# Wood Not to Burn



## TechAdmin

I've researched the topic with really mixed results. Mostly get opinions. Are there any large trees you are NOT supposed to burn in indoor fireplaces?


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## Diamond_Ranch

Cedar Trees give off a poisonous gas and should never be burned inside the home or shop.


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## DuckA

Any kind of evergreen puts off more creosote, which increases the chance of a flash fire. Burn hardwoods if possible.


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## Homer_Simpson

DuckA said:


> Any kind of evergreen puts off more creosote, which increases the chance of a flash fire. Burn hardwoods if possible.


Very true, the only time we use to burn a pine type wood would be in a real hot fire, but then you are still taking a chance with creosote build up


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## Tom

Never ever burn Oleader's either! I know for sure those are toxic.


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## RWB214

Anything that is pressure treated, painted, or stained, or the like, should not be burned.


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## dunappy

No cedar trees do not give off a poisonous gas. If they did I've have already been dead years ago. Cedar actually makes a very good fire wood. Here is a really good listing of firewoods

Colestin Rural Fire District - Firewood - Types, Fuel Values and Ratings

and a firewood Q&A
Firewood q&a archive



> Can I burn Cedar?
> 
> Can you safety burn cedar wood? We just cut down several cedar trees and were wondering if it is safe to burn.
> Frank
> 
> Frank,
> Sure you can burn it, but it depends on what you burn it in and how you go about it. Cedar makes just about the best natural kindling you can get. It splits easily, lights easily and burns hot. It also spits and crackles so it is not good in an open fireplace. Also, if you are burning it in an open fireplace, you might find it doesn't last long. If you burn it in a stove, you might find it makes a smoky fire if you turn down the air. The thing is, when heated, cedar releases its combustible gases (smoke) very quickly, so it needs a lot of air during its peak release period. Cedar works well for quick fires in spring and fall to take the chill off.





Diamond_Ranch said:


> Cedar Trees give off a poisonous gas and should never be burned inside the home or shop.


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## TechAdmin

What about hackberry?


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## dunappy

As for the Creosote build up, it doesn't matter what woods you burn, ALL woods have a chance of depositing creosote in the chimney. The biggest thing with Creosote build up is the amount of air let up the chimney and the heat and activity of the fire. Granted softer woods will deposit creosote faster if you are not careful, but all woods can still deposit the creosote so don't go around believing that you are safe just because you burn a hardwood.

I burn Pine and cedar woods all the time and we have a specific way to deal with the build up. 
Besides doing our own chimney sweeping, we also have a burn indicator that attaches to the outside of our wood stove and shows us the correct operating temp for the woods stove to help prevent creosote build up.

here are some links that explain creosote build up.

What causes creosote build up?

Chimney Safety - Fire Safety At Home - Safety & Prevention - Fire Department - Services & Public Safety - City of Vancouver, Washington, USA

Just remember that EVERY time you burn you are taking a risk of creosote build up.


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## dunappy

Good old forest service website
Celtis occidentalis


> WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
> Hackberry wood is of medium hardness and strength, white to yellowish in
> color and rather elastic [25,30]; its specific gravity is 0.49 [25].
> *This wood makes excellent fuel, almost equaling hickory,* and is used
> also in the manufacture of cheap furniture. The technical qualities of
> hackberry wood resemble those of elm (Ulmus spp.) and white ash
> (Fraxinus americana), and it is sometimes used as a substitute for these
> species. *Hackberry is not a commercially important tree (except as
> firewood)* with its low timber value, but when peeled and properly
> seasoned hackberry poles serve many useful purposes. However, the wood
> is not durable when in contact with the soil [29,30].


http://extension.missouri.edu/explorepdf/agguides/forestry/G05450.pdf



Dean said:


> What about hackberry?


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## Tex

Most of my firewood comes from downed trees in my neighborhood. Last year was Hackberry. This year will be Pecan. Pecan smells nice when it burns. I need to plant some Pecan trees, now that I think of it.


