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Douglas fir as firewood.

Started by crazy, August 28, 2016, 02:17:46 AM

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crazy

My friend in Oregon buys DF for firewood.  I found it surprising.  I thought if would burn too fast but he says it's not a problem.  Anyone here burn it?

Ianab

BTUs per dry pound is about the same for any wood. So a lighter wood like that you go though more cords to get the same heat.

But if you live in an area with mostly softwood trees, you burn what grows locally.

Here in NZ pine is the most common firewood, because it's the most common tree. The weather isn't real cold, and the fireplaces are designed with burning that in mind.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

John Mc

Douglas Fir = 17.4 MBTU/cord.

Very similar to Silver Maple, Red Pine, or Box Elder (17.4 - 17.9 MBTU/Cord)
Not quite as high as American Elm, but higher than White Pine.

As Ianab noted, BTU per pound is very close for just about all species of trees.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

crazy

I think these are the cores after they've been peeled to make plywood and other products.  I had a another post about treating peeler cores.  It seemed like a waste it  burn them burn but like what was said, they burn what they got. 

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,91974.0.html

hedgerow

No Doug fir in my part of the world. We do have a lot of soft wood with pines that the bug killed lots of cedars, willow, cotton wood, box elder, elm and many more I have forgot. I have plenty of locust and hedge so the soft wood goes on the brush piles and get burn up. Don't have enough people burning wood to use up the soft wood. Some of the big cotton wood goes to the saw mills for pallets.

Czech_Made

AFAIK Americans use hard wood for wood stoves because american houses are basically piles of kindling.  Hardwood does not leave deposit in the chimney, makes it safer to burn.

I know overseas we burn pine, fir, you name it,

Jemclimber

Any wood that has too much moisture and not fully burned where the smoke in the stack can cool and condense will create creosote, whether it is a softwood or a hardwood....
lt15

John Mc

Quote from: Jemclimber on August 29, 2016, 01:06:49 PM
Any wood that has too much moisture and not fully burned where the smoke in the stack can cool and condense will create creosote, whether it is a softwood or a hardwood....

Yep.  You can also do it with dry wood if you choke the air down far enough. Anything that creates a cold, smoldery fire can cause creosote. One thing that contributed to the myth that buring pine "causes" creosote is that it burns fast and hot: people try to make it last longer by starving the fire for air, causing the temperature in the combustion chamber to drop below the point where the gasses will ignite.
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.   - Abraham Maslow

OlJarhead

I prefer Doug Fir over Ponderosa Pine but burn both of them.  I find the pine does 'ok' and while I do tamp the stove down a lot once the cabin is warm I also clean my chimney every couple months during the fall/winter/spring when the stove is used a lot.
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Ianab

Quote from: John Mc on August 29, 2016, 01:43:27 PM

Yep.  You can also do it with dry wood if you choke the air down far enough. Anything that creates a cold, smoldery fire can cause creosote. One thing that contributed to the myth that buring pine "causes" creosote is that it burns fast and hot: people try to make it last longer by starving the fire for air, causing the temperature in the combustion chamber to drop below the point where the gasses will ignite.

Agreed.

If you are going to burn pine, make a smaller fire, and let it burn properly. You have to add wood more often, but it will burn properly and not smoke and creosote up the flue.

NZ fire places tend to be quite small and just sitting in the lounge by the TV. So it's easy to wander over and throw in a couple more chunks of pine as needed to keep a cheery fire going. Stuffing the fire box and then damping the fire down just makes smoke.

Now given the choice I would rather burn eucalyptus or manuka which are really dense hardwoods, but they cost more or are harder to find.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

quilbilly

West of the cascades tons of people burn fir and prefer it over just about anything except dry madrona. DF burns clean when dry, very little ash, and if you get some real pitchy wood I am sure it will outperform the estimated btu. I believe bigleaf maple is the highest btu wood out here but it takes longer to dry and no one wants it.
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