# White birch for firewood



## rob066 (Jul 13, 2010)

Is White Birch any good for firewood? Thanks in advance. Rob


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## smokinj (Jul 13, 2010)

20 million btu per cord about middle of the road..I would take it.


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## Ductape (Jul 13, 2010)

I'd happily take it for free. If I were paying 300 cabbages for a cord of firewood and it was mostly white birch........ I'd feel cheated. Like J sez.... decent middle of the road firewood.


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## doobie57z (Jul 13, 2010)

I burn in a franklin stove,i like birch, it dries quickly and lights well. Then I toss in other stuff, usually maple around here.


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## spudzone (Jul 13, 2010)

rob066 said:


> Is White Birch any good for firewood? Thanks in advance. Rob



Definitely underrated IMO. Be sure to start it hot and burn off the VOCs before choking down the stove- the bark is a prodigious soot and black smoke producer. It's the wood of choice in much of Canada due to it's abundance.

Easy to split and fun to mill too!

Chris


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## pipehead (Jul 14, 2010)

Burns well. It doesn't keep that long, however (begins to rot rather quickly).


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## Medman23 (Jul 14, 2010)

As others have said, it burns well, but fast. It takes longer to dry if not split fine, as the bark retains moisture in the wood. I have burned white birch for a few years, mostly during shoulder seasons. The best is two years dry. Carpenter ants love the stuff, as do paper wasps.
It is not the wood of choice in this part of Canada, but west of Lake Superior it is the best of what is available. My parents lived out west for ten years and burned only white birch with no problems. Just a lot more wood moving.

Ryan


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## Mike PA (Jul 14, 2010)

Keep it dry. It will rot away if it just thinks it might get wet. Otherwise, it burns - just quickly. A good gopher wood.


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## banshee67 (Jul 14, 2010)

dont know about white birch, but i got some black birch outside :greenchainsaw:


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## Tree Pig (Jul 14, 2010)

Makes decent firewood, as stated does burn fast. Also IMHO you have to split if fast it rots from the inside out unlike most other firewood.


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## DSS (Jul 14, 2010)

Stihl-O-Matic said:


> Makes decent firewood, as stated does burn fast. Also IMHO you have to split if fast it rots from the inside out unlike most other firewood.



Exactly, you have to split it almost as soon as it hits the ground. The bark is so tight that it holds the moisture in and it rots from the inside out.

I burn lots of it, not great wood, but not bad. Careful of flare ups.

Yellow birch is a much better wood.


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## Wood Doctor (Jul 14, 2010)

White, river, and brown birch are usually judged inferior to black and yellow birch. However, all make good firewood. Study them all.

Yellow birch may be the most underrated hardwood of them all, either for burning or for making good furniture.


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## logbutcher (Jul 14, 2010)

Paper/White Birch is the choice for firewood where it grows most in northern regions. Here in Downeast coastal Maine it's a "pioneer" species fast to take over following cuts of spruce/fir woodlands. It's easily 50% or more of our 5-8 cords/year out of the woodlots for our 100% wood heating. It is a "tolerant" fast growing species allowing other trees to take over. 

As said, it does pooch (rot ) in a year IF you don't slice the bark when bucking; even then it won't store well for more than a season. Usually splits easily, is lighter than most woods, and starts fast if seasoned. 

Good carving wood, mills well for flooring or furniture, and the bark is still used by skilled craftsmen for canoes.

I do have a serious case of Oak Envy.:jawdrop: Why most of the finer hardwood species --oaks, hickory, wlanut, etc...-- are abundant too far south in the no-snowbelt is beyond me.


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## Wood Doctor (Jul 15, 2010)

*Tight Bark*



daddy66 said:


> Exactly, you have to split it almost as soon as it hits the ground. The bark is so tight that it holds the moisture in and it rots from the inside out.
> 
> I burn lots of it, not great wood, but not bad. Careful of flare ups.
> 
> Yellow birch is a much better wood.


Terrific information. I had forgotten about that tight bark holding the moisture in. Two weeks ago I bucked up a truckload of white birch and stacked the rounds. The tree was about 25 years old and threatened a house, so it had to come down.

I'll split it next week while still green. The ends are already checking up. Some peoiple use white birch logs to decorate the fireplace in the off season.


