Does Pine Really Work As Firewood?

Pine
trees
are
some
of
the
most
common
trees
you’ll
find
in
North
America.

It
is
a
natural
resource
that
has
a
myriad
of
uses
and
has
been
used
in
the
construction
of
city
infrastructure
and
tiny
homes
alike.

It
is
a
fast-growing
tree
that
can
be
planted
into
tight-fitting
plantations
for
easy
harvest.
Animals
use
pine
trees
for
nests
and
homes
at
various
times
of
the
year.

Pine
is
used
extensively
for
outdoor
projects
because
of
the

waterproof
and
sealing
qualities
of
the
resin
within.

As
you
can
probably
figure
out,
pine
trees
are
a
vital
part
of
everyday
life
for
many
people
and
animals.

One
of
the
common
uses
for
old
pine
is
burning
it
in
a
campfire
or
a
wood
stove.
With
many
types
of
wood
to
choose
from,
does
pine
burn
well
as
firewood?

No,
pine
does
not
make
for
effective
firewood
if
you
want
prolonged
heat.
Pine
burns
at
a
low
temperature
that
wouldn’t
be
effective
at
heating
a
house,
so
you’ll
notice
extensive
creosote
buildup
in
your
chimney.
It
also
burns
pretty
quickly.

This
doesn’t
mean
you
should
count
pine
out
of
the
fire
game.

Pine
trees
are
an
incredible
resource
for
starting
fires
and
other
applications.

If
you
have
lots
of
pine
near
you,
count
your
blessings
as
these
trees
can
bring
a
lot
of
value.

What’s
The
Heat
And
Smoke
Output
Of
Pine?

As
mentioned
previously,
firewood
from
pine
trees
is
not
the
best
material
for
a
fire.
The
only
way
to
measure
it
is
by
using
the
BTU
(British
Thermal
Unit)
per
cord
method.

Pine
firewood
rates
at
17
million
BTUs
per
cord
which
is
at
the
lower
end
of
the
scale
for
heat
strength
and
energy
output.
In
comparison,
black
locust
burns
at
about
28
million
BTUs
per
cord.

Where
pine
starts
to
shine
is
in
its
ability
to
get
a
fire
going
strong
right
away.
This
is
because
the
resin
that
is
inside
the
wood
is
extremely
flammable.

It
burns
out
quickly,
but

you
can
use
pine
to
get
your
hardwood
pieces
started.

If
you’re
outside
using
pine
in
a
campfire
then
you
have
nothing
to
worry
about,
if
you’re
burning
it
in
a
wood
stove
then
watch
out
for
creosote
buildup.

Pine
firewood
produces
a
lot
of
black
smoke
when
it
is
on
fire.
This
is
due
to
the
flammable
resin
inside
that
doesn’t
burn
completely
which
gives
off
this
black,
acrid
smoke
that
you
don’t
want
to
inhale.

The
only
way
around
this
is
to
season
your
firewood
properly,
you’ll
find
that
dry
firewood
will
burn
cleaner
as
opposed
to
wet
firewood
where
steam
and
smoke
will
rise
until
it
dries
itself
out.

Does
Pine
Firewood
Make
A
Good
Coal
Bed?

Coal
beds
are
the
byproduct
of
your
firewood
burning
down
into
charcoal.
These
coals
are
responsible
for
keeping
your
fire
going
as
you
toss
more
firewood
to
your
fire.

The
quality
and
type
of
wood
that
you
use
have
an
impact
on
the
strength
and
length
that
your
coals
will
be
able
to
contain
their
heat.

Pine
does
not
produce
any
coals
of
significance
as
the
resin
burns
away
completely,
incinerating
the
wood
around
it.

This
makes
it
a
poor
choice
for
using
overnight
in
a
stove
or
outside
as
you
find
that
you’ll
be
stoking
the
fire
and
adding
wood
every
hour
or
so.

Regardless
of
how
late
into
the
night
you
burn
your
fire,
you
will
often
find
no
embers
or
coals
in
the
morning
as
the
fire
is
complete
and
swift.

If
you’re
camping
in
the
summertime
you
might
have
some
luck
as
the
ambient
temperatures
are
warmer
than
the
winter,
for
example.

