Pinus ponderosa
Ponderosa pine firewood is easy to burn and produces good flames that make it a decent choice of firewood for fireplaces and campfires. But being a low density softwood it burns fast and has a low BTU rating so it’s not the best wood for wood stoves and home heating. It ignites easily and makes good kindling especially if the pieces are resinous (pitchy).
Ponderosa Pine is sometimes called Western Yellow Pine or Bull Pine. Ponderosa Pine grows mainly in the mountainous areas covering a large area of the Western US especially east of the Cascades and Sierras.
Jeffery pine firewood is so similar to ponderosa that most people would not be able to tell the difference between the two.
Ponderosa Pine Firewood BTU Rating
Leave your comments about ponderosa pine firewood below.
Umm, you might want to watch burning so much pine (or any soft wood) beascue it can cause a great deal of creosote build up in your chimney and start a fire, where you don’t want it. I use pine as kindling but burn hickory or oak. These woods coal really well and burn very slow and even. A little harder to get started but worth it as they will also last longer thus reducing the amount of wood you need to make it through the winter.I’ve been following your progress and wish you luck on your move.
The notion that burning soft woods gives rise to a creosote buildup is a myth. Any dry wood can be safely burned. Creosote is built up when a fire does not burn hot enough, as in, “green” or wet wood.
Best regards.
We have been burning Ponderosa Pine for over 3 years and love it. It burns longer at night than regular lodge pole pine and it keeps the house toasty warm We burn a Creosote log once a month and it really helps out. Our wood is always dry and seasoned from Idaho mountains. Best of lick and happy burning!
Compared to willow or cottonwood, Ponderosa gives more heat in the 1910 furnace I am using.
This is my favorite. In Northwestern Montana, these Ponderosa Pines are numerous, HUGE, and it seems there are plenty around dead fallen or dead standing right next to a convient mountain road. I can cut and load it into the trailer with only a few steps.
Yvonne, softwood is most all of what many of us have to choose from. Here in Colorado, things are different than they were in North Carolina, perceptions change on what reality has to offer.
Ponderosa Pine for Sale
Cut and split 16″ on average
120 per cord summer price
110 per cord 50 or more cords
100 per cord 200 or more cords
Plenty available
Can arrange shipping across the USA
Can also palletize
Call Marcus Romero
http://www.nmfirewood.com
5059343388
I read the harder the wood the slower it burns. the slower wood burns the more creosote. so to agree with another statement as long as moisture content is low enough pine burns perfectly fine. Once it gets burning good turn down the air and it burns longer.
Creosote buildup depends on several things wood type, fire temp, etc. But another important one that most people don’t know is size of chimney. In your larger chimneys, usually the older rock chimneys that have good size to them creosote will not build up nearly as fast as your smaller chimneys. When the smoke is being forced to rise in your average wood stove chimney it will cling to the side of the chimney creating creosote. Lodgepole pine builds up creosote faster than any other wood I’ve seen. I’ve had to extinguish numerous chimney fires as a firefighter and I can’t tell you how many of those were because of them burning Lodgepole pine. In my experience I would have to say that the only wood to build up more creosote than the Lodgepole is the creosote Bush itself.
Any given weight unit of dry wood produces the same BTU’s when burned, regardless of species. The difference comes in wood density. A cord of dry madrone or oak gives off more BTU’s than a cord of pine because of fiber density.
Ash residue varies among species.
“Jim” (Sept 6, 2012) is spot-on. Species has nothing to do with the formation of creosote. Burning wet or unseasoned wood of any type will greatly hasten creosote formation.
Another factor with creosote buildup is the practice of over-stocking the firebox and damping the air supply too far down. This promotes incomplete combustion at lower temperatures, conditions favorable for the production of creosote.
Pine does not create as much creosote as hard wood because it burns hot and fast. It is however very low in BTU value. All wet wood will create creosote at a faster rate of course. Pine can be used for fireplaces or woodstoves. Not everyone has access to hardwood. If all you can get is pine it will work just fine.
I have lived in a Jeffery pine forest for 40 – years. We have used wood from our property as a heat source exclusively. We find down, dead wood without bark is best. My theory ,for what it’s worth is to use what is available, make sure it’s dry, and adjust your wood storage by how fast the wood burns. We always try to carry-over st least 50% of next years’ supply to ensure dry wood.
I have burned P.P for over 20 years and the creosote build up is minimal. We strictly use wood heat, it is our only heat source, which means the cold season requiring heat here – close to Spokane – lasts 8 months. I have neighbors who will only burn “red fir” (actually Douglas Fir) and a lot of them give me PP for free. I have to laugh, because it heats our home so well sometimes it’ll chase us out. I really see no difference in heat value vs. Douglas Fir….if there is, its so small I couldn’t notice . Besides, you all should be cleaning your chimney annually, correct? If you do, you need not ever worry about a chimney fire. If you don’t, I don’t care what you are burning; God bless you that you don’t burn your house down.
Interesting how everyone ditches pine…but when you live in the Rocky Mountains..hard woods DO NOT exist. You burn what is available. To control the dreaded creosote you put creosote remover into the fire a few times a week to keep the pipes clear. Not a big deal.