Douglas Fir for firewood?

[Higs2013]

I'm new to the page and I am coming into my third heating season with my stove. I live in New England where we burn primarily hard woods, but I have a line on some Douglas Fir that was used in old Transmission towers that are being replaced. The wood is dried and in manageable sizes would I be doing my stove any harm in throwing some of this Fir in with my hardwood to heat with this winter?

 

[Rookie1]

If the wood is seasoned then you will have no problems. log for log you wont get as many BTUs out of it but if its free and easy to get Id do it. Ive gotten lots of pine that no one wanted cause it was going to clog their chimney. I use it in the fall before the cold sets in to save on my good wood.

 

[RVALUE]

Burns fine. However it may be more valuable to a salvage person......

Could be worth $ 6 / BF.

 

[Whitespider]

I burned some Douglas Fir a few years ago when I was scrounging through the winter just to keep the fire going... I was mildly impressed with its performance.
But... what do you mean by "Transmission towers"?? Has the wood been treated in some way for that purpose??
If it has been treated, don't burn it in an indoor stove.

 

[slowp]

What kind of lumber? How close are the growth rings? Is it treated?

Old growth Doug-fir lumber can be worth some bucks if you've got a buyer. It is rare.

 

[mainewoods]

If it's that old who knows what the soil contact end might be treated with. More than likely creosote. Cut off the bottom end at any darkened line and burn the rest in your stove. Not likely they creosoted the whole pole.

 

[Cerran]

I'm new to the page and I am coming into my third heating season with my stove. I live in New England where we burn primarily hard woods, but I have a line on some Douglas Fir that was used in old Transmission towers that are being replaced. The wood is dried and in manageable sizes would I be doing my stove any harm in throwing some of this Fir in with my hardwood to heat with this winter?

I burn almost exclusively Doug fir for the heating season with a little Lodgepole Pine mixed in during the shoulder seasons. You'll find that while Doug fir doesn't have the BTU's of some of the hardwoods out there it is comparable with many of them (~21.6 million per cord) and it splits like a dream in comparison with most other wood out there.

 

[Higs2013]

Thanks for the responses, the wood is the cross arms and support pieces of the structure. It's not full length timber it ranges in lengths of 6 feet long and 5 inches squared to some 8 feet long and 5 inches wide and 10 inches high. We are replacing wood structures on the transmission right of way, the poles are treated with creosote, but the arms don't appear to be treated with anything. The outside is a grayish color like seasoned wood and when they are cut the wood is dry. The line was built in the 50's so they have some time in the sun and elements. The wood is all earmarked for the trash but it's mine for the taking if I want, so I figured I'd make an inquiry. But if push comes to shove I'm not looking to harm my family or my stove for the mere fact the wood was free.

 

[Hddnis]

Cut a few and if they are treated you'll see a clear line where the treatment penetrated to, not to be confused with the normal weathering line. If they do turn out to be treated you can sell them as landscape timbers. Around there the poles are untreated about a foot above the ground and the cross pieces and braces are untreated.



Mr. HE

 

[MrWhoopee]

In my part of the mountains of northern California, doug fir is second only to black oak (Quercus kelloggii). Good BTUs, straight grain, easy to split, low pitch content. Take it!

 

[regulate34]

I live in central BC Canada. all people burn in this part of the world is Fir and Pine. just burn more and clean a little more.