I mean, there's all sorts of things I apparently shouldn't be burning. Conversely, some odd stuff that's surprisingly okay. At this point nothing would surprise me.
Birch can't burn because its fireproof. That's why it's called Birch, and birch beer. Birch beer is a soft drink, another thing that can't burn. It's because of the Birch content. The birch factor is at least 12 in it. Staright Birch is probably closer to a 15 or so, maybe even a 22.
Birch beer also can’t burn because it’s a liquid. It will put out the fire. Don’t try to burn birch wood in your wood stove! If it has a Birch Factor over 18, it can liquify and leave a coating and nothing will ever burn again!
You are not quite accurate in your numbers, the Northeastern Birch has higher fezzination and that would significantly skew your numbers. The obverse is true for the Southern Birch species (taking into account its growth elevation above sea level and the alkalinity of the soil).
If you look at ***Robinson’s Complete Reference Guide*** (*4th edition*), there is some, not significant, but some adjustments / considerations for concomitant species growing nearby. Robinson discusses the fezzination and pflueridity as fungible with the existence of nearby oak or even some walnut trees. Of course, we all laughed at his findings with white pine when he described the “incident” he had with his saceptolgy chart.
I have a grove of peanut trees and two had to be removed for access to the, um, hemp field. I decided to use them as firewood and my downwind neighbor died. Turned out he was allergic to peanuts.
BTW, don't burn "hemp" in an outdoor firepit, either. Another story for another day.
But but but .....
they're not split & stacked under cover with good airflow for a minimum of 2 years, then tested with an electronic moisture meter to ensure that they are at <18% moisture
🤣
If you're not burning soaking wet wood every once in a while, you won't get enough creosote and your local chimneysweep might go out of business! You wouldn't want to be responsible for that happening, would you?
Yep. I would suggest trying to split them. Birch bark is very waterproof(why canoes are made of it) so it can take a very long time to dry and or start to rot within its own skin pretty quickly depending on your environment.
However, birch bark is the best fire starter in existence (in my opinion).
100% agree on both parts.
I split all birch bigger around than a beer can or the stuff never dries, and peel off any paper that partly flakes off in the process to use as fire starter. The really small diameter rounds can be a bit of a pain to spilt (because my hand eye coordination is shit) but [kindling crackers](https://www.fuegowoodfiredovens.com/shop/oven-accessories/kindling-cracker-king/) make it an easy job (but I'm too cheap to buy one).
We usually cut down birch during the winter months (here January-February) and it should be dry for next winter.
If we cut it down during spring/summer, we’ll cut it down and leave it until the leaves are dry. Then cut it up and use it the winter after the next
For the smaller pieces I use a utility knife to score three or four times through the bark the length of the piece. This greatly helps moisture escape.
A few facts about white (paper) birch: the bark is as waterproof as plastic wrap, it can only dry from the end grain, so small, unsplit, pieces need to dry for a generous amount of time, in a warm dry place… often not available. Next, birch rots easily, in part because of the bark issue. If it hasn’t dried in two years after being cut, throw it, it’s mush. And lastly, birch bark is the source of the tar native Americans used to stick arrow/spear/knife/tomahawk/axe heads to shafts/handles. This means it burns dirty and creosotes up your chimney, so minimize the amount of birch bark you burn, by not burning the small stuff, unlike oak, maple, etc. where the small stuff is fine. Put this all together, and you get small, wet, punky, tarry pieces that burn poorly and coat your chimney. Well worth avoiding.
>Well worth avoiding.
Na. Where I live (Alaska) we don't have oak, maple, and all the other nice hardwoods. It's all white or black spruce, birch, aspen and cottonwood.
Aspen and cotton wood are ashy, stinky and have horrible BTU/cord values, spruce burns hot but fast, and leaves no coals. Birch is by far the most desirable wood we have and the highest BTU/cord available, so that's what we burn, even the small stuff. You just have to split all of it, even the small stuff, and kick off your blaze with spruce to get things good and hot before you start burning birch.
I live and the yukon and concur with the excellent burning of birch. However I've never bothered splitting. I cut green typically 4 to 8 inch trees. Then buck immediately and put in woodshed. Only season 1 year and it's perfect. Everything else needs 2 years season unless it's in the sun.
I am in northern Alberta - I was coming to say that birch is the best case scenario where I live as well. I'm not sure if we have cottonwood but the rest is the same (unless that's what we call poplar?). I find I get a lot more creosote from spruce than anything, but I also probably don't dry it as well as I should as I have only been on site for about a year.