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## TechAdmin

We have a ton of pecan trees and most are the skinny real sweet breed. Had a lady thought it was ok last year to just wonder in our yard to get a bag full. She said the type was really desired but not that common.


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## Jezcruzen

Don't burn and "treated" wood. Other than that, any natural wood it O.K. Some burn fast and hot. Others burn slow and last longer. Regardless, if you turn the dampers down and decrease the oxygen level, ANY wood will work to produce creosote in your chimney. Smaller flu sizes increase creosote build-up. For instance, I have a 12" flu that almost never needs cleaning due to it's size.


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## Dr. Prepared

Dean said:


> Had a lady thought it was ok last year to just wonder in our yard to get a bag full.


HAHAHA...people!


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## JeepHammer

I was fairly interested in this thread...

We burn everything! 
Evergreens will coat the inside of the chimney with particles that will burn again, causing chimney fires, but other wise, evergreens (Cedars in particular) are very good tender wood and they smell good when they burn!

What we call 'Sap Woods', cedars, pines and stuff like soft maple will ooze saps and resins that cause the chimney problems, 
And woods like Creosote bush are a bad idea to burn unless you have bug problems!

I don't know of any trees you can't burn, some will do better keeping things like chimney 'creosote' coatings down, and others will do better at keeping biting insects away, but I really can't think of any that will kill or poison you right off...
----------------------------

As for processed wood,
'Chip Core' or 'Fiber Processed' wood all has glue holding it together, so breathing that smoke is a BAD IDEA!
That includes plywood.

Pressure treated wood should NEVER be burned where you will get in the smoke!
The pressure 'Treatment' is a cocktail of toxins, most of which can be ingested through the smoke!

Don't use the ashes of a fire for garden fertilizer!
Most of the pressure treated wood toxins are heavy metal based, so they survive the fire!
Normally, potash is a very good fertilizer, but if it was pressure treated wood, VERY BAD IDEA!


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## JeepHammer

Dean said:


> We have a ton of pecan trees and most are the skinny real sweet breed. Had a lady thought it was ok last year to just wonder in our yard to get a bag full. She said the type was really desired but not that common.


Our county extension agent turned us on to several kinds of 'bearing' trees, FOR FREE!

Some of them he even arranged for 'Inmate' labor to plant the trees! (some local prison camp has a 'Work Release' or 'Work Farm' program, and they did a really good job!)

Walnut, Black Walnut, Three different kinds of Hickory, Two different kinds of Ash, Pecan, Two kinds of Oak, Even some Poplar trees!
Several different kinds of pines also...

He even got me a tax credit for planting the trees!
All I have to do is guarantee I'm not going to cut them for 10 years...
At the end of the 10 year program, I can sign any or all acreage up for another 10 years... Pretty good deal for me since I'm not interested in cutting any of them down!
(can't grow decent timber in 10 years anyway, and nut trees are worth much more to me as nut bearing trees!)

You might want to check in with your county agent and see if they have any of the tree programs in your area.


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## Gordo

Can you use charcoal ashes from the grill as fertilizer?


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## Big B

Burning wood in a fire place is much like running a carburator on an auto engine, if the carb is not adjusted properly (example; too rich) then you get black carbon build up in the tail pipe. Adjust the air fuel mixture, and it burns clean. 
I gathered, split and cut my own wood for over ten years and heated my own home with it as the primary heat source.
As I became proficient, I could adjust the burn and have a real clean chimney at all times with little or no build up of creosote.
Remember, creosote is a residue, even if you have a dirty burn and it builds up, you can adjust the burn and clean it out of your chimney.
It will still burn off, in the chimney as you learn the proper burn adjustment.
Point; if you do not, have the proper air to fuel mix, then the creosote will build up and it will eventually catch on fire and start a chimney fire.
This is why we clean our chimneys.
Second point; after a few years of figuring out the proper air fuel mixture, i never had to clean my chimney, it burned out the creosote, naturally.
Final point; slow burn all night fires (which are necessary) are the creosote makers, every morning when I awoke, I stoked the fire added more wood and opened the air flow and dampners and let it rip for a half hour, this would clean out the nights deposit of creosote. 
Wood heat is the best.


