Firewood

[Shawner]

Planning on getting a woodstove next year, starting to collect wood now. Couple questions....

1) I've heard Fir is the best around here. There is a ton of dead standing Ponderosa Pine around here, is it ok to burn as long as it's split and seasoned properly (1-2 years)?

2) Can I drop a live tree and then split and dry it or do you guys always target dead stands?

Thanks!

[strwbrrydvl]

1) With dead trees they could be seasoned before you cut them! Took down a few dead pines this past spring and they're burning beautifully right now. Really is no need to wait with wood that's totally dried out already.
2) We've taken down live trees in our yard (Elms) and within a couple seasons (1-3+ years depending if they're split prior to stacking) they've been dried out enough to burn great. If you want live trees ready sooner than later, make sure they're split and not whole logs - downside to that is it's harder to split green wood.

Edit: get appropriate permits!

[Born_again]

My advice is to only fell dead-standing fir that no longer has needles. This pretty much ensures that it's been dead for at least 2 winters. Ponderosa does burn OK and has a pleasant sweet odour when burning, but its calorific value is at the lower end of the scale. You will be using twice as much ponderosa to achieve the same heat as douglas. Also, I've been told that it produces more creosote than other stuff that is readily available(lodgepole, douglas).

If you do burn ponderosa, don't expect your stove to be giving off heat in the morning, or even have lit embers. Keep some douglas to feed the stove last thing at night to ensure warmth in the morning.

I see absolutely no reason to fell a live tree whatsoever, other than the very rare case that it's a hazard to structures. I'd imagine that it would then need to season for at least 4 years to reach the humidity level required by your local by-laws for burning. The fire department can and do carry out sample tests if your neighbours complain about your smoke as being excessive.

Download and fill out a permit before you go logging.

[Shawner]

Thanks for the info, much appreciated! Looking at the permit, I guess you aren't allowed to fall live trees. Definitely makes sense but didn't realize it was against the law

[grammafreddy]

I always use a mix of dry standing larch and dry birch wood. I save the birch bark for firestarter. I also use pine pitch as a starter but won't use pine for wood because of the creosote content but also because it throws no heat.

Cutting live trees is a no no. There's lots of dead stuff to use instead.