Pine: Split (looking for someone) & safe to burn?

[jmf777]

Greetings all

I had a big pine tree come down in a storm ~2+ years back we had it cut into chunks back than and has been sitting since (drying). We also have a small amount of hardwood from another tree also cut into chunks. We plan to mix the pine in with hardwood. We have a fireplace insert and get the chimney cleaned once a year. We do burn all winter long (main source of heat, oil is backup)

1. Does anyone else burn pine and have been ok? Any recommendations for burning?

2. Any recommendations for getting it split?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Bay_Kat]

I've always been told not to burn pine, it will clog up your chimney. I imagine because of the sap.

 

[b23hqb]

Don't burn pine, at least down here in Fl. Even after it dries out, it still contains oils and creosote that burn nasty and stick to the inside of the flue, increasing the chance of a chimney fire.

 

[jmf777]

Was thinking about doing it because we had some friends move to CO and they mentioned that many people burn pine over on the west coast.

 

[Gilligan]

Sure you can burn pine. Just do it properly. Pine is not the worst when it comes to creating deposits that can lead to chimney blockage and fires..some hardwoods are actually worse.




Burning Pine in an Indoor Wood Stove | Home Guides | SF Gate

 

[b23hqb]

Was thinking about doing it because we had some friends move to CO and they mentioned that many people burn pine over on the west coast.

As Gilligan said, pine can be burned, but if it is of the southern variety, I would avoid it if I could.

What is the prime variety of evergreen tree in your region?

Colorado and the rest of the Rockies into California burn mostly Ponderosa Pine, because that is the main source of wood, especially at altitude in the mountains. I'm no arborist, but I would suspect it probably has a very different composition than southern pine. There is a bit of difference in climate between the two regions, eh?

Oak is the wood of choice here in Fl. Pine, if burned at all, is usually for outdoor types, or cut into lumber or chipped into sawdust for wood products.

 

[jmf777]

Not sure what kind of pine it was ( Maryland Native Pine Trees, Pinus ) and normally would have chucked it all, but the sucker was as tall and thick at the base as some of the oak trees in my yard (2 trees that intermingled). My plan was to burn it lightly, a log here or there with mostly hardwood over a few years. Maybe some for kindling.

 

[jmf777]

Sure you can burn pine. Just do it properly. Pine is not the worst when it comes to creating deposits that can lead to chimney blockage and fires..some hardwoods are actually worse.




Burning Pine in an Indoor Wood Stove | Home Guides | SF Gate

Thanks Gilligan, I actually read that before posting to this forum. Just wanted to see if any of the locals do the same thing I plan to do for a short period of time.

 

[Gilligan]

Thanks Gilligan, I actually read that before posting to this forum. Just wanted to see if any of the locals do the same thing I plan to do for a short period of time.

I have a lot of pine trees on my property and so I've always got pine to burn. It's never caused the slightest problem, although I do run it through a stove that heats a 2400 sf shop so its always cranked way up hot.

I typically burn 3 cords a winter and roughly half of that is usually pine.

 

[GWguy]

I have a lot of pine trees on my property and so I've always got pine to burn. It's never caused the slightest problem, although I do run it through a stove that heats a 2400 sf shop so its always cranked way up hot.

I typically burn 3 cords a winter and roughly half of that is usually pine.

And that's the difference. A slow, cool fire will make a mess.

Although, if you burn 1 pine log to 3 or 4 hardwood and keep it hot, it should be fine.

 

[jmf777]

And that's the difference. A slow, cool fire will make a mess.

Although, if you burn 1 pine log to 3 or 4 hardwood and keep it hot, it should be fine.

That was the plan, maybe when we get home from work and we need to turn up the heat, throw in a log with 2-3 logs of hardwood. No pine over night, since we tend to do a longer slower burn. Try to keep a 80/20 burn between hardwood and the pine. It's about 1/2-3/4 chord of pine, will try to spread it thin over +/- 2 years.

 

[Merlin99]

Greetings all

I had a big pine tree come down in a storm ~2+ years back we had it cut into chunks back than and has been sitting since (drying). We also have a small amount of hardwood from another tree also cut into chunks. We plan to mix the pine in with hardwood. We have a fireplace insert and get the chimney cleaned once a year. We do burn all winter long (main source of heat, oil is backup)

1. Does anyone else burn pine and have been ok? Any recommendations for burning?

2. Any recommendations for getting it split?

Thanks in advance.

If you couldn't burn it most of alaska would freeze in the winter.

 

[General Lee]

Pine is fine to burn, no need to worry. However, I would have rather you had it split and stacked to dry instead of still being in rounds. It won't dry properly that way.

I burn a lot of pine in the shoulder season (cool spring and fall) I keep my chimney clean and I burn good DRY seasoned wood. Wood that has been split and stacked to dry for 1-2 years minimum. Thats how you keep a clean chimney and don't let those fires smolder and smoke upon loading up the stove. Get that fire good and hot before cutting back your air control.