Keep
this
in
mind
if
you
want
to
use
pine
as
a
firewood
source
during
cold
winter
nights.

Common
Pine
Tree
Varieties

Eastern
White
Pine
(Pinus
strobus)

The
most
common
type
of
pine
tree
in
the
world.
It
has
clusters
of
five-needle
fascicles
that
erupt
from
the
branches,
these
needles
are
soft
and
almost
like
bristles
on
a
paintbrush.

This
wood
is
great
for
getting
an
outdoor
fire
as
it
is
packed
full
of
flammable
resin.

Pine
needles
that
have
turned
brown
from
being
dried
out
make
for
a
good
fire
accelerant
to
throw
on.
This
pine
is
also
used
a
lot
in
construction.

Red
Pine
(Pinus
Resinosa)

You’ll
see
these
trees
used
in
making
telephone
poles
that
you
see
at
the
side
of
the
road.

Red
pines
go
very
tall
and
straight,
which
makes
them
ideal
for
poles
and
timber.
This
pine
tree
has
a
more
intense
resin
within
it
that
has
a
strong
turpentine
smell.

If
you
see
a
downed
red
pine,
cut
off
a
branch
or
cut
into
the
stump
to
find
resin-impregnated
wood
that
is
both
flammable
and
waterproof.

Jack
Pine
(Pinus
banksiana)

The
jack
pine
is
one
of
those
trees
that
doesn’t
grow
straight
(much
like
the
pitch
pine).
This
tree
lives
in
rocky
soil
and
can
stand
for
a
long
time.

This
is
one
of
the
pines
that
require
a
forest
fire
to
burn
the
tree
and
open
the
cones,
effectively
spreading
seeds.

With
two
needles
per
fascicle,
you
can
easily
confuse
this
with
the
red
pine
if
it
weren’t
for
the
old,
weathered
bark,
with
cracks
running
through
it.

Generally,
this
tree
has
gray
or
brown
bark,
as
opposed
to
the
noticeable
red
that
the
red
pine
showcases.
This
is
an
average
burning
pine
that
can
provide
short
bursts
of
heat.

Ponderosa
Pine
(Pinus
Ponderosa)

This
pine
tree
is
the
most
widely
distributed
and
can
be
recognized
worldwide.
This
tree
is
easily
recognized
by
its
red
platelike
bark
that
interlocks
with
itself.

It
can
be
an
invasive
species
as
New
Zealand
seems
to
have
had
an
abundance
growing
since
its
introduction,
choking
out
any
of
the
native
wildlife.

Since
it
is
heat
resistant,
it
does
take
a
little
while
for
it
to
get
burning,
but
that
means
it
also
burns
a
little
longer
than
other
pine
trees.

Creosote
Is
A
Danger
Of
Burning
Pine
Wood

Creosote
is
the
build-up
of
black
carbon
that
appears
in
your
chimney
as
a
result
of
incomplete
burning
from
low-temperature
fires.

Accumulating
creosote
is
unavoidable
when
burning
any
type
of
wood,
but
you
can
control
how
much
you
accumulate
during
a
burn
session
by
choosing
the
right
wood
for
the
job.

Wood
with
a
lot
of
sap
or
resin
will
create
lots
of
creosote
as
not
all
of
the
particles
will
burn
up
and
get
transferred
with
the
smoke
up
the
chimney.

If
you
are
burning
exclusively
softwood
in
a
wood
store
or
fireplace
then
expect
to
clean
your
chimney
out
monthly,
depending
on
how
much
you
use
it.

Don’t
let
it
build
up
or
it
can
cause
a
blockage
that
will
get
hot
and
start
a
chimney
fire.

Make
sure
that
your
pine
firewood
is
dry
and
that
will
also
mitigate
smoke
production
and
avoid
creosote
buildup.

If
your
wood
is
wet
it
tends
to
produce
more
smoke
as
the
fire
attempts
to
evaporate
any
excess
moisture.

Punky
wood
tends
to
also
burn
poorly
and
will
either
smother
the
fire
or
cause
it
to
smolder
instead
of
burn.