Can i burn pine cones

The best kind of wood to burn is one of the hard woods , such as oak, hard maple and birch because they release more heat and produce less creosote deposits.

In fact, expect most types of wood to take about one year per inch of thickness to dry out. If it's a two-inch log , that means you'll need to let it sit outdoors for two whole years before it's dry enough to efficiently burn. There are many other factors that affect the rate at which wood dries. Dry pine cones make excellent fire starters and frequently are used as such in wood stoves and fireplaces.

Although they do release some creosote, pine cones can be burned as tinder in a wood stove when properly used. To make your pine cone fire starters, follow these simple steps. Melt wax in a double boiler do not leave unattended. Add a few drops of essential oil to the wax if desired. Add candle dye or a few broken crayon pieces to the wax for color if desired.

Dip the first pine cone into the wax using tongs. Pine cones are quick to catch fire over tinder such as pine needles. As well as being suitable kindling , they give off a great aroma. Ignite the pile of leaves and pine needles with balls of newspaper and a match or lighter. Do not use gasoline or accelerants.

Gradually add more pine needles , leaves and twigs to avoid intense heat and to prevent burning debris from floating overhead. Pine creates creosote. In fact, all wood does. But opponents of burning pine believe that it creates more creosote merely because it contains a lot of pitch.

Similar to a hot shower, when the heated particles contact the cooler flue, the vapor solidifies into a layer of creosote.

Male Cones Male pine cones are herbaceous -- not made from wood -- and typically live for only a few months in either spring or autumn, depending on the species of tree. They produce pollen that is released into the air to find a female cone.

After releasing their pollen, the male cones die and fall from the tree. To make a pine cone that will turn your fire yellow, all you need is table salt. For a yellow or green effect, Borax or boric acid will do just fine. For a red flame, grab some Epsom salts. Hook a length of wire onto top of pinecone and, holding wire, carefully dip pinecone into hot wax. Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email. December 21, Before you Start Your pine cones should be dry; otherwise they can cause popping in the fire. Be sure to use pine cone fire starters carefully and responsibly. Too much wax in your fireplace is not a great outcome, so be sure to use them sparingly and make sure that the fire gets nice and hot for a while to use up that wax when you first get it started.

We specifically use beeswax for our fire starters because beeswax burns much more cleanly than other types of wax. This is especially important if you are lighting a fire in a fireplace that is not completely closed. Melting any kind of wax can make a mess of your pots and pans and utensils.

If you plan to do multiple projects it can help to have dedicated tools. If not, be sure to clean the pots and pans out while the wax is still in liquid form — use paper towels to absorb as much as possible and throw them in the trash — do not put a bunch of wax down your sink drain!

As always, advice provided on Homestead How-To is based on what we have found works for ourselves. You may want to do your own research to make sure pine cone fire starters are a good option for your particular stove, fireplace, or other venue. Carrie Williams Howe. Carrie Williams Howe is an educational leader by day and an aspiring homesteader by night and weekend.

She lives on a small homestead in Vermont with her husband, two children, and a rambunctious border collie. Author: Carrie Williams Howe. But be sure they are dry to avoid popping and extra creosote buildup.

Dry pine cones make great kindling and fire starters. Dry, seasoned wood generates the warmest, longest-burning fires. It takes about one year for cut wood to properly dry out. Northeastern Chimney says that it's more important to determine if the wood is dry than whether the wood is softwood or hardwood.

That said, the Utah State University Forestry Extension states that you can get a lot more heat and flames that last longer out of hardwood than softwood. Density is wood's dry weight per volume. Dense wood provides more heat per volume, which means that for the same size piece of wood, you obtain more heat. Osage orange, which is a very dense firewood, creates almost twice the heat by volume of much lighter cottonwood. In general, hardwoods from broad-leaved trees are denser than softwoods from conifers, such as pine, which is the source of pine cones.

Utah State explains that unseasoned, or green, firewood may contain 50 percent or more water by weight, and it also produces more smoke and creosote than dry wood.

Northeastern Chimney reports that creosote can build up over time in a chimney, which could cause a chimney fire. Even though pine contains more creosote-producing sap than other woods, it's not generally considered to be a problem.

The biggest problem is burning green wood or burning fires at low temperatures.