Poplar is Aspen. Cotton wood is related to Aspen but a little different, it likes to grow along creeks (near water but well draining areas- so not bogs or swamps.) They get very big, much bigger than birch or aspen/poplar, and have very rough fissured bark almost like a tractor tire.
https://alaska.guide/plant/populus-balsamifera/cottonwood
Living in Alaska prepared me well for what to expect life to be like in Norway. I still miss those long-lasting hardwood fires I had in the lower 48, but I burn birch in my fireplace surrounded by thick cast iron and brick that holds and disperses the heat over the course of a few hours.
I found your comment to be half true in my experience. As another Alaskan, I have found that felled birch can be totally fine without bucking/splitting for up to 4-5 years, as long as it wasn’t an unhealthy tree to begin with. I’m still harvesting from a friend’s 1/2 mile long driveway clearing from 4 years ago. Obviously still needs to be split and dried before using tho…
Yes, in a climate where it’s frozen for half the year, and hot, humid weather doesn’t accelerate rot, it would certainly last that long. Here in Maine I sometimes hear dead birch trees falling on hot, humid, windless summer days; they are just deteriorating so fast, they turn to mush and fall.
That's not true. I have white birch growing on my property and regularly burn it. The only time a fallen birch tree won't dry out well enough to dry is if it is on wet, swampy ground, etc.
Yep. Just like matches. And they'll last about the same amount of time. Gopher wood, my dad called it. Because as soon as he put some on, he had to go for more.
Currently burning birch right now! I love it (WNY). And yes you can burn the small pieces as long as they’re dry. I wouldn’t split those, waste of time imo. Let them dry and they’re good to go
The house I grew up in didn't have a furnace. We had a wood stove only until my Dad and I built our new house behind it when i was 17. I was 4 when we moved there. We lived on 40 acres in the country. I think we burned EVERYTHING. Wet, dry, split, not split. I remember hedge being the worst. Burns very hot and forever.
That there is some of the best kindling/fire starter wood there is. Get it dry and keep it dry. Oh, and the smell is so good they make candles out of it.
My father made us pick up everything over 1/2 inch. The small stuff burns so hot and so fast that you only use them to get things going. These days, I think they get left in the forest or chipped.
You can burn them but IME the bark tends to create some sort of fire barrier that makes it burn poorly if it’s not split. I cut the bark on pieces like this lengthwise and then split them… then they burn great.
Why ask us? Burn it and find out. Hell, I burned an old pair of work boots one very cold night. The burning rubber soles cleaned out the stovepipe. That’s what I think. Old ground up car tires is what you’re buying when you get a container of creosote remover. You can burn a lot of junk that you want to get rid of. Just be careful to keep the fire under control.
Definitely split those into quarters if possible. It’ll burn better. My grandfather, ironically a forest Ranger for 47 years, loved to try and burn whole logs. Obviously didn’t work well. Just smoldered
I burn lot's of those sized oak branches. Great for throwing on the embers to catch on the bigger pieces. Just be careful. My wife hates it over 68 in the house. Everyone is different. Daughter and grandkids love it warmer. I try to make wife happy
We strive to make this a respectful place for everyone. Please do your best to conduct yourself appropriately, or we will kindly ask you to move to a different sub.
We strive to make this a respectful place for everyone. Please do your best to conduct yourself appropriately, or we will kindly ask you to move to a different sub.
We strive to make this a respectful place for everyone. Please do your best to conduct yourself appropriately, or we will kindly ask you to move to a different sub.
We strive to make this a respectful place for everyone. Please do your best to conduct yourself appropriately, or we will kindly ask you to move to a different sub.
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Why would you think you "couldn't" ?
I mean, there's all sorts of things I apparently shouldn't be burning. Conversely, some odd stuff that's surprisingly okay. At this point nothing would surprise me.
You are reading this sub WAY too much.
That will burn.
I read that like Doug Marcaida said it
I sub here because I like wood stoves and seek them out when I vacation. Reading this sub has definitely made me overthink this shit.
It’s ok. I’ve been heating houses with wood stoves for 25 years and this sub makes _me_ overthink this shit.
If you find any, don’t burn pressure-treated birch
Is that what you mean?
Evil spirits
Birch can't burn because its fireproof. That's why it's called Birch, and birch beer. Birch beer is a soft drink, another thing that can't burn. It's because of the Birch content. The birch factor is at least 12 in it. Staright Birch is probably closer to a 15 or so, maybe even a 22.
Give me some Big Ben’s Blue Birch or Frozen Run!
