burning bark

[Taylortractornut]

I hate waste so I pick up good chunks of bark from the splitter and then use it in the heater, or if its a bit rotted I chunk it it in a compost pile or chicken pen for carbon stock. I have a friend that bags it and puts it in the trash. Another friend has been making Hugelculture beds from it.

 

[MossRoad]

When splitting our locust wood I gather the bark, break it into 1-2 inch strips and put it in a plastic 55 gallon barrel that has lots of holes in it for ventillation. I keep it in our wood locker for kindling throughout the winter.

In the morning I scrape the coals to the center of the stove, lay two logs on each side of the coals so there's about a 3-5 inch gap, crumble up one sheet of newspaper on top of the coals and put a couple pieces of locust bark on the paper. Then I load the rest of the stove with wood. The paper usually smolders for a couple minutes then bursts into flames, the bark ignites and off the fire goes. I do the same thing with a cold stove, only I'll use a few more sheets of newspaper and a couple more pieces of bark.

Another good kindling wood is sassafras twigs. You can light that with a match, too. But it doesn't burn as long as locust bark.

 

[radioman]

I have burned bark, and it does make alot of light ashes fast. What I do is since I HATE plastic grocery bags- I used reusable bags, but sometimes cashiers feels that HAVE to put meat or ice cream in a plastic bag, but I tell them to use paper instead. Same goes when I forget the reusable bags, I use paper. This way I haveee a supply of paper bags and put my collection of bark, wood chips in and roll them up tight till use. I can just throw the whole thing in stovee anytime I want to start the fire. With a balled up newspaper in the bag, lit up, I got a fire started in a hurry and no mess.

 

[randy41]

i started the stove this morning with bark and while i couldn't match light it and had to use newspaper to get it going it did heat up the stove pretty quickly. I don't think its worth gathering up when in the woods cutting but using what falls off while i'm splitting by the wood pile makes sense.

 

[Ridgewalker]

My mom burns sawmill blocks; white oak in small 6 x 6 x 10 chunks up to 6 x 8 x 14 or so.

They have no bark and she swears that she has next to no ashes because she doesn't burk bark. She says that when she burns cord wood (bark on) she ends up with lots more ashes.

 

[20 20]

I don't go out a "just" look for bark, but why wouldn't I burn it? Last I new it burned it's not a tire or metal. I also agree if the bark falls off in the woods it makes for a good ground cover an in the long term good compost.

 

[turnkey4099]

No problem burning bark except that it does make more ash. Bark is nothing more than wood fiber and all wood has the same heat value pound for pound. I will sometimes burn bark for quick fires. It's not really a feasible method of heating in cold weather unless you like to feed the fire often.

Harry K

 

[Car Doc]

I burn it if its still on when I throw it in the heater. I split where I cut usually and most of the bark stays there but some makes it home its btu's is the way I look at it.

I even use it as fire starter I have a 5 gal bucket with 1/2 used engine oil and 1/2 diesel that I soak slivers of wood and I put pieces of bark laying around in there to it works good.

 

[valley]

We have mostly fir, wifey bags the bart, I start the fire with it. Bark has lots of oil in it so I let plenty of air into the stove, it burns with a long hot flame.

 

[studor]

+1 on birch bark making great firestarter -- easy to get as well