# White Pine For Stove?



## woodyman (Oct 21, 2008)

I have been cutting and burning red oak for years and now I have cut my last dead oak tree on my land and I am starting to cut the live ones,thinning and cutting leaners.A person at work said they had a unlimited supply of white pine that I could have.Is this pine going to burn ok in my inside drolet stove?Can I burn it by itself or mix it with oak? Right now I have about 18 full cords of oak split and stacked. Thanks,woodyman. This is the stove I will burn it in.


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## A.E. Metal Werx (Oct 21, 2008)

it will burn.. boy will it.. and with that being said. you will burn tons and tons of that pine.. burns hot and fast.. super fast.


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## MS460WOODCHUCK (Oct 21, 2008)

Very bad creasote level. I would not touch it not even for the campground because it pops like crazy.


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## myzamboni (Oct 21, 2008)

ms460woodchuck said:


> Very bad creasote level. I would not touch it not even for the campground because it pops like crazy.



Wrong! If you season it properly and burn it correctly it will not leave creosote. it also does not pop in a stove like it will in a campfire. You will burn about 50% more pine for the same heat you get from oak. it is excellent to get the stove up to temp quickly, restart your fire, and to mix with your oak.


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## Gearhead1 (Oct 22, 2008)

Have no worries about it! I have burned white pine, red pine, jack pine, spruce and all the conifers in this area along with any hardwoods and have never had problems. Its only a matter of how much heat (BTU's) are contained in the different species of trees that you will notice in the burn times.


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## RatchetJaw (Oct 22, 2008)

*its good stuff*

Like was already said burns hot and fast great for fire starting with the pitchier pieces and if seasond well burns about like alder does. just save the pitch for firstarting as its easy to overfire with pitch around here we have an excess of bull pine or as some know it shorepine all just a sub of sugarpine you can mix it with hardwood to achieve a longer burn but hey if its free and in good supply go for it.ps some of the knots are a bit unruly to split.


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## MotorSeven (Oct 22, 2008)

I have one really important rule for burning different species of seasoned hard & soft wood. _If it fits in the door of the stove it gets burned_:greenchainsaw: 

RD


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## CowboyAndy (Oct 22, 2008)

ms460woodchuck said:


> Very bad creasote level. I would not touch it not even for the campground because it pops like crazy.



That is not true. There is no species of wood that puts out more creosote than another . It is 100% about seasoning.

I use 110 year old pine laths for kindling in my furnace. It pops when the door is open, but once I close the door It magiclly doesn't pop anymore!


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## maul ratt (Oct 22, 2008)

I've been thinking about trying some pine too. 

The pine trees I have to cut are tall, mature, hardly any branches except the top canopy of the tree. It would be nice and easy to cut and buck.

I'm a little nervous about creosode too however I would probably mix it with good hardwood. I was suprised my Jotul 600 manual says to use good seasoned firewood like Pine, Oak, Beech, Maple, etc.

Does it have sap to deal with that gets on gloves, saw, hands, etc? How does it split and season?


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## Wood Scrounge (Oct 22, 2008)

I was under the same impression about pine before I joined this site and saw it's all the guys way up north have. I now have quite a bit of white pine that will be used next fall or maybe this spring.


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## woodbooga (Oct 22, 2008)

maul ratt said:


> I'm a little nervous about creosode too however I would probably mix it with good hardwood. I was suprised my Jotul 600 manual says to use good seasoned firewood like Pine, Oak, Beech, Maple, etc.
> 
> Does it have sap to deal with that gets on gloves, saw, hands, etc? How does it split and season?



This time of year, we're almost exclusively burning pine, hemlock, and punkier hardwoods since it's not too cold yet. Previous posts have done a good job debunking the creosote myth and its tendency to go hot and quick.

Jotul is smart to include pine in that list. There are parts of the country/world where species like oak, etc. do not grow.

Most of the pine I burn has been dead for years - no one seems to want it and it just sits along roadsides or piled among the treetops. Sapwood punky with heartwood good and solid. So sap isn't an issue.

Pine is a pleasure to cut since it's so soft. Splits easily too. Nice aroma. I was splitting some of next year's hardwood this weekend while the woodstove was stoked with white pine. The aroma wafting out of the chimney added another dimension of pleasure to the experience. (I'm a man of simple tastes and pleasures  )


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## A. Stanton (Oct 22, 2008)

I live near a family that came here from Germany. I was told by the man that in Germany oak is called a "noble wood" and they prefer to burn pine, as burning oak is viewed as wasteful.


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## woodbooga (Oct 22, 2008)

TreeCo said:


> That because you are nuts!



