Pine got me through all last season. I didn't know that it was low ash. I was wondering why I have so much ash this year in comparison. I like the ease of starting on hot coals that I get with the gum I'm burning now, but the pine gets going faster. I've been separating by species to get the drying times right. As I learn the properties of the different species, I'm starting to realize that a mix is what I want available at point of use. And I definitely want pine in the mix.
Caught the bug there, didn't ya skier??!!!!! I find it even more gratifying to process firewood grown somewhere else! Funny, as soon as I saw all those logs laying there, I thought of lumber-not firewood. Any one else have the same thought?
Thanks everyone! We've had the place for about 6.5 years now. I've been lucky and I haven't had to buy firewood since 2011. We don't have a lot of land; about an acre. But clearing out some thick areas up back and making room for a shed have provided us with some wood. Oh, and some pine a neighbor gave us a few years back. Good catch on the lumber yooperdave. I talked with the tree guy and he said he sells the good straight stuff to the lumber guys. All the "smaller" stuff just get's chipped. They have a turbo diesel chipper with a winch on it. Talk about an impressive machine. It'll inhale the top section of a tree like nothing; branches and all. Forgot to mention we were a bit "under sawed" on this job. I was using an MS 250 with an 18" bar. My father inlaw had a smaller Stihl with a 16" bar....with a thinner chain. There was some boggin when the saws got deep into some of the thicker part of the trees.
Wild west in the east where 80 percent humidity is normal it rots quick.. out west where humidity is much lower it dries quick.. this June was wet in Northeast I think 30 inches of rain that month.. Why Vermont is the green mountain state. only time we get below 45 % humidity is when temperatures drop so all humidity freeze and becomes frost
In my neck of the woods pine can lay on the ground for 3 or 4 years and not rot although it seems like it has the mc of a live tree!
Interesting. Was it dead standing? Ive never burned Pinion but burn lots of Tamarack (started a thread about it a couple of weeks ago) which has the same btus as birch. Around here its the gold choice for long burns in the wood stove. It has one of the highest btu ratings of softwoods youll find. I still like my pine and will burn it through the day and save the tamarack for overnights. Tundra in my avatar is napping on a round of lodgepole pine...
Bet that many trees removed opened up a big area for the sun to get thru. Nice series of pictures. Lots of fun work . When will the pine be burned ? We gonna get a picture of it all stacked soon ?
I've been burning two year C/S/S white spruce most all the burning season so far. It was half dead when I took it down. In my opinion, the best firewood comes from the tree that falls 20 feet from the stacks.
I found the magic number for white spruce is seasoned 2 years (IMO there's a big difference from 1 year seasoned.) Don't seem to be much lighter in weight but burns longer & hotter . Have heard others mention the same thing for other resinous woods
What a gorgeous area and cabin you have there for your weekend getaway! The setting is really something, with the rolling hills and woods. Almost looks like your in a gorge of sorts. Do you try to heat the cabin with the wood? I see propane also...
I'll get some pics of it covered next weekend for you guys. One of my neighbors came by a few weeks ago and asked if I was going to cover the wood. He said he had some old metal roofing he was getting rid of and would give it to me if I wanted it. Really nice guy. I'll see how the pine looks after a year of seasoning. I have burned a few very small splits this season just to try it out. Thanks for the compliments on the A-Frame! We've put a lot of work into it. It was rented for a number of years and then empty for almost 2 years before we bought it. It's in somewhat of a bowl area if you will. I'll see if I can find some winter pics. It's some interesting topography. When we are there, we heat with wood. When we aren't there, the propane keeps things going. We have a Rinnai propane heater that does a good job. In the utility room, we have an electric heater that keeps the well tank, hot water tank and copper pipes warm.
I burn pine too, but I would have put those particular logs through the sawmill - but that's just me. Just a guess - you're in or near Chimney Hill or Alpenwald Village?
A bit east of that. We're just north of Brattleboro up Route 30. Not far from the old Maple Valley ski area.
Yep, you need a bigger saw, but not too big. Like a 60cc rancher or pro saw. One that can wear a 24" bar and chain and a 18 or 20" regularly. By the way, I love pine, more so than any of the hardwoods out there.
