# burning pine



## openloop (Mar 25, 2011)

So how bout it what are the things to consider when one burns pine in a woodstove? Is it a matter of seasoning, a matter of cleaning the flu, or a matter of needing more of it to last the winter? Where Im from most people say that "you cant burn pine" that being said I would like to prove them wrong especially since people dont assign any value to pine wood around here.


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## Encore (Mar 25, 2011)

what kind of stove are you running?

So long as you kept your flu/chimney clean and the wood was well seasoned, you used to be able to burn it in the older stoves. 

The newer EPA stoves do not burn it well at all. If you have a catalytic converter it'll clog it very quickly and if you have a second burn stove, my experience is it greatly effects the draft and just ends up back puffing a lot

Pine gets a bad name because it's a mess to handle and it's not a hardwood.


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## scag52 (Mar 25, 2011)

Well pine is all i really burn now but i have a owb. I think its under rated myself. I got people dropping it off at my house all the time because they dont want it . Some of it looks real good. Let it season, burn a hot fire when you use it or use it to mix in with hardwoods.Keep a eye on the flu.

Heres the junk i'm mostly burning. Gotta love the owb.


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## chucker (Mar 25, 2011)

you already answered you own question!! 
need more wood!! clean you pipes more often! never burn it green! pine is an excellent wood to burn if thats all you have, not as good as oak or a few others . i have burned it for ever with no problems, save most of my oak for the customers!


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## CTYank (Mar 25, 2011)

openloop said:


> So how bout it what are the things to consider when one burns pine in a woodstove? Is it a matter of seasoning, a matter of cleaning the flu, or a matter of needing more of it to last the winter? Where Im from most people say that "you cant burn pine" that being said I would like to prove them wrong especially since people dont assign any value to pine wood around here.


 
Then "most people" are ignorant/misinformed. Dunno what you mean by "seasoning"- herbs & spices? :msp_unsure: Seriously, what's of interest here is DRYING, mostlikely air-drying; temp and air-flow are important.

Properly dried, pine will burn just fine; pitch can be a nuisance but has a lot of fuel value. Low wood density just means you'll be burning lots more volume of the stuff for a given heat output. (You *can* mix pine with deciduous.)

If you have the storage space, don't tell THEM about pine as stove-fuel. Offer to take it off their hands and save THEM a dump run.


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## gmskyjacker (Mar 25, 2011)

I burn pine all the time in my outdoor wood stove that heats the house and works out great burns very hot .only problem I have seen is when I open the door to reload , the wood lights up like u just tossed a cup of gas on it when that fresh air hits it and sometimes u get some flame out the top . But I don't really see ant more build up collecting on the inside then when burning just hard woods


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## treeguyinoh (Mar 26, 2011)

I like pine for the mornings to get the house warmed back up quick. Try to only burn the stuff that that has been cut to length for at least 9 months. When you get up north, it gets colder and colder and harder and harder to find anything but pines and firs. They seem to do ok, so I never gave it much thought.


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## MNGuns (Mar 26, 2011)

I do believe much of the west coast burns nothing but pine, spruce, fir, etc. Like any wood, season it properly and it will burn just fine.


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## Uncle John (Mar 26, 2011)

There are many areas where you must burn evergreen trees or nothing.


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## myzamboni (Mar 26, 2011)

Encore said:


> *The newer EPA stoves do not burn it well at all*. If you have a catalytic converter it'll clog it very quickly and if you have a second burn stove, my experience is it greatly effects the draft and just ends up back puffing a lot
> 
> Pine gets a bad name because it's a mess to handle and it's not a hardwood.



Where did you get this crock of poo? EPA stoves burn it just fine as long as it is seasoned properly (like any wood in and EPA stove). Please try not to create new myths while debunking existing ones.

80%+ of what I burn is pine/spruce. I clean the pipe once/year and have never had more than a quart of material brushed out.


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## WidowMaker (Mar 26, 2011)

Just make sure your life and fire insurance is paid up, you'll be fine...