No arguments from me. Wrap me up in wet towels and toss me in a padded room. Just make sure there's a faint whiff of burning white pine to keep my nerves from getting any more frayed.


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## savageactor7 (Oct 22, 2008)

if I had pine I'd be burning it right now in shoulder season...instead we're burning poplar, willow, and some dry punky stuff. It's also great in the early mornings when you have to get the kids out of bed...warms the house up fast.

Not the kind of wood you want for overnights or away missions. the good Lord made everything for a purpose.


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## Chip_365 (Oct 23, 2008)

My experience is similar to Treeco's and others that burn pine. I love it and when it gets REALLY cold, then I switch to birch for those few cold days/weeks as the birch lasts a bit longer while hotter.

No creosote from DRY pine more than any other wood I've burned. Pine for me burns a long time in my Blaze King, I put in 2-3 pieces, splits or rounds every 12 hours or even longer. Secondary burn is excellent and no smoke, but then that's probably more due to the cat converter than the pine? I also burn cedar and also get pretty long burn times from it and not snap, crackle or pops unless it's kindling.

Dealer who sells the Blaze King stove, and has been in the biz for 25+ years, said that he only burns pine, as he likes it for it's ease of cutting, splitting, it's nice heat and low ash. And he burns it in all his demo woodstoves in the store. I concur about the low ash produced, which gives me more time between stove cleanouts over things like birch.


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## Mike PA (Oct 24, 2008)

I can't tell you how many times I have heard people say that pine builds creosote. It is a very common misconception here in the east. It is so common that I think that most people who say it have never burned it - just repeat what that have been told for years. Best reason to not use it is because of the low BTU content compared to other easily available fuels. Why waste your time with pine when there is an oak standing next to it.

If pine is all you can get, by all means burn it. As with any wood, it needs to be properly seasoned.


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## woodbooga (Oct 24, 2008)

Mike PA said:


> I can't tell you how many times I have heard people say that pine builds creosote. It is a very common misconception here in the east. It is so common that I think that most people who say it have never burned it - just repeat what that have been told for years. Best reason to not use it is because of the low BTU content compared to other easily available fuels. Why waste your time with pine when there is an oak standing next to it.
> 
> If pine is all you can get, by all means burn it. As with any wood, it needs to be properly seasoned.



:agree2: 

I probably should keep telling people not to burn it since this would be in my own best interest.


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## bigjake (Oct 24, 2008)

Man do i feel stupid i have passed on so much good pine over the years because
everyone said dont burn it because of the sap .


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## woodbooga (Oct 24, 2008)

bigjake said:


> Man do i feel stupid i have passed on so much good pine over the years because
> everyone said dont burn it because of the sap .



Don't beat yourself up about it. I've done it too. So I guess that makes me a sap, too. 

The first year I burnt any pine for anything more than kindling, I bucked pieces between the whorls since the greatest sap concentration is in the knots. In retrospect, I just made more work and wasted wood. oops.


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## Dok (Oct 24, 2008)

I believed pine was bad. I heard it from my father, grandfather and uncles. My next door neighbor burns nothing but Lodgepole Pine and he has his chimney cleaned once a year same as I do. No more buildup of creosote than my chimney. So this year we have gone cutting together and I'm going to mix some of that pine in with my oak. So far it seems to burn as hot, just not as long as oak. 
Dok


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## ents (Oct 24, 2008)

I lived in Colorado for five years. Only thing I had was pine. Pine beetle damage was EXTREME so there was a lot of wood to be had. I cleaned the chimmey twice a yr. but never saw much build up. Everywhere else I lived I had access to oak, hickory, and maple. Moved here to N.C. about 8 yrs. ago. First 2 years, burned pine since previous owner had it stacked all over the place and there was a lot of blow downs. Again, cleaned the chimmey twice a yr. No problems. I'm burining the hard woods now (TONS more heat out of it) but still clean the chimmey twice a yr. No difference in the crud I clean out. So, go ahead a burn it. As others have said, make sure it's seasoned and make sure you have a LOT of it.


Later,


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## woodbooga (Oct 24, 2008)

TreeCo said:


> Lots of wood myths are going up in flames!





Dok said:


> I believed pine was bad. I heard it from my father, grandfather and uncles. My next door neighbor burns nothing but Lodgepole Pine and he has his chimney cleaned once a year same as I do. No more buildup of creosote than my chimney. So this year we have gone cutting together and I'm going to mix some of that pine in with my oak. So far it seems to burn as hot, just not as long as oak.
> Dok



I would love to know the origin of the myth, or at least a credible theory. Most myths have some basis in real experience somewhere.


