Pine ID and other q's

A decent sized pine fell across the access road where I cut wood. I bucked it and tossed it in the woods a few days ago, thinking I'd move on with my life and forget about it.

Of course, my conscience got the better of me and I went back today and turned it into a stack of firewood.

All I know is it isn't Eastern White Pine. This is in a swampy area in Maryland for native species purposes. I'm thinking Virginia Pine or Red Pine, but I don't have any experience with either. My pine-ID skills are not good.

Pics are of trees in the area that are the same species as the one that came down. They seem to all be dying here.

Bark pics:




Cone and Needle pic:


Crown, though not a particularly good pic:


The one that fell across the road became this. It all adds up.


Same type of tree nearby, already dead.


Another, same type. I won't be messing with this leaner, Mother Nature can do it on her time.


So, what kind of pine is this? What say you, FHC Braintrust?

 

If it is Virginia Pine, what BTU number can I expect? Not seeing it on BTU charts that I usually look at.

 

Count the number of needles in the cluster. 3=red 5=white. The number of needles corresponds with the number of letters. That's about the extent of my pine knowledge. Lol

 

Red pine - your bark looks a little different than mine but it has the same needles and cones. I just looked up Virginia pine and the cones look like they have longer 'tails' off the ends of the 'cone needles'.

I burned some red pine this year. Dries really fast, easy to light, and it gets the house warm, but don't expect to find any coals after 8 hours. It's great for ("shoulder season") weather like this, where it's not getting below freezing but you still need to heat the house. I like it better than the poplar I burned last year (the poplar smells terrible when you burn it). It's going on the official 'menu' for my stove - I've got almost a cord in log length next to the garage to be split for next year.

Welcome to the club!

 

It's hard to see much detail on my phone, but judging by the length of the needles, and your location, I'd say Virginia pine.
The fact that it is growing in a swampy area is puzzling as both red and Virginia are typically found on drier sites. That could explain why they seem to be dying.
As far as but rating, it should be similar to loblolly, pitch or shortleaf pine.

 

I don't know what Virginia pine is but that looks pretty close to scotch pine to me. Sharp ridges on bark and very sharp and stiff needles. I do better with touch than look though.

 

Well, its definitely pine. I doubt you would notice much difference between any of them in the stove unless its all you burned for several years.

Regarding BTU charts, they're all based on wood weight/density at a fixed MC, and I think the Janka Hardness scale used by woodworkers is the most accurate representation of that measurement. But for practical firewood purposes, I think you can throw all of that out anyway.

I have 3 categories: soft (pines,poplar), medium (cherry, walnut, ash), and dense (locust, hickory). When I pick up a dry split, I can tell which category it falls into. When I load the stove, I usually run a mix; the higher the heat demand, the higher the density of the load.

 

The bark sure looks like the red pine we have around here. Another vote for that.

 

I thought red pine was in clusters of two needles, along with a bunch of others.

 

That be red pine for sure. What variety? Who knows. White pine has a soft, almost hair like needle unlike the stiff prickers on other types of pines.

 

Ya gotta start posting more frequently, butcher!

 

Spring has sprung, almost. Getting busy and time to sit here at a desk in the hooch is not an option. Work, eat, sleep and worry time has come once again.

 

Red Pine doesn't grow wild in Maryland. Virginia Pine is very common. I think it is Virginia Pine because the needles are relatively short and the cone looks like Virginia Pine. The bark of the two species is similar. The part that doesn't match Virginia Pine is the tall, straight tree you showed as an example of a similar tree. I have seen Virginia Pine grow like that in the forest, but usually they are shorter and sort of scrubby, which is why they are also called Scrub Pine.

 

Good to hear. I've tried Eastern White pine in the stove and wasn't thrilled with the results, even in shoulder season. I'm hoping for slightly higher heat value from this, but if not, oh well. It all burns!

 

Yeah, definitely a red pine variety. Red pine is a much better burning firewood than white pine is.

 

Dries quite well also.

 

You'll be very happy with red pine.

 

Thanks, Virginia Tech's tree site suggests this as well, so I wasn't sure Red Pine was the answer, though the bark sure looks close. I'll look up Scrub Pine, never heard that particular name before. Maybe that's the colloquial name around here as well for Virginia Pine.