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## tomtrees58 (Mar 26, 2011)

pine is junk we put that stuff out at the curb


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## tomtrees58 (Mar 26, 2011)

i get rid of 2 or 3 full cords a week



:hmm3grin2orange:


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## Ohiowoodguy (Mar 26, 2011)

I gritted my teeth as I clicked on this thread, expecting to find lots of 'tards spouting off on how "pine tar causes creosote". I love burning dry pine (I like fiddling with the fire anyway)- bright flame, very hot, smells good, leaves almost no ash.


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## climberjones (Mar 26, 2011)

tomtrees58 said:


> i get rid of 2 or 3 full cords a week
> 
> 
> 
> :hmm3grin2orange:


 
Wow you split it and stack it then give it away damn!


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## scag52 (Mar 26, 2011)

tomtrees58 said:


> pine is junk we put that stuff out at the curb


 
How can you say it is junk.Its almost all i burn .Zero propane. House and shop are warm. Heats swimming pool too. Junk ? Even indoors its great to mix in with other woods.


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## MNGuns (Mar 26, 2011)

tomtrees58 said:


> i get rid of 2 or 3 full cords a week
> 
> 
> 
> :hmm3grin2orange:


 
I'd sell that stack of pine here for $50.....:msp_thumbup:

Being split I'd ask something for it were I you just to cover my time.


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## tomtrees58 (Mar 26, 2011)

MNGuns said:


> I'd sell that stack of pine here for $50.....:msp thumbs up:
> 
> Being split I'd ask something for it were I you just to cover my time.


 
i charge$ 300 a truck load to take it off the job


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## MNGuns (Mar 26, 2011)

tomtrees58 said:


> i charge$ 300 a truck load to take it off the job


 
Wouldn't you rather have $350 for the load...? :msp_thumbup:


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## tomtrees58 (Mar 26, 2011)

MNGuns said:


> Wouldn't you rather have $350 for the load...? :msp_thumbup:


lol got 4 loads from todays tree + 1500.00 cash to remove it:hmm3grin2orange:


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## CUCV (Mar 26, 2011)

It burns great dry. My father burns 100% pine in his indoor wood furnace. The furnace is based on a Jotel so the fire box isn't very big. It has a CAT and it loves the pine. He loads it 5am, 4pm and 10pm and can get 12+hour burns if necessary, just rake the coals forward and add wood. Heats the house and hot water. Close to 40 years as the primary heat source.... (not all of them where 100% pine)


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## scag52 (Mar 26, 2011)

tomtrees58 said:


> lol got 4 loads from todays tree + 1500.00 cash to remove it:hmm3grin2orange:


 
Another way to look at it . You made 1500 and lost 200


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## tomtrees58 (Mar 26, 2011)

scag52 said:


> Another way to look at it . You made 1500 and lost 200


 no 4 load at 200= 800 on top of 1500 just for the tree removal thats 2300.00 total


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## tomtrees58 (Mar 26, 2011)

heres a pic of todays tree 80'


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## MNGuns (Mar 26, 2011)

tomtrees58 said:


> no 4 load at 200= 800 on top of 1500 just for the tree removal thats 2300.00 total


 
I'm fairly certain that regardless how profitable a business, it just doesn't pay to give away a finished product. I could perhaps understand if they were rounds and you had to pay to dump them. To each his own.


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## tomtrees58 (Mar 26, 2011)

this is long island we do not have dumps here money transfer stations dumping is ninety dollars a ton so splitting is works for me


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## scag52 (Mar 26, 2011)

tomtrees58 said:


> no 4 load at 200= 800 on top of 1500 just for the tree removal thats 2300.00 total


 
My point was that if you sold a load for just 50 then you would have made 200 for the wood .

Everbody's different for sure. Simply saying that that pine is not junk and burnt right can save tons of money on the heating bill.


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## shelbythedog (Mar 27, 2011)

myzamboni said:


> Where did you get this crock of poo? EPA stoves burn it just fine as long as it is seasoned properly (like any wood in and EPA stove). Please try not to create new myths while debunking existing ones.
> 
> 80%+ of what I burn is pine/spruce. I clean the pipe once/year and have never had more than a quart of material brushed out.