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## StihlyinEly (Jul 16, 2010)

spudzone said:


> Definitely underrated IMO. Be sure to start it hot and burn off the VOCs before choking down the stove- the bark is a prodigious soot and black smoke producer. It's the wood of choice in much of Canada due to it's abundance.
> 
> Easy to split and fun to mill too!
> 
> Chris



What Chris said. We only have middle of the road wood here. WB, black ash, red maple, all hovering around 20 MBTU/cord. I've been burning about 9-10 cord/year of that mix, though I'm moving exclusively into black ash this coming year because of its abundance and ease of splitting. By far the best splitting wood of the three because of its straight grain and lack of knots.



banshee67 said:


> dont know about white birch, but i got some black birch outside



Boy, could I go for some black birch firewood. GOOOOOOOOOD BTUs there!


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## dancan (Jul 17, 2010)

Here's a part of ad from Edmonton ,
FIREWOOD CHOICES ARE
POPULAR $175.00 PER CORD BAGS $4.50
SPRUCE/PINE MIX $250.00 PER CORD BAGS $5.00
TAMARACK $325.00 PER CORD BAGS $6.00
BIRCH $400.00 PER CORD BAGS $7.50

I think that they are quite proud of their birch (yes it's white birch ) and delivery is extra .


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## StihlyinEly (Jul 17, 2010)

dancan said:


> Here's a part of ad from Edmonton ,
> FIREWOOD CHOICES ARE
> POPULAR $175.00 PER CORD BAGS $4.50
> SPRUCE/PINE MIX $250.00 PER CORD BAGS $5.00
> ...



Lots of places in the Great White North where white (paper) birch brings a premium for fireplaces because of the romance of it all.  

I burned half a cord of tamarack two winters ago and it put out a lot of heat. Got a nice tidy BTU rating, does tamarack.


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## AKKAMAAN (Jul 17, 2010)

_*Betula pendula*_, silver birch, and _*Betula pubescens*_, white birch....

Birch is an amazing tree that have made people, in the arctic region, happy for 1000+years....
The outside bark is so water repellent so it makes very good roofing, and it last almost a lifetime.....
A few strips of that bark in the hikers back pack is a "life saver" while hiking....great fire starter....
The birch bark is also used for a lot of nice handcraft and art, especially in the Scandinavian native culture, the Lapplanders....

Yes that bark, is devastating for the seasoning of birch, if logs not get split soon.....if logs are split, the bar wont do nay harm if logs are stored dry, and off from the ground...

This bark peels easy off the the living tree in the spring, just before leaves bud out....and the tree wont die from that harvest either....cut through the bark vertically with a sharp knife, and peels off around the stem....huge sheets will come out, and they will be about 1/16" thick...

This wall art work is made from birch bark....


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## Pete61 (Aug 12, 2015)

This may all be true about Birch but in the Edmonton area, it is the preferred fire pit wood. The other choices such as Spruce, Pine, Poplar, etc... spit and spark too much. 

I cut and split my own firewood and I find with the birch that it does not split well unless very dry. I haven't had a problem with it rotting although I rarely have any wood last more than a year later.


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## Zale (Aug 12, 2015)

I had a client who bought 18 pallets of bundled birch wood imported from Estonia. Paid $12000.00 for it. I kid you not.


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## turnkey4099 (Aug 13, 2015)

Wood Doctor said:


> *Tight Bark*
> 
> 
> Terrific information. I had forgotten about that tight bark holding the moisture in. Two weeks ago I bucked up a truckload of white birch and stacked the rounds. The tree was about 25 years old and threatened a house, so it had to come down.
> ...



Same here. I planted one in the wrong location back in the 80s. had to remove it in 2013. Split and piled. Wasn't ready last year, will burn it this year mixed in with locust. I was surpised at how heavy it is even after drying 2 years. Bark is now falling off, no rot.

There is some satisfaction in heating a house with a tree (in my case 3 of them now) that one has planted.

Ooops, make that 4. 1 Black Walnut, 2 Spruces and now the Birch. Also have a small pile of cedar from 3 of those I planted and had to remove due to growing up in the power line.

Harry K


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## Wood Doctor (Aug 13, 2015)

Birch varies substantially in heat content from one variety to the next. Black and yellow birch are probably the two best. White and river birch are at the bottom. I've actually made some really fine furniture with yellow birch. Its bending strength rivals white oak, but its grain is similar to cherry. Color is a bit more consistent than hickory.


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## dancan (Aug 13, 2015)

Zale said:


> I had a client who bought 18 pallets of bundled birch wood imported from Estonia. Paid $12000.00 for it. I kid you not.



