I just scored about a cord of white birch from craig's list. was wondering if anybody has any experience burning it?
thanks,
ed
thanks,
ed
white birch
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As long as it is cut and split after bucking and not puky it is very good wood. It isn't as dense as oak but it is better then red and silver maple. Drys quick as well but you need to get it split or the bark keeps the moisture in and it goes punky fast.
In Alaska, at least in Fairbanks where I lived, it was our one and only hardwood. I agree with the others, it has a tendency to rot fast, but before that it is a nice burning wood.
Split it up so it doesn't rot . . .otherwise a decent wood . . . not the best BTU wood, but not the worse . . . my wife likes it since she can throw a few splits on to a bed of coals and the bark will ignite wicked easy . . . oftentimes she doesn't even bother putting any kindling on even a small bed of coals since the wood ignites easily enough.
Save as much of the bark as you can easily pull off. It is the best, easiest free fire starter that you will find. It's like napalm and paper. I use the bark without kindling to start many of my fires.
There's a lot better wood than that in your area, but it will burn well, as long as you don't expect it to burn like locust. Hope you got a good deal on it.
White birch ain't oak but it ain't half bad either. Like others have mentioned, if it isn't split, get this done pronto to preclude rot.
Also, you could always make small bundles with ribbons and bows around them and sell to yuppies for top dollar to put beside their fireplaces!
Also, you could always make small bundles with ribbons and bows around them and sell to yuppies for top dollar to put beside their fireplaces!
I have about 4 cords that i will be using this year. The stuff I split in March is good to go. I just split another cord that I had left too large and it was not ready. Best wood we have where I am from. A trick to splitting it is to use an exacto knife and cut the bark straight down on both sides, pops open much easier. I also paid my 8 year old 5 bucks to pick up all the loose bark. She picked up enough to fill a large rubber maid tote. 5 bucks for enough fire starter for the year is a good deal, plus it got here outside.
So do you find that the woods that are known to rot quickly do so in rounds as the bark helps hold in the moisture.firefighterjake said:
Got a nice stack out back ready to go. I love it. I get decent burns out of it and it does throw heat well in my house. I would take it anytime I can get it.
oldspark said:
I think that is the case and birch bark even though thin, seems to be seal in the moisture more than other woods.
oldspark said:
To some degree . . . but then again I only have my wood outside uncovered for a year . . . and then it goes under cover for a year where it is perfectly dry . . . haven't had any issues with rot yet . . . but I figure why chance it . . . most of my white birch gets split until I reach the point where splitting it any smaller is a waste of my time and effort . . . unless I'm trying to make toothpicks out of it.
peterc38 said:
You've been looking at the Winter edition of the LL Bean catalog again haven't you!
Birch Rounds any larger than 4-5" should be split. The small ones will dry fine but the fact that Birch bark is Water Proof stops the larger ones from drying out. (Birch Bark Canoe anyone?)
Back again.....
Paper/White Birch is nearly 4 cords of our yearly firewood here Downeast for 24/7, 100% wood heating. ( "Downeast" !) .
Yes, the bark is waterproof, and will rot birch easily within a season, called "pooching" here.
When harvesting, the fallen trunk is scored ( with the saw) along the trunk through the bark before bucking. Paper Birches larger than +/- 16" are scored 2-3 X along the thicker trunks .
The scoring allows the wood to "breathe" and season while piled in butts for later splitting and stacking. The bark will fold back along the scored cuts in a month or two.
Jake is right about splitting right away if you can, but there's too much else on the plate to do that during our harvest in winter.
Paper/White Birch is nearly 4 cords of our yearly firewood here Downeast for 24/7, 100% wood heating. ( "Downeast" !) .
Yes, the bark is waterproof, and will rot birch easily within a season, called "pooching" here.
When harvesting, the fallen trunk is scored ( with the saw) along the trunk through the bark before bucking. Paper Birches larger than +/- 16" are scored 2-3 X along the thicker trunks .
The scoring allows the wood to "breathe" and season while piled in butts for later splitting and stacking. The bark will fold back along the scored cuts in a month or two.
Jake is right about splitting right away if you can, but there's too much else on the plate to do that during our harvest in winter.
three of the four cords of wood I burned last year were birch, just happened to be what I had seasoned. Not as good as the maple I usually burn, but still does a respectable job. I'm an equal oppurtunity wood burner, from poplar to oak, it goes in the stove.
Does black birch bark trap in the moisture the same as white birch? The black birch smells great when split. About half of what I'm cutting is black birch.
Works as nice starter on hot coals. Heard at a MOFGA conference that if you only or mainly burn white birch you may not want to spread on vegetable gardens due to concerns about cadmium. Still ok to burn though.
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