+1, I've had my EPA certified clean stove on a mix of 50% pine/50% hardwood from day one and it has performed just fine. Been trying to brush the chimney every 6-8 weeks or so to give the better half piece of mind and each time I get around 1 quart of material out of the 14' chimney. Seems to be working fine for me since I can get all the pine I want for free right outside my back door.


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## tomtrees58 (Mar 27, 2011)

scag52 said:


> My point was that if you sold a load for just 50 then you would have made 200 for the wood .
> 
> Everbody's different for sure. Simply saying that that pine is not junk and burnt right can save tons of money on the heating bill.


 
not here pine is junk we have all hard woods oaks as big as 6' dba


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## NCPABill (Mar 27, 2011)

tomtrees58 said:


> heres a pic of todays tree 80'



Not to derail the thread, but what is the blue tool with a strap at the bottom of the tree?


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## Ronaldo (Mar 27, 2011)

*Pine*

Used to live in Wyoming and only had access to pine. Burned it for years in my Earth Stove insert and had ZERO problems. Like any other wood-should be dry when burnt. Heated the house just fine and made very little ash.


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## tomtrees58 (Mar 27, 2011)

NCPABill said:


> Not to derail the thread, but what is the blue tool with a strap at the bottom of the tree?


 
hob



bs lowering device baileys has them 1800.00 i have to of them


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## NCPABill (Mar 27, 2011)

tomtrees58 said:


> hob
> 
> 
> 
> bs lowering device baileys has them 1800.00 i have to of them


 
Thanks!


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## Encore (Mar 27, 2011)

myzamboni said:


> Where did you get this crock of poo? EPA stoves burn it just fine as long as it is seasoned properly (like any wood in and EPA stove). Please try not to create new myths while debunking existing ones.
> 
> 80%+ of what I burn is pine/spruce. I clean the pipe once/year and have never had more than a quart of material brushed out.


 
Easy buddy. Nothing personal, just my experience is all.


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## Dalmatian90 (Mar 27, 2011)

I can see both MNGuns & Tomtrees perspective on pine.

It goes for about $75-100/cord here. Maybe $150 on the high side.

Even on that, a quick Searchtempest review of Craigslist for southern New England cities only turns up four ads -- two of them specifically advertising it as camp firewood. 

There is a big prejudice in our area against burning pine. Growing up you'd think it was the most dangerous thing on earth for all the people convinced of the danger of a chimney fire from burning it.

I burned it once, other then a surprising pain to split (lots of knots), I didn't mind it.

Business wise, it can be an "opportunity cost" depending on your specific situation. 

If you have enough oak to fill all your orders at $225 (I'm pretty sure Tom gets more then that, too), you lose money forgoing an oak delivery to sell someone pine delivered at $100. 

Might just be more profitable to put it outside your gate and let it disappear on it's own then take the time to market it, or even put it in buyer's minds that there's a cheaper alternative to the more expensive oak. And you know if you advertise both you'll spend time "educating" customers who ask about the price difference...some will be customers who get it, and others will just be pains in the rear about it. And you'll explain it some, who'll buy the cheap stuff, then ##### about having bought firewood from you that was nothing but pine.

Pine is a really good bargain if you do the math here, assuming $100/cord for pine and $225/cord for red oak.

That works out to $6.66 per million BTUs for pine, and $9 per million BTUs for red oak.


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## MNGuns (Mar 27, 2011)

Well put.....:cool2:


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## biggysmalls (Mar 27, 2011)

myzamboni said:


> Where did you get this crock of poo? EPA stoves burn it just fine as long as it is seasoned properly (like any wood in and EPA stove). Please try not to create new myths while debunking existing ones.
> 
> 80%+ of what I burn is pine/spruce. I clean the pipe once/year and have never had more than a quart of material brushed out.


+1.Just old wife's tales about cloging up your chimney.Season it and burn it(less than 20% moisture) and no worries.Thats all some people have to burn.


