Does anyone burn Tamarack in the Eastern U.S.?

[bobt]

Tamarack,,,,, (Larix Laricina) is a deciduous conifer that grows in the Eastern Part of the United States. It is easily identified in the Fall season by the fact that it's leaves (Needles) turn bright yellow before being completely shed. The tree sheds all it's needles every year.

I was wondering if anyone besides me makes a point to cut a pickup load or two of Tamarack each year to supplement my Maple or Oak.

Tamarack is a medium density wood that has less heat value than hard maple or oak, but more heat value than say white birch or poplar.

Tamarack dries especially fast as only the sapwood in the outer 1-2 inches has much moisture. The heartwood is quite dry already in green wood. I find that I can cut Tamarack in late summer and if split and stacked in the sun it will be acceptably dry by winter.

I use Tamarack when reviving a fire from coals in the morning or when starting a new fire. It flames very easily and burns with high heat output so it gets the fire going fast. It also lasts quite long in the fire and burns down to leave some coals unlike other softwood species.

So, how about it, does anyone else burn this "overlooked" firewood species?

Bob

 

[DSS]

I burn it, but i'm in canada. We have a lot of it here, we call it juniper, tamarack, hackmatack.....

It is very good wood, right up there on the btu scale and it burns clean for a softwood. I would much rather burn it than white birch or soft maple.

Very heavy when green, but it sounds good in the stove, it has a nice crackle to it. Makes very good lumber too.

 

[slowp]

The Western Larch, Larix occidentalis, is highly coveted for firewood. It grows on the eastside of the Cascades and on into Idaho and Montana. It splits easy and burns hot. It is also called Tamarack by some folks.

 

[cleb]

in south western NY we call it Larch... my front porch, inside stairs and one of my walls is made out of it at my cabin... almost everything else is made from hemlock....

We have burned it and can get the cut offs for $5 a pickup load from our local Amish mill... burns nice but it is not our regular burning load.... but it does work well as a rot resistant building material

 

[billmartin]

The Western Larch, Larix occidentalis, is highly coveted for firewood. It grows on the eastside of the Cascades and on into Idaho and Montana. It splits easy and burns hot. It is also called Tamarack by some folks.

Got introduced to tamarack by a buddy in the NE corner of WA. He kept throwing in these huge heavy chunks of firewood and boy that stuff will catch and burn!

Highly coveted is right. I heard him talking with a friend and he wouldn't give up where he knew a few were that were ready to be cut.

 

[bobt]

The Western Larch, Larix occidentalis, is highly coveted for firewood. It grows on the eastside of the Cascades and on into Idaho and Montana. It splits easy and burns hot. It is also called Tamarack by some folks.

Yes Slowp, I understand that you who live in the West like to burn your Western Tamarack. Is it your first choice firewood? Also Slowp, I know your version is Larix occidentalis but our Eastern version is Larix laricina. Are they very similar in burning characteristics, and tree size, etc? Our Eastern Tamarack is a tree that takes over open land near swamps and lakes mixed with black and white spruce, white pine, and balsam fir. It rarely if ever makes a stand all by itself.

Our Eastern Tamarack is of moderate size reaching maybe 60-70 feet and not much bigger than 20 inches DBH at maturity.

I cut one that size this summer that had been hit and killed by lightning from the look of it. It made a nice pickup load of firewood, maybe a half cord. The wood is now in the basement next to the wood furnace waiting for the heating season to begin.

 

[MJR]

Yep I burn and mill all I can get.

 

[WidowMaker]

East coast, no but Tamarack hell yea,, heres a couple

 

[Big_Al]

Not east coast either but another vote for tamarack. Real popular for firewood out here. Luckily there is a lot of it!

 

[TJ-Bill]

I don't cut it for fire wood but I do cut them and use them as fence rails. I burn the left overs and they burn hot. I do have several good sized Tam's onmy property I guess It's an option.

 

[pipehead]

I burn it. But I burn anything.

 

[bobt]

East coast, no but Tamarack hell yea,, heres a couple

WidowMaker,

That there is some BIG Tamarack! Especially the one shown in the second picture. Our Eastern Tamarack never gets that big,,,ours is dwarf by comparison. Is that a typical size for your area? Looks like you get about two cords out of a single tree.

What is the species of the tree with the chain around it in the first picture? It has interesting bark pattern and surely is not a Tamarack.

Bob

 

[WidowMaker]

Yea, these are/were standing dead and they typically get to that size before they die and give up a 1 1/2 to 2 cords, they also get much larger, the largest we've taken was a bit over 50 inches on the stump. I beleive the tree with the chain on it is a mountian hemlock.

 

[dancan]

East coast, no but Tamarack hell yea,, heres a couple

Great pic of your cutting partner !

 

[svk]

I burned a batch of tamarack in my sauna tonight. This was my first time ever burning this species. I had carried a few logs out of a bog last fall to test out a new splitting axe.

The difference between tamarack and other mid grade firewood is that tamarack puts out high heat immediately. After getting the fire rolling, I moved the draft back to 1/4. An hour later I checked and the sauna was 235 degrees and my buckets of water were already warm. Usually it takes more fiddling with the draft and more time to heat up with other species up to and including oak.

4 hours later there was still wood and coals 1/4 way up in the firebox.

I'll definitely take all of the standing dead tamarack I find going forward.

 

[Big_Al]

Holy dead thread revival!

 

[svk]

Holy dead thread revival!

I get the weekly revival award. Usually Gypo always wins it.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

I have a Larch I planted several years ago on my fence row (thought it was spruce). It's maybe 5 years old now (about 1.5ft tall) but it's never lost it's needles?

 

[Big_Al]

Doesn't sound like a tamarack. The needles should turn yellow & fall off every fall. Around here I think they grow faster than that also.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Yeah ~6 months of winter makes trees grow fairly slow.

It is yellow right now, but the needles don't fall off. I'll take a pic tomorrow after I dig it out of the snow.