How to Use Red Pine for Firewood
Red pine (Pinus resinosa) which is also known as Norway pine, is a native conifer that grows in the northeastern third of the United States. Like other pine species, it is a softwood and as such, does not yield as many BTUs as hardwoods like oak or maple. But if you are roasting weenies on a stick, toasting marshmallows or cooking up flapjacks, it's a perfectly acceptable fuel source for a campfire. Dried red pine burns fast with a good flame and leaves little ash. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Locate a red pine with dead and thoroughly dried lower limbs. Break off the branch tips and small twigs. These make excellent tinder or kindling. If you can find a small red pine that is dead on the stump, drop the entire tree using your camp ax or bow saw.
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Saw the balance of the limbs from the tree and cut them into manageable lengths. After your kindling begins to burn, add these slightly larger pieces. While the fire grows in intensity, prepare your larger pieces of trunk wood.
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Cut the trunk into 16- to 18-inch lengths. If the diameter seems a bit large, split the wood with a hatchet.
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Continue adding progressively larger pieces of wood to the fire. Once the blaze reaches the size you desire, find some green sticks and get ready to roast hot dogs over the flames.
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References
Resources
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