Any reason not to burn cedar?

[dotman17]

100%.

 

[Jazzberry]

I burn incense cedar all the time. Burns a little better than most of the pines we have. Great fire starter and leaves very little ash. Works much better as material for my mill and wood for outdoor projects. Burning pine and cedar makes for almost no need to clean the stovepipe.

 

[AlbergSteve]

If it falls on the ground and burns, it's going in the stove. Lots of cedar in this area. Lots of neighbours with dead cedars that's making up about 25% of the wood I burn. I make the splits as big as 8'', 14'' rounds I just split in half. With a cat stove I'm getting 12-14 hour burns.

 

[dotman17]

Not surprisingly most folks out West with more experience burning cedar seem to have zero issues burning it. I don't get it. I've read articles from folks back East with arbor backgrounds who inform the average user not to burn with cedar and yet when you inspect the articles they write, nothing but excessive oils and possible creosote buildup is their argument against. What? Those articles aren't originating in the West and they sure aren't consulting us folks out here that burn it. My friend now burns exclusively cedar and he gets his flue cleaned every other year. Burn hot and, if necessary, investigate your flue from time to time and you make the call. If you clean your flue annually then you have nothing to worry about. If you're feeling lazy and don''t want to clean or pay for it to be cleaned, remember my friend who does it every other year. And if you're still apprehensive, then that's on you.

 

[GadDummit]

I'm in Oklahoma and we have a crap-ton of red cedar out here. I cut up a bunch of it last summer and couldn't give it away. I'll be burning it just as soon as the cold hits. The only problem is it pops so you get coals popping out of the fireplace from time to time.

 

[Jazzberry]

I'm in Oklahoma and we have a crap-ton of red cedar out here. I cut up a bunch of it last summer and couldn't give it away. I'll be burning it just as soon as the cold hits. The only problem is it pops so you get coals popping out of the fireplace from time to time.

Your right it does pop more than most but most have it in a wood stove where it doesn't matter when the doors are closed. I am curious why you are burning wood in a open fireplace after being on this website for over a year?

 

[GadDummit]

I am curious why you are burning wood in a open fireplace after being on this website for over a year?

I didn't receive my free woodstove upgrade when I signed up for the site, I guess. I have a fireplace that holds 38" logs in my living room. It gets cold in winter, so we burn wood in it. Not sure what you're curious about.

 

[heavy hammer]

I burn a lot of cedar in the early part of the season and in the end. I have access to old cedar poles from work I start fires with it and kindling for the winter. Burns great hot. I say if it is dry burn it.

 

[mass_burner]

a lot of cedar here in MA, love it, super hot, lights easy...the only drawback would it's tough to process, limbs don't break, real sharp ends, even thin branches need to be cut.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 

[WiscWoody]

I work PT at a cedar wood shop and I’ve been using cedar scraps for kindling for years. Wonderful stuff.

 

[Bushels20]

I work PT at a cedar wood shop and I’ve been using cedar scraps for kindling for years. Wonderful stuff.

I use cedar as kindling as well. Where I am located; I don’t have access to it. I do however, through out the year check the cull lumber bin at my local hardware and they sell the (non pressure treated) picket fence slats for $.25 each. If they have any, I grab them up. A quick chop with the mitre saw to get them down to 12 inch pieces or so and the hatchet takes care of the rest. Excellent fire starter/kindling/stoking wood.

 

[dotman17]

I'm not talking kindling. That stuff is awesome. I'm talking using cedar as splits and burning it in your stove as the primary fuel. Dry cedar splits require no kindling... another great feature of burning it as the primary resource.

 

[Jazzberry]

I'm not talking kindling. That stuff is awesome. I'm talking using cedar as splits and burning it in your stove as the primary fuel. Dry cedar splits require no kindling... another great feature of burning it as the primary source.

We took out 7 large cedars in our backyard a few years ago. Burned cedar all year in an old pre airtight stove. Worked great. I haven't cut or used any kindling at all in over a year now since I been burning cedar or pine. Starts super easy with one of those wax blocks. Oak is available here also but you have to scrounge it up. I get pine and an occasional cedar dropped in my backyard for free from the guys doing the beetle killed clearing. Easy choice for me to burn pine delivered to my backyard next to my splitter for free or work my butt off chasing oak.

 

[dotman17]

Easy choice for me to burn pine delivered to my backyard next to my splitter for free or work my butt off chasing oak.

No doubt. The best wood is free wood followed closely by easy wood. If it's free and easy, then you've got it made.

 

[Bushels20]

No doubt. The best wood is free wood followed closely by easy wood. If it's free and easy, then you've got it made.