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## mcbob

The two types on this property I'd be least inclined to burn are poplar and paulownia. As others have said, you can burn anything, but by all means be discerning when you can afford so.

Poplar, because it seems to like to smolder, burns up quick, and doesn't give off much heat in the doing. Paulownia (aka kiri or princess tree) may or may not be something you've heard of. The wood is incredibly light, almost like balsa, and the trees grow up quick... however, it burns about as quick and low-heat as poplar and has the added benefit of popping and throwing sparks everywhere: a real winner for open fireplace situations.


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## Lowdown3

dunappy said:


> As for the Creosote build up, it doesn't matter what woods you burn, ALL woods have a chance of depositing creosote in the chimney. The biggest thing with Creosote build up is the amount of air let up the chimney and the heat and activity of the fire. Granted softer woods will deposit creosote faster if you are not careful, but all woods can still deposit the creosote so don't go around believing that you are safe just because you burn a hardwood.
> 
> I burn Pine and cedar woods all the time and we have a specific way to deal with the build up.
> Besides doing our own chimney sweeping, we also have a burn indicator that attaches to the outside of our wood stove and shows us the correct operating temp for the woods stove to help prevent creosote build up.
> 
> here are some links that explain creosote build up.
> 
> What causes creosote build up?
> 
> Chimney Safety - Fire Safety At Home - Safety & Prevention - Fire Department - Services & Public Safety - City of Vancouver, Washington, USA
> 
> Just remember that EVERY time you burn you are taking a risk of creosote build up.


Thank you Dunappy, saved me some typing. 

More so than the type of wood, what's most important is that it's cured properly.

We burn quite a bit of pine and have for 9 years now, never had a problem with it. We season all our wood at least a year (usually 2 as we keep a 3 year supply), so this has never been a problem for us.

Lowdown3


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## wennek

is mimosa wood safe to burn inside the house


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## lazydaisy67

How about Walnut? I know, I know, sell walnut, don't burn it....it's precious, it's expensive, blah blah. I've had a long standing ad on Craigslist for "come get as much as you want for $1 a foot and nobody, NOT ONE person has called us about it. I'd say I have at least 10 60' or taller walnut trees and I hate every single one of them cause the mower flings walnuts like a skeet and it ticks me off. We're going to chop them up and burn them.


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## md1911

lazydaisy67 said:


> How about Walnut? I know, I know, sell walnut, don't burn it....it's precious, it's expensive, blah blah. I've had a long standing ad on Craigslist for "come get as much as you want for $1 a foot and nobody, NOT ONE person has called us about it. I'd say I have at least 10 60' or taller walnut trees and I hate every single one of them cause the mower flings walnuts like a skeet and it ticks me off. We're going to chop them up and burn them.


Walnut burns well in a wood stove. Its even better once it has seasoned.


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## bahramthered

Gordo said:


> Can you use charcoal ashes from the grill as fertilizer?


Yes. Ash is rapidly broken down by plants. Only one question to ask, what chemicals was the source of the ash exposed to before it became ash.

The chemicals may have or not have burned. Even if they burned they left residue.

Unless your using something crazy to start your fires you should be okay. If your all natural I know you are. I would suggest a little more in depth research before you go slapping ash down everywhere.


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## intheRGV

Burn it all! Just remember not to inhale.


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## forluvofsmoke

The only problems you'll run into with cedar: 1) it will kill your chainsaw cutters - you can literally see sparks coming off your chain from all the dirt that collects in the bark and surface of the wood (might have just been the environment I was in, but lots of dirt and windy area); 2) it generates a lot of ash, quickly, so you'll be emptying your ashes about 4 times faster than if you're burning fir or pine - it does burn nice and hot, though.

