Advice Regarding Wood Species Choices

[ChipTam]

Here's the situation. My wood stove is located at our summer home in Newfoundland. We use it on and off for a few weeks in June when we arrive and more regularly in September and October. Wood choices in Newfoundland are pretty limited: spruce, fir (a local variety, not Douglas fir), larch, and birch. The later two are available but more expensive and not as abundant. Two years ago, when I installed the stove in June, I purchased a pick-up truck load of standing dead spruce (spruce bud worm). Since it was dead for some time, it was very dry. It burns well but perhaps too quickly. I put a new log in the stove about every 45 minutes to keep it going. There are no live coals after 3 hours without re-feeding. OK, here's my question: would I notice much of a change in the length of the burn by switching to another species. Second, unlike the standing dead spruce, I would guess that birch purchased in June would not be ready to burn in September. Is that correct? Thanks for any input you folks might have.
ChipTam

 

[Vic99]

White birch does season pretty quickly, provided that it is split properly. Still probably take 6-9 months though. The bark is excellent at preventing dehydration. In fact, if it is on the ground and not split soon, it will rot faster than most species.

Birch is my favorite all around wood for ease of splitting, smell, kindling-like bark, appearance, and moderate heat level. Birch should give you a longer burn that fir. Lots of factors to work out, but try this website to get a sense of BTUs:

(broken link removed to http://chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm)

Good luck.

 

[CarbonNeutral]

Birch is great to burn - load it up to the gills, leave it for hours. Unless the birch was seasoned (i.e. cut/split/stacked very early that year, or even better the prior year) then you're right - no good for burning - in fact most woods will not season in three months. Most wood you buy will not be seasoned.

You may want to try loading the stove up more fully then damping it down (make sure you can do that). I can get a load of pine to last 2-3 hours when the damper is 3/4 shut.

Is it a newer EPA stove, or older?

 

[LLigetfa]

I would guess that birch purchased in June would not be ready to burn in September. Is that correct?

If both those months are in the same year and you are talking logs in the round, then it would not be ready. If the Birch were purchased as "seasoned" in June it might stand a chance. Birch needs at least a year after being split. Two years is better and three years is about as good as it gets.

That said, I know a lot of guys around here buy Birch logs and leave them in 4 foot long rounds and toss them in their OWB smoke dragons the same year. Mind you , it smokes bad and they burn twice as much as they should but they won't split them and Birch doesn't season well if not split.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Sounds like you need to get at least a year ahead in your wood. Then you would get the best out of whatever wood you end up burning.

Matt

 

[ChipTam]

Thanks for all of your responses to my question. I think I'll give birch a try. I've got almost enough of the standing dead spruce stored in my shed to get me through next year. So, I'll buy a pick-up truck load of birch next June which will be used for the following year. One nice thing about the spruce is that it burns very well without splitting. I suspect I'll have to split the birch. Thanks again.
ChipTam

 

[LLigetfa]

So, I'll buy a pick-up truck load of birch next June which will be used for the following year.

Why wait until June? Why not buy that Birch now and get it split so it will be reasonably ready for next Winter and be premium for the Winter after that? Wood does season in Winter too.

 

[billb3]

So, I'll buy a pick-up truck load of birch next June which will be used for the following year.

Why wait until June? Why not buy that Birch now and get it split so it will be reasonably ready for next Winter and be premium for the Winter after that? Wood does season in Winter too.

It won't fit in his suitcase ?

 

[firefighterjake]

I like birch . . . and not just because it's so very pretty. While it's not quite as good as the maple and ash that make up the bulk of my wood, the white, gray and yellow birch that I do cut puts out enough heat for me, splits up pretty easily and my wife likes it since she says when she reloads the fire it's like the split "has a newspaper wrapped around it" to get the fire up and going in no time. As folks have mentioned, it seems to me that you still want to season the wood and make sure it is split and off the ground to season it and keep it from rotting so quickly.