A better chain for pine

Washing the pine sap off his hands with mayo. See post #7

 

Is that what you call it in those southern states??

 

I do mean to cut in the winter, but during an ice storm in 1999 I remember the sap was still a mess with the loblolly.
I always split right away on green wood, my area was around Cross, South Carolina. So about thirty something miles as the crow flies from the coast, and is the low country. But, my first experience with it was during the mid nineties in Sumter South Carolina. (midlands)

It still took a couple years for it to burn cleanly in a satisfactory manner. Lots of rain and humidity. I never used a moisture meter back then. I certainly was critiqued poorly as a yankee for burning pine. I took a load to my ex mother in law's house once and she liked it just fine as the hardwoods she burnt were never ever dry in fifty years she had a fire place.

I liked burning it in the low country because it wasn't a hardwood, and would burn hot and quickly and my house wouldn't be super hot by mid morning. Bottom line is winter is short down there and burning constantly wasn't a requirement except for maybe two weeks in January.

I don't know what slash pine is, except was we cut down for pulp mills, mainly international paper and mead westvaco land. pulp wood is trash to me personally. I lived within a mile of Francis beidler national forest, so I always had good hardwood, but never honestly needed it, except when I put up chitake mushroom logs.

What I think is the best about loblolly is that on the big trees I'd drop, there wouldn't be branch for sometimes fourty feet. I got a lot of wood put up in a big fat hurry.

I would personally take it if you can get it. Something to think on here......I wouldn't cut elm, red oak, white oak, water oak, hickory, or any of the other high BTU species if I had access to it up here. Doug fir smells absolutely wonderful, and heats my house, shop, garage and sauna with no problems whatsoever. My burn season lasts from September to end of June typically. Now I cut high elevation fir that can be three to four hundred years old so it is super dense, totally different than say PNW fir. We only need six cord for the house and that is with it being a hundred degrees or so by my lazy boy when it is fifty below out.

I'm not knocking hardwood firewood at all. But it is heavy as the dickens and does not generally smell like heaven. Truth the indians and then the trappers would simply have all froze to death if softwoods didn't sufficiently heat a home. Its like the good Lord knew what we needed and saw to it.

 

I would cut red oak all day long before pine unless I needed it next year then pine is the way to go since it seasons fast. Pine does not coal like HW so it's hard to get a coal bed in a stove. I have a cat stove. And without much insulation 25° takes an awfully lot of heat to keep 2000 sq ft in the 60s in the bedrooms at night. Pine won't do it, I have to have HW.

 

I can see your point there. But you are in Greenwood county if your profile is up to date. I'd burn HW too if I lived any further north than I did. I didn't want a coal bed as I didn't burn through out the day generally. Like has been said, The south is a big place. The OP is further south than I was. Like I said, I'm not knocking Hard wood, just stating my experience in my area. I left the south in 2009 to return home. I'm not trying to get anyone excited, just help the OP

 

That's correct. I know exactly where you were talking about you were from as well. I'm from the coast originally. Born here in SC and lived here my entire life. My family has been here in this state for hundreds of years.

And I agree not trying to start arguments or not either. I'm one of those who just says you can always make a smaller fire if needed. Personally id rather have the hardwood and the extra BTUs in case I need them.