mm wrote:
Are pine trees and pine wood as good as other firewood?

I"m trimming a pine tree that has branches** that have been dead for
about 2 years, and I would put the branches in my firewood stack
except I have the impression that the pine resin and whatever leaves
drops of "honey" underneath the branches would cause more creosote in
my chimney than other firewood. My chimney is metal.

Am I right at all? Has the resin disappeared somehow in 2 years?

What about used pine 2x4s? They are a lot older than 2 years, but are
they as good as other firewood?

Thanks.


**FWIW, the branches are 3/4 inch to 3 inches thick.

Wood burns in two stages: first the flames and then the coals. The
flame stage gets a stove hot to cook breakfast. The coal stage can keep
a room warm all night.

If the smoke doesn't burn very well, the flame stage produces creosote.
Pine is associated with creosote because it burns mostly in the flame
stage. If your wood is dry, and your combustion chamber is fairly hot,
and you have enough secondary air (the draft that sweeps above the fuel
instead of fanning the flames), creosote may not be a problem.