantalones (Aug 13, 2008)

Grey and yellow/golden birch are 2 different animals.


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## woodburn (Aug 13, 2008)

Thanks for the advice.  I'll scoop it up.


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## jeff123 (Aug 13, 2008)

How about black birch, a friend has cut down a bunch of trees he claims is black birch, how does it burn ?


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## Adios Pantalones (Aug 13, 2008)

Like these:


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## woodburn (Aug 14, 2008)

"How about black birch, a friend has cut down a bunch of trees he claims is black birch, how does it burn ? "

According to what I have found out by researching- Black Birch is excellent.  A lot better than white birch.  Get it!


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## CowboyAndy (Aug 15, 2008)

how does grey birch compare to white birch? I have been told that using birch is not favorable because it burns hot and fast... but there is ALOT of it on the property we cut on so I have really been eyeing it...


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## PA. Woodsman (Aug 15, 2008)

jeff123 said:
			
		

> How about black birch, a friend has cut down a bunch of trees he claims is black birch, how does it burn ?




Black Birch or "Cherry Birch" as we call it around here is very good fuelwood. It may burn a little on the faster side (not too much), but it burns slower than White Birch and it throws more heat. It is excellent for kindling as it ignites very easily, also. And it has a terrific "wintergreen" aroma to it; use it if you have the chance!


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## jpl1nh (Aug 15, 2008)

CowboyAndy said:
			
		

> how does grey birch compare to white birch? I have been told that using birch is not favorable because it burns hot and fast... but there is ALOT of it on the property we cut on so I have really been eyeing it...


Grey birch and white birch are comparable, they even look alike.  Both are fine firewoods though for me, they soot up a bit more than most other hardwoods in the early stages of a burn, probably because of the high volatile oil content in the bark.  Black and yellow birch are excellent firewoods, good long burning woods approaching oak.


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