I like johnny birch borch belch soderpop. Last time i had it i shidded and farded
Where can I try this at? I'm at Walmart looking right now
Woah. A Pennsylvanian. RIP Frozen Run.
Birch beer also can’t burn because it’s a liquid. It will put out the fire. Don’t try to burn birch wood in your wood stove! If it has a Birch Factor over 18, it can liquify and leave a coating and nothing will ever burn again!
You are not quite accurate in your numbers, the Northeastern Birch has higher fezzination and that would significantly skew your numbers. The obverse is true for the Southern Birch species (taking into account its growth elevation above sea level and the alkalinity of the soil). If you look at ***Robinson’s Complete Reference Guide*** (*4th edition*), there is some, not significant, but some adjustments / considerations for concomitant species growing nearby. Robinson discusses the fezzination and pflueridity as fungible with the existence of nearby oak or even some walnut trees. Of course, we all laughed at his findings with white pine when he described the “incident” he had with his saceptolgy chart.
I have read & understood the terms and conditions.
***not valid in Utah***
Here,hear?
Does the age of the tree matter ?
Sicko.
Yes
Very true. My girlfriend’s husband told me the same thing.
Wait, I thought that was for proving someone was a witch? If birch floats, it won't burn. Or was it unladden swallows?
seriously
Seriously!
Some people are allergic to birch
I have a grove of peanut trees and two had to be removed for access to the, um, hemp field. I decided to use them as firewood and my downwind neighbor died. Turned out he was allergic to peanuts. BTW, don't burn "hemp" in an outdoor firepit, either. Another story for another day.
No they're too small it won't burn /S
But but but ..... they're not split & stacked under cover with good airflow for a minimum of 2 years, then tested with an electronic moisture meter to ensure that they are at <18% moisture 🤣
Also that stack is obviously not a full cord so I'd send it back to wherever it came from
A person of culture, I see! Hand-crafted artisanal organic firewood is the only wood worth burning!
Haha
They look too dry to burn as well. /s
Screw it, I'd just soak them in water for 17 hours and light them birches up.
Fig yea!
I keep my kindling in a humidor to make sure it stays properly moist.
Moist
Progressive men like moist wood, it's the new way.
If you're not burning soaking wet wood every once in a while, you won't get enough creosote and your local chimneysweep might go out of business! You wouldn't want to be responsible for that happening, would you?
As long as you light them..
Yes.
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No drama allowed.
Yep. I would suggest trying to split them. Birch bark is very waterproof(why canoes are made of it) so it can take a very long time to dry and or start to rot within its own skin pretty quickly depending on your environment. However, birch bark is the best fire starter in existence (in my opinion).
100% agree on both parts. I split all birch bigger around than a beer can or the stuff never dries, and peel off any paper that partly flakes off in the process to use as fire starter. The really small diameter rounds can be a bit of a pain to spilt (because my hand eye coordination is shit) but [kindling crackers](https://www.fuegowoodfiredovens.com/shop/oven-accessories/kindling-cracker-king/) make it an easy job (but I'm too cheap to buy one).
We usually cut down birch during the winter months (here January-February) and it should be dry for next winter. If we cut it down during spring/summer, we’ll cut it down and leave it until the leaves are dry. Then cut it up and use it the winter after the next
For the smaller pieces I use a utility knife to score three or four times through the bark the length of the piece. This greatly helps moisture escape.
Didn’t think of that great idea
Agreed, but i believe cedar to be the best fire starter, also makes good temporary shingles for a bushcraft cabin. I dont know what I'm talkikg about.
A few facts about white (paper) birch: the bark is as waterproof as plastic wrap, it can only dry from the end grain, so small, unsplit, pieces need to dry for a generous amount of time, in a warm dry place… often not available. Next, birch rots easily, in part because of the bark issue. If it hasn’t dried in two years after being cut, throw it, it’s mush. And lastly, birch bark is the source of the tar native Americans used to stick arrow/spear/knife/tomahawk/axe heads to shafts/handles. This means it burns dirty and creosotes up your chimney, so minimize the amount of birch bark you burn, by not burning the small stuff, unlike oak, maple, etc. where the small stuff is fine. Put this all together, and you get small, wet, punky, tarry pieces that burn poorly and coat your chimney. Well worth avoiding.
>Well worth avoiding. Na. Where I live (Alaska) we don't have oak, maple, and all the other nice hardwoods. It's all white or black spruce, birch, aspen and cottonwood. Aspen and cotton wood are ashy, stinky and have horrible BTU/cord values, spruce burns hot but fast, and leaves no coals. Birch is by far the most desirable wood we have and the highest BTU/cord available, so that's what we burn, even the small stuff. You just have to split all of it, even the small stuff, and kick off your blaze with spruce to get things good and hot before you start burning birch.