Couldn’t agree more. We burners in the Midwest are spoiled with the wood that is available. Oak is just as easy to come by as any other species. Ash was killed off by the ash borer in the last 10 years so ash has been very plentiful but it is not hard to come by oak, ash, cherry and maple on a very regular basis. I would never turn down pine but there is a general misconception over this way that it causes chimney fires; so generally speaking, you have to seek it out if you want it. People tend to trash it. Cedar on the other hand, I’ve never even seen/had a chance to grab any. I wouldn’t turn it down either if I had a chance. This website has really educated me over the years. People think I’m silly for burning pine. But, I’m the only person I know that heats (full time) with wood and has any knowledge base on how to do so properly, too.

 

[Jazzberry]

No doubt. The best wood is free wood followed closely by easy wood. If it's free and easy, then you've got it made.

It don't get much easier than a truck full of logs pulling up to your house and asking where do you want them? Most of there logs they cut have been standing dead for a while and never touched the ground. Then they thank you for taking them before they leave.

 

[billb3]

A lot of the "cedar" here is actually juniper and cypress.
Regardless, it burns hot and fast just like eastern white pine.
There's nothing magical, mystical or supernatural about it, it's firewood if it is seasoned well.
As with any new/unfamiliar species of wood, but especially softwoods, kiln dried and compressed sawdust products - start with smaller fires to learn the burning characteristics of both the wood and how your stove and chimney system handles it.

 

[Bushels20]

It don't get much easier than a truck full of logs pulling up to your house and asking where do you want them? Most of there logs they cut have been standing dead for a while and never touched the ground. Then they thank you for taking them before they leave.

I have a good friend and who owns a tree company. When he is close to my home and it’s not a business loss for him (he can’t take the oak, maple or cherry and sell it to the Amish for furniture wood, he dumps the logs out back for me). My wife sends a picture to me and says “you got a delivery”. I feel like a kid on Christmas morning!

 

[Bushels20]

A lot of the "cedar" here is actually juniper and cypress.
Regardless, it burns hot and fast just like eastern white pine.
There's nothing magical, mystical or supernatural about it, it's firewood if it is seasoned well.
As with any new/unfamiliar species of wood, but especially softwoods, kiln dried and compressed sawdust products - start with smaller fires to learn the burning characteristics of both the wood and how your stove and chimney system handles it.

Very good post. Season it. THEN, its firewood. I’m a young burner, relatively speaking but I have been browsing this site a while. The general consensus seems to be; season your wood, and burn it. Some people may argue on species and the quality of said species, but I don’t think you’re going to burn your house down with any wood, that’s seasoned.

 

[WiscWoody]

I'm not talking kindling. That stuff is awesome. I'm talking using cedar as splits and burning it in your stove as the primary fuel. Dry cedar splits require no kindling... another great feature of burning it as the primary resource.

I know your not posting about kindling but I figured I’d put my $0.02 worth in. There’s a lot of hardwoods up here and pine too so I mix the softwoods in with the hardwood and it works for me, I never get any pitch in my chimney as long as the wood is dry- burn it and stay warm. And.... I like the crackle of cedar too.

 

[dotman17]

I know your not posting about kindling but I figured I’d put my $0.02 worth in. There’s a lot of hardwoods up here and pine too so I mix the softwoods in with the hardwood and it works for me, I never get any pitch in my chimney as long as the wood is dry- burn it and stay warm. And.... I like the crackle of cedar too.

I love your wood racks in your avatar. Got schematics? I use similar stuff but I seem to use about twice as many of the cinder blocks you do.

 

[WiscWoody]

I love your wood racks in your avatar. Got schematics? I use similar stuff but I seem to use about twice as many of the cinder blocks you do.

I use brackets sold by Menards and with those it’s just treated 2x4’s for the bottom and rack arms then I put 2x4’s from the bottom 2x4’s up to the arms for support. I’ve tried to make them without the braces but it seems to work better with them. I used to have to use the blocks where I used to live since the ground wasn’t level and if I built the racks too high, say... 6 foot they’d often fall but where I live now I’m on good flat ground and I’ve been building my racks 10’ Long and 6’ high with no problems.

 

[dotman17]

The snap, crackle, pop of an all cedar fire can't be beat either.

 

[Busker]

When we moved here 10 years ago, there were old western red cedar logs that had not rotted in the bog. Although wet, they did not hold too much water. Split and partly dried, they burned beautifully: lovely flame, smell, popping, and long lasting (because of the remaining moisture). Now the cedar is gone, and I cut, split, stack, and burn what's fallen recently, before it rots. --If you're lucky enough to find some wet old cedar that's not rotted, try burning it only partly dry, as a luxury!

 

[Kevin Weis]

I'm not talking kindling. That stuff is awesome. I'm talking using cedar as splits and burning it in your stove as the primary fuel. Dry cedar splits require no kindling... another great feature of burning it as the primary resource.

I would burn it without thinking about it if I needed no kindling to start it. The only way to get it here is to hope for a roadside tree trimming crew to get into stand of it. Seems nobody burns it here by choice.