bark on or bark off

[Steve NW WI]

I've been tossing the bark that accumulates from dropping my wood down a chute into the basement into dog food bags all winter. I had 2 big ones full, and kept the house warm all weekend with em. I was home to stir em a little once in a while, and fed it in a couple ash scoops at a time. Worked pretty well, and by the time I got it all burned down, the ash wasn't as bad as I expected, but there was probably as much as 4 days or so of regular wood burning.

I felt pretty frugal - err cheap while doing it, and also didn't have to haul them out to the burn pile. A win-win situation in my book.

Don't wanna start a fight with Spidey again, but the EEEPAH stove worked better for this than the old dragon would have. I kept the firebox hot and the air choked down, and most of the time the only burn I saw was from the secondaries. The old stove would have belched smoke for most of the time while it smoldered.

 

[BrokenToys]

I think a froh would be easier!!!

What is this Froh you speaketh Brah? Kinda like an Adze? New tools are cool.

 

[Woody912]

What is this Froh you speaketh Brah? Kinda like an Adze? New tools are cool.

View attachment 289478

guess it is spelled "froe"

 

[ShaneLogs]

I usually leave the bark on the wood unless it sits out in the sun for a long time and it falls off then I rake it up and take it to the dump with all the saw chips and stuff.

 

[Dave from Wisconsin]

I ventured to this site wondering about burning bark, not cuz I want to spend loads of hours removing it, rather, cuz, it falls off while splitting so easily for wood that has cured properly--thus its a mess and what to do with it? Hate to haul it away but it seems like it's more likely to be full of moisture...almost rotting....(?), thus I hesitate to burn it. From what I read it is cellulose, just like the rest and I should just chuck it onto a (already hot) fire.

 

[Erik B]

@Dave from Wisconsin Welcome to the site. I burn the bark if it makes it into the stacks or kindling bin. If you have to dispose of it and don't have a place to throw it into the woods, just burn it.
We would like to see pics of your wood gathering tools, stacks of wood and your stove.

 

[sb47]

Your throwing away BTU's by debarking wood.
When the bark falls off I save it for small short lived fires.
Bark does require more heat to get it started. I suspect it's because it's a trees natural defense against wild fires.
Some of my bbq people like the bark off and I charge a higher price for bark-less wood.
I offer premium heart wood for my discriminating bbq smoker's.
The bark does have a heavy smoke aroma and can make some bbq bitter tasting.
I like a heavy smoke flavor, I don't care ether way.
I do believe leaving the bark on invites insects, rot, mold, fungus to occur, more so in damp environments.
Thats why the old timers debarked logs when they made log cabins. Keeps the bugs out and makes the wood last longer.

 

[Wood Doctor]

What I find rather amazing is the difference in time that the bark sticks from one species to the next as the wood dries. Some throw it immediately when dry and others hang onto it like glue. For example, elm and soft maple let it go rather rapidly, whereas oak and ash tend to hang onto it, especially pin oak.

Many of my customers like barked firewood because the bark makes good kindling when it falls off. They always seem to run out of kindling. One time I brought a 1.5 cu ft box full of bark along with a delivery and they added $10 to the bill as a tip.