I'll sell some bundled birch from Nova Scotia for the same price but in Canadian funds so that's a 30* discount in US funds and I'll pay the shipping ,,,,, Seriously


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## cus_deluxe (Aug 13, 2015)

Zale said:


> I had a client who bought 18 pallets of bundled birch wood imported from Estonia. Paid $12000.00 for it. I kid you not.


can i have his #? maybe he needs more haha


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## Zale (Aug 14, 2015)

This guy had more money than God. He could buy the whole forest if he wanted to.


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## Marine5068 (Aug 18, 2015)

dancan said:


> Here's a part of ad from Edmonton ,
> FIREWOOD CHOICES ARE
> POPULAR $175.00 PER CORD BAGS $4.50
> SPRUCE/PINE MIX $250.00 PER CORD BAGS $5.00
> ...


I'm selling lots of bagged Poplar campfire wood right now for $4.00/pellet bag full. 
I also burn White birch as lots of people around here throw it away and don't want it for firewood.
The bark is incredible fire-starter.
Gotta cut split it fresh as you can and keep it dry dry dry.


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## svk (Aug 20, 2015)

I've heard if you sell birch in an area where it doesn't grow you can get a huge premium as its a "pretty" firewood. I'm talking $300 a cord all day, every day. 

It's the gold standard where I'm at. There are a few better species but they are hard to find. Everything else puts out less btu than white birch.


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## chucker (Aug 20, 2015)

svk said:


> I've heard if you sell birch in an area where it doesn't grow you can get a huge premium as its a "pretty" firewood. I'm talking $300 a cord all day, every day.
> 
> It's the gold standard where I'm at. There are a few better species but they are hard to find. Everything else puts out less btu than white birch.


! steve, you need to start an oak plantation for seed ... harvest the corn's to become a investor of the future of hardwoods in a soft wood area?? you never know where it might grow? maybe....


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## rarefish383 (Aug 20, 2015)

I like to mill the bigger stuff. This is one piece I was going to use in the deck of my Lickity Split wood splitter. But I sold it before putting the new deck in, Joe.


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## Snocat3 (Aug 21, 2015)

If it was in my yard it would make my wood pile. If it was in the woods I would leave it. Too many other good choices around here to bother with that junk.


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## AKKAMAAN (Aug 24, 2015)

Pete61 said:


> I haven't had a problem with it rotting...


Rotting i mainly a problem on brich long logs. If already cut into short log firewood, and stored for good seasoning and ventilation, it is less of a problem.


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## turnkey4099 (Aug 24, 2015)

Snocat3 said:


> If it was in my yard it would make my wood pile. If it was in the woods I would leave it. Too many other good choices around here to bother with that junk.



I'll be burning some birch for the first time this season. Had to remove one I planted too close to the house. Based solely on density I suspect it is a far piece off from being "junk". A chunk weighs almost the same as a chunk of locust.

Harry K


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## tramp bushler (Aug 25, 2015)

When the choices are only . White spruce, black spruce , poplar/aspen , and cottonwood. 
White birch wins . to speed up the drying process, stack all birch with the bark down and the split side up . The wood is porur and allows water vapor to excape relatively quick . Whereas the bark is water proof as has been mentioned. . Split side up , bark side down . . All split wood dries faster that btw
. Especially decidous species. but conifers benifit from that stacking method also.


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## Weber_Steaks (Aug 27, 2015)

This is my first post as a new member here.....last weekend I had a dead white birch cut down, along with 4 other trees, including two large ash trees.....but here is my birch pile


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## Weber_Steaks (Aug 27, 2015)

Here is a better pic of the birch


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## svk (Aug 27, 2015)

Weber_Steaks said:


> This is my first post as a new member here.....last weekend I had a dead white birch cut down, along with 4 other trees, including two large ash trees.....but here is my birch pile


Welcome to the site!


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## Weber_Steaks (Aug 27, 2015)

svk said:


> Welcome to the site!


Thank you !, just took some better pics, heard the native Americans and early settlers used the bark from white birch as paper, to write on.....not sure if true but I can see it being done.


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## Erik B (Aug 27, 2015)

If you will be burning the birch you had best get it split and under cover and out of the elements. Birch will go punky from the inside pretty fast.


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## peakbagger (Aug 28, 2015)

That birch is already starting to rot, split it in quarters asap. If you wait until a birch has crown die back its already starting to rot. If you drop it when its healthy and split it quick its great wood. If you can split it right a way, running the saw along the length of the trunk a couple of times will delay the start of rot.


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