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## myzamboni (Mar 27, 2011)

Encore said:


> Easy buddy. Nothing personal, just my experience is all.



so your experience is burning it green, otherwise you would realized how ridiculous your original comment was:msp_thumbup:


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## tomtrees58 (Mar 27, 2011)

well put about 80% oak 20% maple here i would get hung selling pine tom


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## chucker (Mar 27, 2011)

tomtrees58 said:


> well put about 80% oak 20% maple here i would get hung selling pine tom


 
how drunken minds sober up to a watery mind when those that cant by whisky and have to settle for beer. oak is fine if you dont have pine ... lol


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## woodgrenade (Mar 27, 2011)

No one burns pine here unless it is in an owb. I'm about 2 hours+ north of Long Island (where Tom trees is located) There are plenty of beech, maple, oaks here and not alot of pines. I can definitely see how Tom would much rather give it away rather than pay to dump it. Local craigslist always has free pine in it, always.


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## woodgrenade (Mar 27, 2011)

Case in point

Camp Firewood/outdoor furnace


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## Whitespider (Mar 27, 2011)

This thread is funny...
Talk about bias.

Up nort', at the family lake home, all we've ever burned is pine and the occasional paper birch. The cabin is located amidst a pine forest... so that's what gets burned. If you go far enough north the _only_ option is pine, there ain't nothing else. Way up north, where it gets real cold, and the winters are long, people have managed to keep warm burning pine for centuries.

There ain't nothin' peculiar about burning pine, it doesn't require special handling, and it doesn't cause any different problems compared to other wood. It needs to be cut, split, stacked and seasoned... then burned... just like any other.

Silly thread.


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## scag52 (Mar 27, 2011)

If you have plenty of hardwood then i can see passing on pine . Lots of people here burn it . Great to mix in . Keep it dry and seasoned. Pine is not junk.


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## biggysmalls (Mar 27, 2011)

tomtrees58 said:


> well put about 80% oak 20% maple here i would get hung selling pine tom


The thread is about burning pine not selling it.


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## Encore (Mar 27, 2011)

myzamboni said:


> so your experience is burning it green, otherwise you would realized how ridiculous your original comment was:msp_thumbup:


 
Wow! What is your problem?

Had no idea some people took certain kinds of wood so personally lol

My experience is that the pitch caused problems with the second burn chamber more than anything else. When it built up around the base of it, it really effected the available draft and just made a mess. The wood had been seasoned for a year so I think that's probably long enough. 

Like I said, this is just my experience. You should really dial it down a notch. No need to get your panties in a wad over a type of wood. If you want to burn it, burn away


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## Alaskat (Mar 28, 2011)

It may have been the saw forum but I was getting riled up from the suggestions that spruce is a poor choice for firewood. This region has traditionally used spruce and white birch. I deal only with the spruce and love it for milling lumber and selling as firewood. Some guys her would give the natives a bad time for burning driftwood that's mostly cottonwood they use it in there saunas. It is treeless in most of northern Alaska. Let it burn.


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## cedarman (Mar 28, 2011)

Its a good thing you dont live closer to me tomtrees cuz id take all the split pine you would give me.

let it season and itll be fine

free is free.


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## rhizando (Mar 28, 2011)

Just tossed the Christmas tree in the OWB last night:hmm3grin2orange:


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## ironray (Mar 28, 2011)

Ohiowoodguy said:


> I gritted my teeth as I clicked on this thread, expecting to find lots of 'tards spouting off on how "pine tar causes creosote". I love burning dry pine (I like fiddling with the fire anyway)- bright flame, very hot, smells good, leaves almost no ash.


 Used to work for a guy (not logging) who used to call it "creosole". There was another guy there too, every year, would tell me, "Don't burn pine. It'll clog up your chimney with creosole." 

Two idjits with the same speech impediment. I stopped trying to correct them. 

My boss, who was the the electrical mtce. supervisor also called wiring troughs "troths".


