Would you pick up free pine?

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You'd almost have to stack the softwood separately, wouldn't you?
Right now, I've started burning from my garage stack, but all I've got access to right now is oak.
 
I have separate stacks of pine, oak and everything else.
 
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Looking at the yard I think I have a plan for stacking more wood. Plenty of sun and wind, out of the way, and relatively flat at the top of my back yard. Woods behind it. I can CSS on the driveway and use the lawn tractor to bring up the wood.

I could separate the wood on hardwood pallets by type. I would love to get a bunch of oak and stack it up there for quick drying.
 
mwhitnee said:
I would love to get a bunch of oak and stack it up there for quick drying.
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Uh oh. Using 'oak' and 'quick drying' in the same sentence is like chanting beetlejuice three times.
 
mwhitnee said:
Looking at CL to maybe do a little scrounging, would you pick up pine if you had a chance?? I'm seeing mostly pine on CL.

Not scared of pine as I have been educated here, but just wondering of you think it's worth the effort. Thanks!
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Would I pick up free pine? Heck yeah, you betcha. All day long.
 
Yes, go pick it up. If you don't have room for it, make room. Even on some of the urban wood burning set ups I see, you can almost always squeeze another rack for wood in the yard.
 
I'd like to have a few cords of pine, split and stacked just for Oct and Nov. Well not this year it was 70 degrees most days.
 
I would welcome some nice soft wood in my stacks. All I have is ash, mulberry, cherry and apple. For kindling I end up using dimensional lumber cutoffs because I don't have SPF in the form of splits. There is plenty of oak in my wood lot but with EAB in my area it would be silly to cut any.
 
Yes, especially if it is something other than Eastern White Pine.
 
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TheAardvark said:
If I need campfire wood for backyard fires in the summer, yes. Otherwise no. Too much maple and oak here to be messing with that stuff.
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Must be nice...
 
I harvested some low btu engelmann spruce this year that has been an awesome addition to my stacks. No, Im not saying its pine (I know the difference) but the point is that a lower btu hot burning wood can be a tremendous tool. Take @Oldman47 for example. He has some fantastic wood in his stacks but wants something that can burn hot and fast as well. I find I get caught in a pinch some evenings where my scheduling hasn't allowed for well timed loadings. I will add some spruce or pine for a hot, quick fire that can give the house a shot in the arm and set me up for my evening burn.
 
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Yes, I was able to get a cord of split and dry pine for free this summer. I also have a source of free pine logs, which I am taking along with the hardwood offerings. If it burns, I'll take it.

Edit: I just moved the last of the free split pine into my basement today, 1/4 cord left, which I started to use in October. The pine cord got me free heat in spot evening fires and daytime loads for 4 months (relatively warm fall), in conjunction of burning 1 cord of cherry/ash combo for a total of $100.00 for heat over 4 months. Not bad IMO for the middle of January.:)
 
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Not me. I don't really have anything against pine but I have too much good hardwood lying around to mess with the stuff. I had a dead pine fall over last year and it took out a maple on the way down--I cut up the maple and left the pine lying where it fell.
 
I can see passing up pine for higher btu woods if you dont have the room for pine but otherwise its really about having another tool in your tool box. What happens if you've been working hard all day and come home and all you have left are some coals? Do you load it with a high btu wood and miss loading the stove for an overnight burn because you missed your mark? No, you put some pine in which will give your house a hot shot in the arm with good heat that will burn down in time for the ever important night burn. I guess the world doesn't need more pine burners because those who live in regions where pine is considered junk need to keep having their neighbors giving them pine for free.
 
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Seanm said:
I can see passing up pine for higher btu woods if you dont have the room for pine but otherwise its really about having another tool in your tool box. What happens if you've been working hard all day and come home and all you have left are some coals? Do you load it with a high btu wood and miss loading the stove for an overnight burn because you missed your mark? No, you put some pine in which will give your house a hot shot in the arm with good heat that will burn down in time for the ever important night burn. I guess the world doesn't need more pine burners because those who live in regions where pine is considered junk need to keep having their neighbors giving them pine for free.
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That is what I like about it. I work late into the night, I get home, the house is cold. Pine starts "the tank" easy and is a hot blast and lasts a few hours before I got to bed with a few reloads. Perfect for shoulder season and not so cold nights. Save the high BTU woods for the sub-zero all night burns.
 
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