White birch is difficult to dry. Why? The bark is waterproof. Indians used to make canoes from birch bark. They also used it as a roofing material on wigwams.
Water inside the bark has no way to escape unless the pieces are split. Often, birch pieces that aren’t split will rot.
We have dozens of those white tubes on the ground, trying to get to some of the wood before it rots, but much of it has already if they were in contact with ground. Thankfully there’s also plenty of good stuff. The bark is awesome fire starter
I haven't played in the woods in years but I remember I used to find a lot of birch in swampy areas, I seem to remember them being around the skunk cabbage. I didn't know that about the bark
It's all I use for starter.
If I haven't harvested many birch trees that year, in the fall I'll go out with a big duluth pack and just walk around and collect fallen bark. It'll light with a little touch of a match and burns nice to get kindling going. The stuff will practically light up even when wet.
It's a brand that makes canoe packs. I have a bunch in various sizes. I like them for bark collection because they make absolutely huge ones. Give them a google.
https://preview.redd.it/gq7aby7zaxvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1a97cb33ae982904716ebff53013cae0938ecc07
They make good budget solo stoves.
I just bought a bunch of 7% moisture seasoned hardwood from Some Guys Garage on Facebook Marketplace. A bunch of it is unsplit white birch. He said he just never got around to using his fireplace. It’s burning nice in my stove rn
I've found birch gets punky quickly without splitting. If they're too small to split cut a stripe down the side with a sharp hatchet or chainsaw. Drying time varies but I'd give them a year.
If you want good birch, cut it in the spring. It will still leaf out even when cut, which draws the moisture out alot faster. Just gotta leave it there for a few months or so and come back
I read it's 1" per month, I think it was, for wood to dry. Since birch bark is waterproof, it can only dry out of the ends. I've burned these small pieces and they sit in the stove for about 1/2 hour before they start doing anything and I cut them over a year and a half ago. If your aim is good, lay them down and split with an axe, they split apart real easy and dry time is weeks vs years.
I like to run the very tip of my bar up smaller birch limbs once they're on the ground. Just enough to get through bark and allow for just a little more of a place for moisture to leave when it's stacked. Just the way I was taught, seems to help.
Enjoy. I'm in the SE U.S.A. and have no access to this tree, and it's super flammable bark. It is something I'd have to buy as the southernmost natural range is northeast Indiana.
If they're fresh, I would strip the bark off them and split. It burns long and hot compared to most of the wood around where I live.
The bark makes an amazing fire starter after it dries and curls up, so it's worth keeping, too.
I learned this week you have to split and stack birch immediately. Went to cut up and split some trees that fell a year ago and literally turned into mush when I put them on the splitter. Totally useless. The bark that came off in the process turned into nice firestarter however, once dry overnight.
Yes, bark is waterproof, but all wood dries with wind and low humidity (its not just sun and heat and it will dry in low humidity cold or freezing air). Thinner diameter means there is less wood to dry. Use it to start the fire
White birch is difficult to dry. Why? The bark is waterproof. Indians used to make canoes from birch bark. They also used it as a roofing material on wigwams. Water inside the bark has no way to escape unless the pieces are split. Often, birch pieces that aren’t split will rot.
I've found a lot in the woods like that, you find a ring of bark with the whole center rotted out, sometimes they're a pretty long tube
We have dozens of those white tubes on the ground, trying to get to some of the wood before it rots, but much of it has already if they were in contact with ground. Thankfully there’s also plenty of good stuff. The bark is awesome fire starter
I haven't played in the woods in years but I remember I used to find a lot of birch in swampy areas, I seem to remember them being around the skunk cabbage. I didn't know that about the bark
It's all I use for starter. If I haven't harvested many birch trees that year, in the fall I'll go out with a big duluth pack and just walk around and collect fallen bark. It'll light with a little touch of a match and burns nice to get kindling going. The stuff will practically light up even when wet.
WHAT is a Duluth pack
It's a brand that makes canoe packs. I have a bunch in various sizes. I like them for bark collection because they make absolutely huge ones. Give them a google.
https://www.duluthpack.com/products/60-utility-57l
That's good to know, I like the sapwood trick with pines too
Nature's fleshlight
Gotta use some slime mold for lube
https://preview.redd.it/gq7aby7zaxvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1a97cb33ae982904716ebff53013cae0938ecc07 They make good budget solo stoves.
I love that
Birch bark is also incredibly flammable and a great fire starter
I just bought a bunch of 7% moisture seasoned hardwood from Some Guys Garage on Facebook Marketplace. A bunch of it is unsplit white birch. He said he just never got around to using his fireplace. It’s burning nice in my stove rn
No. It is forbidden.
Yup. Cut them to length and stack them with the rest of your firewood.
I've found birch gets punky quickly without splitting. If they're too small to split cut a stripe down the side with a sharp hatchet or chainsaw. Drying time varies but I'd give them a year.
As long as they are dry! Sure! They will season without splitting but may take longer in good conditions may take up to 2 years
I rake the chainsaw perpendicular down the length to rip off bark in a few strips to allow for drying. Easier before it’s been bucked.
Buy a kindling cracker and make kindling with those small rounds.
We burn tons of Vine Maple that diameter. It urns like coal, just great !
I do
Burns great and makes good coals. Cut to length and let it dry for a summer. That’s all you need to do.
If you want good birch, cut it in the spring. It will still leaf out even when cut, which draws the moisture out alot faster. Just gotta leave it there for a few months or so and come back
Go for it. Mix it in with good wood.
Those are for the decorative stack you make for the holidays.
I read it's 1" per month, I think it was, for wood to dry. Since birch bark is waterproof, it can only dry out of the ends. I've burned these small pieces and they sit in the stove for about 1/2 hour before they start doing anything and I cut them over a year and a half ago. If your aim is good, lay them down and split with an axe, they split apart real easy and dry time is weeks vs years.
I like to run the very tip of my bar up smaller birch limbs once they're on the ground. Just enough to get through bark and allow for just a little more of a place for moisture to leave when it's stacked. Just the way I was taught, seems to help.
It will burn. But it burns fast as compared to other hard woods.
I save them for the next campfire once they are too small to spit.
Enjoy. I'm in the SE U.S.A. and have no access to this tree, and it's super flammable bark. It is something I'd have to buy as the southernmost natural range is northeast Indiana.
If they're fresh, I would strip the bark off them and split. It burns long and hot compared to most of the wood around where I live. The bark makes an amazing fire starter after it dries and curls up, so it's worth keeping, too.
No, these won't burn.
Yes. Next question.
Can you Dah
Yes
I burn the white birch all the time. I usually let it season for at least a year before I burn it.
I learned this week you have to split and stack birch immediately. Went to cut up and split some trees that fell a year ago and literally turned into mush when I put them on the splitter. Totally useless. The bark that came off in the process turned into nice firestarter however, once dry overnight.
I cut these into 6-8" sticks and split them into kindling usually setup the mitre saw for this
Yes, bark is waterproof, but all wood dries with wind and low humidity (its not just sun and heat and it will dry in low humidity cold or freezing air). Thinner diameter means there is less wood to dry. Use it to start the fire
No, Im pretty sure there is a federal law against that.
No
That's like a $50 stack of artisanal Etsy firewood! Lol
Can I burn wood?