Can anyone clue me in how tamarack burns before I buy some ? Does the pitch burn hot ? Can it be choked down ? Will it hold a fire ? I'm talking a 54 inch by 32 inch 28 inch firebox here . I would cut about 45 inch pieces . Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Quite a few here burn it, Sean and a few out in Colorado/Rockies do. Sounds like you got a beast for a burner. Tamarack will hold its end up plenty, right up there with white birch and higher than Doug fir for a BTU scale. At the risk of sounding redundant, test it for moisture. I think a moisture meter use here would do great if it’s in larger splits than usual. You’re burning in an OWB but having the wood dry saves the job a lot of heat.
Tamarack keeps better than birch if moisture/dry storage is an issue and since its only .5 mbtus lower you likely wont notice a difference. Larch/Tamarack is 19 mbtus in our area but I think it varies from region to region to a small extent from what Ive learned. I would take it over pine, fir or spruce if I were you. I get most of mine standing dead at less than 20% mc but I also harvested some easy to get green a year ago this month and it will need one more summer before its ready. Its our densest and longest burning conifer around here. I use it for my extended away times from the house and all my overnight burns through the winter. I find it does burn hot but I burn mostly conifers so Im used to it I guess. Knowing when to ratchet down the air is key to learning any new wood. Tamarack/Larch is a great wood to burn and a real neat tree.