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## Dok (Oct 24, 2008)

woodbooga said:


> I would love to know the origin of the myth, or at least a credible theory. Most myths have some basis in real experience somewhere.



All I can figure is people were burning it before it was seasoned???? But green oak will clog up a chimney quick too  
Dok


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## myzamboni (Oct 24, 2008)

I don't like burning pine in an open fireplace/firepit as it likes to spit embers, but I love burning it in my woodstove.


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## ZeroJunk (Oct 24, 2008)

We have Virginia Scrub and Short Leaf pine native here. I had rather burn Red Oak because it lasts longer. But, my father heated his house with a wood stove for many years and said he would just as soon burn Pine as anything.

Burn dry wood and keep enough air on it. If you fill the stove up and turn the air off to try and make Pine burn as long as Oak or Hickory you will get creosote. Simple as that.


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## The Lorax (Oct 24, 2008)

*My Motto*

The more you burn, the more you learn.
I burn anything, pine, spruce,ash, oak, beech, alder.
I don't care, it's all seasoned and I didn't pay for any of it. so it don't matter if it is hot and fast or slow burning.


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## Rookie1 (Oct 24, 2008)

I wouldnt be concerned with burning pine. I would burn more during day and save oak for evening. Like Lorax says practice and try mixing different ratios. I dont think the"pine plugs chimney"myth is true. I burned white pine at the beginning of last winter and pipe didnt plug up any worse.


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## Zodiac45 (Oct 24, 2008)

Wood is wood is wood......it's all about density. All well seasoned wood gives exactly the same btu's per weight. It's just that hardwoods weight 2-3 times more per volume than softs.


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## husky455rancher (Oct 24, 2008)

two weeks after i bought my house i got laid off. took me 5 months to get another job. the first winter we spent in this house i burned one hell of alot of free pine skids. it was a pita feeding it all the time but it got the job done, and the house didnt burn down.


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## RatchetJaw (Nov 2, 2008)

*Ok so i decided to do an experiment*

My dad has a ton of bull pine that his buddy jeff hauled over by the truck load im guestimating about 50 cord worth well the otherday my step brother and his buddy decided they was gonna cut some and sell it . So nice bro that I am I watched him and his buddy cut and split 2 cord by hand with mauls while I kept the beer in hand ashuring them the whole time that indeed it did look like hard work so to help them out I held down one of the cold decks while I was havin some suds . in the end being as gernerous as i am I offered to buy a cord for $100 well i actually ended up with a cord and a face but hey their newbies  so I have been burning this pine keep in mind its seasoned for 2 years in log form nice dry stuff . my initial impression was that it sucked wouldnt burn for nothin just a small flame and very little smoke . till today I discovered the trick bigger coal bed with the red cedar then add the pine man this stuff is awsome im getting 6 to 8 hour burns per 2 sticks of this stuff and I have never had so much warmth come out of this lopi its 82.7 degrees in the house and 36.6 outside ive got it about choked out to half throttle on the stove and the best part my glass isnt black with all the resin this stuff is great I am gonna go get a few cord of logs and bring them up here to split in my shop over winter however I will invest in a wood splitter aint no way im swinging a maul into that knotty stuff .:greenchainsaw:


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## logbutcher (Nov 2, 2008)

The Lorax said:


> The more you burn, the more you learn.
> I burn anything, pine, spruce,ash, oak, beech, alder.
> I don't care, it's all seasoned and I didn't pay for any of it. so it don't matter if it is hot and fast or slow burning.



It is a fact that Ireland has no snakes, no trees, no real Guinness (sp.). Now turf............ Ask my cuz in Castletownbere. 

Now for Pinus Strobus: we save the stuff for sawlogs--paneling, flooring, furniture, timber frames. Too good to waste on firewood. For shoulder season softwood, we burn spruce, fir; it's all we got.  

That ....Booga character has one big O.C.D.:agree2:


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## woodbooga (Nov 3, 2008)

logbutcher said:


> That ....Booga character has one big O.C.D.:agree2:



Oblivious Cat Domicile? Yes, my cats are clueless and the barn is _much_ too big for them, so I make them share the space with my firewood which includes about a 1/3 cord of white pine


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## The Lorax (Nov 3, 2008)

logbutcher said:


> It is a fact that Ireland has no snakes, no trees, no real Guinness (sp.). Now turf............ Ask my cuz in Castletownbere.




You got cousins in CTB?
Thats where I am typing this!!


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## logbutcher (Nov 3, 2008)

The Lorax said:


> You got cousins in CTB?
> Thats where I am typing this!!



Look up Joe H. or Mick H. in Eiyries. PM for more details. 
Your fuel costs too much......:censored: The taxes go to Brussels


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