We have quite a bit of Pinion Pine in my area. I have seen where it's ranked on the BTU chart and find it a little hard to believe. I do have some in my stacks and I'll make a point of paying closer attention to how it burns this upcoming season. The thing I remember most about the tree was the amount of pitch it contained and how it would gum up my gloves, pants/shirt and anything else it came in contact with. I never liked working on those trees.
your little score reminds me of the Eastern white pine limbs i burned while camping a few weeks ago. Part of my enjoyment while camping is scrounging wood (who wouldve guessed that) and there were two good sized EWP's down near our site, The trunks had rotted to the point of punk, but the 2-3" limbs left on it prior to other campers hacking off the branches, were solid, heavy, and dense. Broke/cut off several and the last nights fire was rather intense between heat and spitting. Gave off the black smoke common on pitchy softwood too. Had to be mindful as it did spit a lot! The ground was littered with black coals all around the firepit. I normally dont make a huge fire but we had plenty of wood and the campground was practically deserted.