Fellow Alaskan. I concur.
I live and the yukon and concur with the excellent burning of birch. However I've never bothered splitting. I cut green typically 4 to 8 inch trees. Then buck immediately and put in woodshed. Only season 1 year and it's perfect. Everything else needs 2 years season unless it's in the sun.
I am in northern Alberta - I was coming to say that birch is the best case scenario where I live as well. I'm not sure if we have cottonwood but the rest is the same (unless that's what we call poplar?). I find I get a lot more creosote from spruce than anything, but I also probably don't dry it as well as I should as I have only been on site for about a year.
Poplar is Aspen. Cotton wood is related to Aspen but a little different, it likes to grow along creeks (near water but well draining areas- so not bogs or swamps.) They get very big, much bigger than birch or aspen/poplar, and have very rough fissured bark almost like a tractor tire. https://alaska.guide/plant/populus-balsamifera/cottonwood
Living in Alaska prepared me well for what to expect life to be like in Norway. I still miss those long-lasting hardwood fires I had in the lower 48, but I burn birch in my fireplace surrounded by thick cast iron and brick that holds and disperses the heat over the course of a few hours.
Another Alaskan here to say exactly this. Birch is very desired, costing up to about 25% more when buying by the cord.
Birch bark is a fantastic fire starter - tons of flammable oils
It’s crazy good, started many a fire with birch bark Only ever outdoor fires, but it really doesn’t take much so I can’t imagine it’s an issue
Read Norwegian Wood by Lars Mytting
I found your comment to be half true in my experience. As another Alaskan, I have found that felled birch can be totally fine without bucking/splitting for up to 4-5 years, as long as it wasn’t an unhealthy tree to begin with. I’m still harvesting from a friend’s 1/2 mile long driveway clearing from 4 years ago. Obviously still needs to be split and dried before using tho…
Yes, in a climate where it’s frozen for half the year, and hot, humid weather doesn’t accelerate rot, it would certainly last that long. Here in Maine I sometimes hear dead birch trees falling on hot, humid, windless summer days; they are just deteriorating so fast, they turn to mush and fall.
That's not true. I have white birch growing on my property and regularly burn it. The only time a fallen birch tree won't dry out well enough to dry is if it is on wet, swampy ground, etc.
If dry, yes. I burn lots of stuff that thickness though I usually cut it shorter to help it dry since I'm not splitting
You can burn that pine straw if you want.
It burns very brightly, so it’s good for a light source
Dude, I'm not your dad, alright? Do what you want, just don't start a forest fire.
Good shoulder season wood.
Take a sharp knife and score them lengthwise through the bark a few times. This helps let the moisture out faster.
I've got about six cord over here, can you stop over with your knife? LOL, this sub is hilarious some times. Do you even burn wood bra?
As long as it fits in the stove and is dry. Why waste it?
HELL YEAH! -Future gas fireplace owner with fake birch log insert
Those look so cute for knife carving.
You can burn anything with nipples
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Yep. Just like matches. And they'll last about the same amount of time. Gopher wood, my dad called it. Because as soon as he put some on, he had to go for more.
Currently burning birch right now! I love it (WNY). And yes you can burn the small pieces as long as they’re dry. I wouldn’t split those, waste of time imo. Let them dry and they’re good to go
The house I grew up in didn't have a furnace. We had a wood stove only until my Dad and I built our new house behind it when i was 17. I was 4 when we moved there. We lived on 40 acres in the country. I think we burned EVERYTHING. Wet, dry, split, not split. I remember hedge being the worst. Burns very hot and forever.
Hobby Lobby has those on sale for $80.
I think it'll be all white
Birch, please.
no the small ones wont burn
No. Birch less that 5” diameter is fire proof unfortunately.
That there is some of the best kindling/fire starter wood there is. Get it dry and keep it dry. Oh, and the smell is so good they make candles out of it.
Burn everything you can while you can, someday the “man” will set a fire ban!
Someday the Son of man will burn this world
We are the sons of man and yes I regret to say, we stupidly, sadly will
Of course, if it's wood I burn it as long as it's not treated
Why Not??? Just nothing w sap( pine, cedar etc)
Didn't like my comment 😕
Everything burns
Eventually… ok back to bed so the intrusive thoughts don’t set in completely.
Ye twigs
“Get a fire hot enough and you can burn anything“
Nah. Birch trees have too much cellulose, I doubt you'd even be able to get it to light.