Pinion: don't cut them if live - they may be the variety which produces very tasty seeds (nuts). When dead, the type I found in NW CO are extremely hard wood and, as with cedar, are quite rough on chainsaws (you can't use enough chain oil to keep them cool)...ask me how I know...I think it was the early '90s when I learned that.

Cedar and Pinion are mostly found in the western states...Rocky Mountain Region - high deserts, high plains. We called them pinion-cedars in NW CO...there are varied sub-species of pinion.


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## backlash

Here in Eastern Washington there are a lot of fruit trees being cut down.
Some to be replace with new types of fruits and some to be turned into vineyards. 
There is always an ad for orchard wood on Craigslist.
My question has always been if it is safe to burn the wood indoors because of all the pesticides that have been applied over the years.
We don't burn wood so it really doesn't effect us other than the smoke gets pretty bad at time in the valley.
Hardwood is not as common as evergreen in Washington,as you might imagine so people burn what they can get.


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## Caribou

backlash said:


> Here in Eastern Washington there are a lot of fruit trees being cut down.
> Some to be replace with new types of fruits and some to be turned into vineyards.
> There is always an ad for orchard wood on Craigslist.
> My question has always been if it is safe to burn the wood indoors because of all the pesticides that have been applied over the years.
> We don't burn wood so it really doesn't effect us other than the smoke gets pretty bad at time in the valley.
> Hardwood is not as common as evergreen in Washington,as you might imagine so people burn what they can get.


I wouldn't worry about it. Many of the pesticides are short acting. Time, and sun, and rain will take care of your pesticides. Treated lumber and pressure treated lumber use long acting poisons.


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## azrancher

wennek said:


> is mimosa wood safe to burn inside the house


There are many varieties of Mimosa, what we have in AZ is AKA Cats Claw, and I don't see why you couldn't burn it, but it is more like a brush than a tree.

*Rancher*


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## terri9630

azrancher said:


> There are many varieties of Mimosa, what we have in AZ is AKA Cats Claw, and I don't see why you couldn't burn it, but it is more like a brush than a tree.
> 
> *Rancher*


I'd have to be awful desperate to try and burn that stuff. There's zillions of thorny reasons not to try. I hate that stuff.


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## azrancher

terri9630 said:


> I'd have to be awful desperate to try and burn that stuff. There's zillions of thorny reasons not to try. I hate that stuff.


But But but... you have to look at what it can be used for, it makes a nice barrier, I wouldn't go thru that stuff!!!

*Rancher*


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## terri9630

azrancher said:


> But But but... you have to look at what it can be used for, it makes a nice barrier, I wouldn't go thru that stuff!!!
> 
> *Rancher*


It would make a good barrier all right. If you could keep it contained and out/off of animals it would be a great security fence.


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## LincTex

TechAdmin said:


> What about hackberry?


It's Ok for bonfires, I guess.

By the time it's dry enough for a stove, the beetles/borers will have destroyed it. 
It also stinks. I think I'd rather burn chunks of old car tires.


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## ZoomZoom

LincTex said:


> It also stinks. I think I'd rather burn chunks of old car tires.


Sidebar question - Do tires "need" to be seasoned to burn properly?  I've never burned a new one so I don't know but the old burn very well. artydance:


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## LincTex

ZoomZoom said:


> Sidebar question - Do tires "need" to be seasoned to burn properly?  I've never burned a new one so I don't know but the old burn very well. artydance:


I chop 'em up with my 14" carborundum chop saw and burn a piece here and a piece there... usually to get a damp brush pile going. I have never tried a piece in the wood stove!!


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## ZoomZoom

I was kidding.  I'd never burn rubber in the stove.

I have my old tractor tires sitting out there but don't even burn those. For brush fires, I use denatured alcohol or hand sanitizer. They both burn clean and I have so much of it, that's pretty much what I do with it. Just use for starting fires.


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