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## applefarmer (Mar 28, 2011)

I've been burning some pine for the first time this last week, and I have to say I really like it. I am burning in a owb and the wood is dry but I am very surprised/impressed with the performance it is giving me. It has been very cold the past 10 days, more like late Feburary and I am getting burn times not far from that of cherry. That and it smells so good burning. I saw a 10 cord pulp load listed for $30.00 a cord a while ago and I wish I would have got it!


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## InTheFlow (Mar 28, 2011)

If I have the choice between pine and anything else, I'll choose pine every time. Smells nice when you cut, split, & burn it.

I have a napoleon wood stove. It burns so efficiently that once its up to about 500 or so, the only thing you see coming out the chimney is heat. It is pretty awesome!

If you have a newer stove and know how to use it, there is no reason to be afraid of burning pine.


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## cuttingintime (Mar 28, 2011)

tomtrees58 said:


> hob
> 
> 
> 
> bs lowering device baileys has them 1800.00 i have to of them


 
Sir; In the future if you use those blue dohick again would you please consider showing pics in action or maybe a video.Thanks


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## tomtrees58 (Mar 28, 2011)

cuttingintime said:


> Sir; In the future if you use those blue dohick again would you please consider showing pics in action or maybe a video.Thanks


 
go to tom trees work pics thears a video of them


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## myzamboni (Mar 28, 2011)

Encore said:


> Wow! What is your problem?
> 
> Had no idea some people took certain kinds of wood so personally lol
> 
> ...



I don't have any problem at all. Why are you so defensive? I am pointing out inaccurate information, not defending a type of wood. 

Its too bad you had a bad experience with it. Does your stacking area get enough sun? Did you check the moisture level of the pine before burning it? Do you damp-down your stove to try to maximize burn times? These are all factors that could lead to your experience.


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## woodbooga (Mar 28, 2011)

Dalmatian90 said:


> That works out to $6.66 per million BTUs for pine



Mathematically proven that pine is satan wood. Burn it, and house is engulfed in inferno and you loose your sole. Make the sign on the Beast





ironray said:


> Used to work for a guy (not logging) who used to call it "creosole". There was another guy there too, every year, would tell me, "Don't burn pine. It'll clog up your chimney with creosole."


 
Are creosoles the French descendants living in Louisiana? I love gumbo and jambalayas. I find pine fires to be more conducive to cooking up delicious creosole offerings


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## Dalmatian90 (Mar 28, 2011)

> Burn it, and house is engulfed in inferno and you loose your sole.



Ponders if the Dutch make shoes out of Pine...


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## cat-face timber (Mar 28, 2011)

*Pine*

I love burning Ponderosa Pine.
easy to get, east to split, burns great 
very little ash.

I have to clean my stove pipe about once a month.
Not a big deal with my homemade pipe cleaner.


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## Wazzu (Mar 29, 2011)

*I like "pine"*

Pine is better than hardwood in my opinion. Tamarack is the ideal firewood in my opinion and I would take it any day over the different hardwoods I have used in the past. It grows straight, SPLITS EASY, has high BTU's and leaves hardly any ash. And no it does not leave more creosote, I know guys that have burnt different varieties of pine and gone YEARS between chimney cleanings (which I am not advocating, just saying).


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## Whitespider (Mar 29, 2011)

Wazzu said:


> ...it does not leave more creosote...


 
Absolutely correct Wazzu!
Simple fact, pine does not contribute to creosote build-up any more than any other firewood.
Burn unseasoned wood, any type of wood... rapid creosote build-up will be a problem.
Burn properly seasoned wood, any type of wood... rapid creosote build-up won't be a problem.

The pine/pitch/creosote thing is a myth, perpetrated by impudent ignorance.


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## bullittman281 (Mar 29, 2011)

:bang:

This pine thing has been beat to death. Pine burns great. Dry pine wont "clog" you chimney any more than dry anything else. I don't know where this rumor comes from but it needs to die. If you live out west pine IS the BEST choice. Especially Doug fir. Period.

Bullittman


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