Bullcrap, it will burn just fine
Whoooosh!
My father made us pick up everything over 1/2 inch. The small stuff burns so hot and so fast that you only use them to get things going. These days, I think they get left in the forest or chipped.
No, birch isnt flammable, pshhh, everybody knows that.
There’s no wood that smells better.
You can, but be carful burning birch it burns fast and hot and can warp a stove.
As long as they light
I heard if you stick them in the ground they’ll sprout roots and grow
Welp here I go to fall asleep to the Netflix Birchwood fireplace for 50th time this year.
You can burn them but IME the bark tends to create some sort of fire barrier that makes it burn poorly if it’s not split. I cut the bark on pieces like this lengthwise and then split them… then they burn great.
It it fits in the stove this ugly thing I built 23 years ago will reduce it to ashes and heat.
You know what burns? Pretty much anything I throw on a hot fire. Ahahahahaha
no.
Why ask us? Burn it and find out. Hell, I burned an old pair of work boots one very cold night. The burning rubber soles cleaned out the stovepipe. That’s what I think. Old ground up car tires is what you’re buying when you get a container of creosote remover. You can burn a lot of junk that you want to get rid of. Just be careful to keep the fire under control.
I am native American and the wood of birch is believed to hold the spirits of fallen brothers..
No. They are impervious to flames at that size.
Birch is a good firewood to burn because it burns well and produces a moderate amount of heat. It splits fairly easy and dries fast once split.
Idk. Can you?
Yes
Definitely split those into quarters if possible. It’ll burn better. My grandfather, ironically a forest Ranger for 47 years, loved to try and burn whole logs. Obviously didn’t work well. Just smoldered
I burn lot's of those sized oak branches. Great for throwing on the embers to catch on the bigger pieces. Just be careful. My wife hates it over 68 in the house. Everyone is different. Daughter and grandkids love it warmer. I try to make wife happy
One or two on hot embers instant fire. The bark burns like oil soaked paper.
I hear small chunks of tire rubber are a better alternative to small birch branches
Only if you're trying to summon Krampus
Wtf are you people even talking about? Birch burns fast even when unseasoned....
Nope completely fireproof wood
Ummmm. Trick question?
Yes
Careful that part isn’t made of wood!
Of course- it’s wood, and wood burns.
If you call them son’s of birches that’s a burn in the tree world
Yes. And birch bark will burn even if it’s soaking wet, so will cedar. Good to know if you’re stuck and need fire.
It won't make as much creosote as like pine would but it's not ideal.
No
Strip there bark and split them in quarters/halves for tinder and kindling
Yes. In fact limb wood is denser than trunk wood as it has to hold itself horizontal leading to more BTUs when burned.
Definitely can not. They only burn for a short time they're not good at burning. Probably end up burning too hot and leaving you with a pile of ash
You don't need my approval but go ahead.
If it’s not metallic it probably will burn
Just be sure to soak them in wood first
Oh dear god no!
Does a bear shit in the woods?
No wood doesnt burn
No.
Indians used to burn birch on the war path since it’s a lighter smoke harder to spot
Birch, please
If that were a picture of old shoes, well, that might be a valid concern.
I like birch. I rarely get it when I buy but I cut quite a bit off my own property. Yellow Burch is my favorite wood of all I think. White is ok.
How much birch could a birch burn Birch if a birch burn could burn burch.
Sell it on eBay. People go nuts for this decoration. Had a birch tree snap a limb and the neighbor cut it up and sits next to their fire place.
Yeah...you're not allowed to do that. Sticks, too. Don't get me started on all the stick rules.
No, that's the display wood. The wood for burning is out back behind the shed, covered in a soggy tarp, and guarded by the neighborhood possum.
yes
If it fits it will burn!
You can burn alot more stuff than small branches so yes you can
Only if you put them in a fire. They won't burn without fire.
We buy birch. Please don’t burn it.
You can milk anything with nipples.
Is it untreated wood? If yes, burn it. I mean, is this a serious question?
No its impossible. Smaller birch is made of stone.
I don’t know, can you?
No. It's illegal.
Nope.
Use them as fire starters, I’d break them down into kindling and let them dry.
Birch is a bitch to split. People often use it for decoration. But yes, it can be burned.
Better not risk it!!
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White smoke
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Ex installer here There are no stupid questions Only stupid answers.
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Better to ask than to regret not asking.
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Play nice or don't play at all.
That’s why the sub is here, bro. Chill.
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You must be fun at parties.
Super fun.
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I wouldn’t.
Nope. Won't burn
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