Considering taking several large loblolly pines down in my yard. Mature, probably 80 feet tall, so, for me to haul these off, I will have to make a lot of bucking cuts, making rounds I could roll onto my trailer. I wish I could find a small logger to take the stems but I don't think such a logger exists anymore. So, what type of chain? These trees are 18" to 36" DBH, not sure which ones I would take but if I do any, there are three that are 24" to 30" that have to go more than others. I'd probably use Stihl ms400 with 20" or 25" bar. I've never burned pine other than in boy scouts, lol. Sure hate to waste wood but nobody here burns pine. I've always been tempted to try it. If I were to do that, I'd need to let the sap dry for a year or so, it's a pain to deal with. Even if I wanted to try it, I can find all the pine I want scrounging, so, not sure I would want big rounds sitting around the edge of my yard for a year or so while the sap dries! I would think that in cutting pine, there are some concessions one would need to make or be aware of dealing with the messy sap. What do you know?
"Sure hate to waste wood but nobody here burns pine" All the more reason to burn it, nobody is going to fight you for it. You live in the perfect winter climate for burning pine. Cool mornings/evenings and relatively warm daytime temperatures. I imagine short hot pine fires would do the trick just fine. As far as cutting it goes, there's only one chain on the market that will cut that efficiently, and that's a sharp one
I'm in Georgia so I know what you mean about having plenty of pine. I found this site by researching whether or not it was safe to burn pine and everyone here has convinced me that as long as it is seasoned then burn it. I don't have a wood stove so all of my burning is in an open fireplace. I have noticed that if I get a piece where the sap has settled and turned hard then it will burn like a roman candle.......but those pieces are few and far between. I like that it seasons quickly and burns quickly. Last year I burned mostly ash and pine and noticed that if I wanted a quick burst of heat then pine would do the trick. I have been burning pine in my open fireplace for the last 2-3 years and have not had any issues. Also have not had any additional creosote buildup.
Whatever chain is already on your ms400 should work just fine as long as it’s sharp. As far as dealing with the sap goes vegetable oil does nicely for removing it from hands cheaply. A light coating of cheap non stick cooking spray on your saw will make clean up much easier.
I've processed a couple big ole pines before. Avoiding sap is very challenging. I ended up making a bunch of sweedish candles/torches. Maybe you could sell em? As far as chain goes, just lower your depth gauges/rakers a bit more than normal and let er eat.
Cheap gloves! A few pairs of them. And as Barcroftb said cooking spray works wonders for keeping the sap from adhering.
I try to cut pine when its colder if I can so the sap stays put. Handle enough and it still gets all over though. Keep it to burn as others have said.
Sure but that’s gooder on samiches. Seriously if your going to spend mayo money on sap removal original gojo works well. It will even help take sap out of clothes. Although, it best to just use the cheapest thrift store clothes you can find. I work on removing dead/dying spruce probably a couple times a month and usually have a specific set of gear/clothes that I will use for the task.
I've burned cords and cords of loblolly pine in South Carolina man years ago. Burned just lovely. In fact I liked it better when I only needed to heat the house at night. Just cut when the sap is down the stem as far as it will go. I remember being on a storm team in the military. We'd have to cut them up occasionaly in the summer. One time I put in my face cut and stepped back to gun the tree and by the time I grabbed the saw I had sap just oozing out like warm honey. Real eye opener. Best fat lighter I've ever hit was in the bottom rounds of those pines.
Nothing other than you can get away with a sharper angle to cut faster cause it's softer. Sap is no big deal. Most of the logging here in the south is pine. Plenty of saws chainsaws and buck saws cut pine everyday with no "concessions"
Ok, you are the first I have come across who has said they burned loblolly, interested in what you have to say. - "In fact I liked it better when I only needed to heat the house at night." -- Can you explain that further, unsure what you mean? - "Just cut when the sap is down the stem as far as it will go." -- When the sap is down the stem, do you mean cut in winter months? - Do you recall splitting loblolly and how did it go? Do you know if you should leave it in round form for a long time before splitting or what? Around here, there are two main species, loblolly and shortleaf pine. We used to hear "slash pine" as well but it's been decades since I have heard of that. I recall it as being a fast-growing hybrid. Longleaf is not grown here, but within a couple hundred miles. But it doesn't grow as big and tall as loblolly and shortleaf. I have two in my yard that are 36 inch DBH. What's weird about this is... I could scrounge this easily. The majority of forests here are southern pine (loblolly and shortleaf) plantations... grown commercially as mono-crop forests. The usual harvest method these days is clear cut. On every clear cut, there are a LOT of logs lying around. Often, bunches of them, like a truckload. That they never come back and get. Most people around here do not heat with wood, it's not cold enough, or actually, it's that their modern homes have heating systems. So, most people burn wood in a fireplace for ambiance. Or in a firepit. So, super hot burning wood is not necessary for most, it's more about some heat and a nice flame. So, hmmm... sounds like pine. I need to try this, need to season some. One reason I like red maple is it gives a nice flame. Pine... ??? Thanks!
Having a senior moment, what does that mean? Oh, wait... you mean on the chain teeth? No doubt, it's certainly softer!
Ok so I'll will also help clear things up. To help put stock in what I have to say. First I have been burning wood for primary heat source for 10ish years. Which is not long compared to some of these guys, but burning wood myself for 16 years or so and been around it with family etc my whole life. I also live here in upstate SC so in the "south" . I also am a licensed, practicing professional Forester. I will answer some questions and statements. I burn shortleaf and loblolly for heat. Not when it's cold but what we call shoulder season. I can heat my house and burn it all night. I often will mix it cause it doesn't coal well so it doesn't burn effecient and low draft in my cat stove. Burned hot it's fine and heats my house easily as long as it's not really cold. I do not know of any shortleaf "plantations" in the actual sense of the word in forestry. No one plants it, although it's got excellent wood quality. Loblolly is the dominant planted species around here. Slash is an actual species of pine and is NOF a hybrid. Some people may think or falsely claim is a cross between a long leaf and loblolly, but that is not true. On the coast and in Florida is where more slash is planted as that's it's native range and where it grows well. There use to be lots of slash plantations because it was thought that slash grows well in sand and is fast growing so we will plant it all over. Much of it was planted on deep sandy well drained spots where slash DOES NOT do well. So we have stagnant stands most of which have not been clearcut. This was throughout the 60s 70s and 80s so you probably did encounter more of it years ago where you won't now unless your in a slash range. Slash was also used in the naval stores industry and planted in coastal relations for turpentining but that industry has long since gone. Usually trees are thinned at least once these days but depends on land ownership and markets in your area that decide rotation age. Trees left often are left because they don't make a load and they just don't haul partial loads. If a landowner wants a clean site we just tell them to load it up and take it to the next job to clean up. As far as how much pine I cut. Not much. It takes just as much effort to cut pine as it does hardwood which has more energy in it. So unless it's given to me or right beside the road or I cut it next to something else I don't really go out of my way to cut it. There is way to much hardwood to cut to mess with pine. As to how I split it. I split it green or dry. But pine rots fast and on e it starts to get punky it's harder to split cause it will just stick your ax or maul.
Very well said and thanks for the education. Your reason for not taking softwoods is the same as mine. PLENTY of quality hardwoods abound here.
