Southern Pine as Firewood

I live in Central Alabama, southern pine grows here fast. We cut thousands of cords a year, reseed and cut it again in 7 to 9 years.

I work for a logging company so I can get all the pine logs that I want. I have been told all my life you can not burn pine, because of the creosote build-up. Is this true?

I am looking at putting in an outdoor wood furnace that will be used to heat my home.

Can I burn seasoned pine in the outdoor wood furnace, without worrying about creosote build-up? I know it will burn fast and not last as long as hard wood, but I can get it for free.


Answer


Yes, you can use southern pine firewood in your outdoor boiler. As you mentioned, it won't be as effective as using hardwood but it will still be safe to do.

The single largest firewood myth people believe is that softwoods create creosote build-up. It simply isn't true. Burning wet wood and having inefficient fires cause creosote to form.

There are some areas of the world where softwood is the only firewood available and people burn it all the time.

This will work for your outdoor boiler, I have a friend who does this very thing to heat his house and uses a combination of both hardwood and pine. The pine doesn't last as long, but it does a fair job.

In your case, especially with an outdoor boiler, it's a good idea to use free wood. You'll need a lot of it to heat your home, but it's worth the effort when you can get the wood for free.

Hope this helps!

-Firewood Matt