Time to open the floodgates for opinions. I did a search and didn't find that this has been answered previously. Also, I'm lazy and it wasn't a particularly thorough search. I personally like to separate the bark off of my red oak after it's been sitting before it goes into the wood shed. Helps the wood dry out a little better and keeps things a bit cleaner in the house. At the present I'm still chucking loads of bark into the brush pile. Do you burn any bark that falls off splits? Am I wasting a good resource here? I just poured a cup of tea, so regale me with your perceived pros and cons.
Are you talking about bark that has already come off, or comes off as you move the wood? Or do you peel off bark that is tight to the wood and would otherwise remain intact?
I will remove any loose bark by hand as it's getting stacked. If I can't rip it off it stays on; I'm not going to spend time separating it with a hatchet or anything.
I agree, if it falls off by itself I'll throw it out. Otherwise it goes in the stove. If I sold wood and the customers were willing to pay premium prices for bark less wood, maybe I'd bother separating it.
If it falls off, which a lot of it does, it stays where it fell off. I do not collect and burn the discarded bark.
Blasted red oak bark is the bane of my very existence on this rock hurdling through space and time! (not really) If it comes off easily I let it. I prefer to burn it in my outdoor pit than to bring it indoors where it makes a mess and harbors insects. When I process red oak I make it a point to produce as many barkless splits as possible. On pieces with tight bark I just make thinner splits with a wide face to encourage faster drying. I have better things to do with my time than strip oak bark though. As it's been said ad nauseam, it'll burn.
When I get a pretty big pile of bark as a result of splitting, I run it through my chipper. If I just have small piles, they end up in the fire pit.
I’m with others, if it falls off it gets burned outside on a burn pit/pile. If not, it stays. I don’t give it much thought honestly.
When I’m splitting I have my small garden cart backed up to the splitter near the front, out of the way. Toss any loose bark I catch in the cart. When it’s full off into the woods I go with the atv and cart. Dump it in any wet sections of the trails. I’ve dispersed a whole lotta bark doing this in the last three years. Probably a triaxle load worth or two.
If bark is attached I’ll burn it. When my firewood takes a ride on the slide it makes a mess of bark that falls off on impact. I’ll use that for kindling. If it falls off out side it gets mulched. life was easier in the bark department when burning less dry wood it always stayed attached.
The BL i sell is dead or down and the bark is off or comes off very easily. Some of the greener stuff the bark comes off easily will get stacked on its own as well. Tight barked is another stack. PITA but worth it.
IF it stays on when stacked and unstacked it gets burned or sold as is. If it come off easily i will take it off when splitting with the ax or my little "Hatchette". Some bark i will save for the fire pit. Oak, ash and sugar maple usually. I burned BL bark in the pit once and PU i wont do it again. That gets frisbeed into the woods.
I just jam it into my stacks where I have voids, much like bitternut hickory bark. It seems to start well. I certainly don’t make a point to seek it out, but when dry it’s a starter♂️
I had a relative who always burned bark. I was surprised one day when visiting they loaded the stove with bark. Said they always did as it burned so it gives heat. I wouldn't do it as it gives little heat but plenty of ash and a big mess. Better to through it in some wet holes in the trails through the woods.
If the bark is in the wood pile, I bring it in and burn it. Mostly so I don't have to deal with it again. Works good as a supliment to kindling.
If its falling off, I'll keep some to use as kindling. The rest is tossed into a pile for the firepit.
Like many others, if it falls off, it doesn't go in the wood stack. Just finishing up a couple big reds, and about half of the bark comes off during splitting. I was keeping the bark in a firepit pile, but wife said it was getting unruly so we chucked the remaining bark we had in the woods.
If it falls off I collect it and put it into a garbage can for the wood chipper to be mulched up. Then it will be either mulch or thrown into the compost pile. I was collecting it to burn but now that I have oodles of kindling from shorties, I don't need the bark. I don't usually bother peeling the bark off either. I like to stack my wood bark up so the water sheds off of it.
