Birch firewood, the main properties of popular wood

It has long been known that depending on the type of tree, you can get firewood with different characteristics: some smell pleasant, others burn for a long time, and others emit intense heat. Alder, oak and birch firewood are considered some of the best. In this article we will dwell in detail on birch firewood, consider the main advantages and disadvantages of this wood, and find out why birch firewood is among the best.

Prepared birch firewood

Does firewood dry out in winter?

Author: Vyacheslav Belyaev, published 12/26/2016

More articles from the section Answering questions

Firewood of any type should be dried for the following reasons:

• dried dies are easier to light;
• dry logs give more heat;
• less soot remains on the walls of the stove or fireplace;
• dried wood is not susceptible to fungal diseases and does not rot.

People wonder: does firewood dry out in winter? Since it is profitable to buy firewood with natural humidity, you can save money. But there is a risk of inefficient use of raw wood.

Of course, firewood dries out in winter. In winter, everything dries, even snow. The difference between summer drying and winter drying is the timing.

Drying is more difficult in winter than in summer. But the process will not be difficult if you know the secrets.

How to buy high-quality and inexpensive goods

To purchase a quality product, you must order it from a trusted supplier who has been doing his business for a long time and has regular customers. At the same time, the prices of such companies are an order of magnitude lower compared to “young” manufacturers.

High quality birch firewood

Many companies that sell birch logs hold various types of promotions. For example, if you order crushed fuel in large quantities, delivery will be free.

Birch firewood should look healthy. In this case, the wood fuel must be equal in size and free from knots and painful growths. Dry logs burn better, but have a shorter shelf life. This is important to consider if the order volume is large.

To purchase a high-quality and inexpensive product, you need to carefully study the timber market. [ads-pc-2][ads-mob-2]

Buy firewood in winter

You need to buy logs not in the fall, but with the arrival of persistent winter frosts. In autumn, moisture remains in the villages. With the arrival of cold weather, the juice evaporates naturally.

The best time is Epiphany frosts, when persistent cold sets in in central Russia. In 2-3 weeks, the forest, while standing, has time to dry out greatly.

How long will it take for firewood to dry in winter?

In ideal conditions, for example, like in my terrace, the birch has time to dry out in 30-40 days. Its humidity becomes 22-25%. Despite the fact that, brought from the forest, the humidity is 50-60%.

I stack the logs dried on the terrace near my stove. There they dry to 15-18%. This approach allows you to save on chamber drying.

If you have an old shed and you have stored firewood there, then everything will depend on the frostiness of the winter. Typically, in 30-45 days the dies will dry to 25-30%. It is usually not possible to dry them in the shed any longer.

If you have placed firewood under the canopy of the woodshed. It should be of such a size that neither snow nor rain falls on them. In such conditions, up to a humidity of 30%, you can dry the firewood in 60 days.

price/practicality rating

Unobvious advantages of birch

Birch firewood also has features that cannot be discovered immediately without using it constantly. In particular:

• They leave behind large coals. They provide extra warmth. If you have a Russian stove, after the logs have burned completely, leaving reddish coals, you can close the damper. The heated air from the firebox will stop escaping, and the heat will remain longer.
• Large coals are ideal for grilling and barbecuing. If you have a summer kitchen with a barbecue, be sure to order fagots with birch.
• Birch bark is an excellent material for kindling. It burns much slower than paper, heats up well, and is easy to ignite. One or two palm-sized pieces are enough for kindling.
• Birch almost never rots. The log dries quickly, even if you drop it in water. The firewood itself can be stored for 5-10 years without compromising its quality. Yes, they may lose their specific aroma, but they will remain good fuel.

Important! When closing the damper, be sure to check that the coals have stopped burning. Otherwise, you risk carbon monoxide poisoning.

How long does it take chopped birch firewood to dry?

Registration of documents for the house was completed at the end of July. The first thing I purchased was ten cubic meters of firewood for two stoves (Russian and Dutch). The firewood is good - aspen and birch. Now I’m working hard on chopping wood and building woodpiles. But one thought lingers: will the firewood have time to dry properly by the beginning of winter? The fact is that the supply of firewood inherited from the old owners does not exceed four or five cubic meters, and according to my calculations, for two stoves about twelve are needed in order to comfortably spend the winter and not have to count every log.

I read in various books that it is necessary to dry firewood for at least a year. So I decided to ask experienced people whether this is really the case, or whether the remaining time (two to three months) will be enough that we can count on new supplies. Or maybe, to be on the safe side, buy some softwood waste from the nearest sawmill?

From personal experience I can say that it is best to dry even for 2 years. But this is the ideal option. It will definitely take a year to dry. We have firewood lying around that we purchased in March of this year, it turns out that 6 months have passed, but it is still half-raw, and this is taking into account that it has been sitting for the summer. It takes time to melt them, but with dry ones the stove melts in an instant.

I have some in the yard for kindling. They have been drying for more than 2 years.

Birch firewood brought in July, split and stored under the roof had dried out by winter. In winter, if you have dry kindling, you can safely burn with raw birch firewood, straight from the forest.

Thanks for the info. I think that I will put fresh firewood in the stove in the evening so that it can reach condition overnight.

As a rule, split firewood is sold immediately after cutting and has a high percentage of moisture. They cannot be used in a stove or fireplace: they burn poorly and do not produce much heat. The fuel must be dried before use.

How long will it take to dry?

It all depends on the type of wood and size. Firewood from birch or aspen dries faster, from oak or pine - slower. Sawn logs will have to be stored for at least a year, but trimmings can be used for several days. Standard firewood will dry well in 3-6 months.

Birch wood price

How much does a cube of firewood cost? The answer to the question is ambiguous. It all depends on the moisture content of the wood, the region of residence, the volume of the order and other factors that influence the setting of the price. Chopped firewood is more expensive than logs made from this tree. To save money, you can split the logs yourself. This requires a minimum of equipment.

A deck and an ax are the main tools. But it’s better to pierce on the ground, since there is less stress on the hands, since the shock absorption from the impact of the cleaver goes into the ground. Also, this type of splitting is convenient for people with short stature.

On average, in the Russian Federation, the price for 1 cubic meter of birch firewood is 1000 rubles. Split logs, unlike logs, are 100 rubles more expensive. In the Moscow region, for example, 1 cube of birch costs 1,500 rubles; in the Leningrad region, the price per cube of pine is only 400 rubles. So, a car of birch firewood costs approximately 6,000 rubles.

How much does a birch machine cost? The number of firewood in the machine is determined by its carrying capacity and is measured in tons. How many tons of wood are in the car? It all depends on the make of the car. One ton is equal to 1.56 cubic meters of wood. If the logs are chopped, then 1.56 needs to be multiplied by 0.82, as described above. The carrying capacity of the GAZelle is 1.5 tons, the ZIL is 6 tons, and the KamAZ is 20. To determine the price of a birch car, you need to multiply the main indicators.

Where to dry?

Fuel is dried during storage, so when choosing a place to store wood, consider several factors:

• The woodpile should be located outside the house. Otherwise, termites or mold may appear in living rooms.
• Wood should not be placed outdoors: if there is no space in the shed, build a shed large enough to prevent rain from reaching the fuel. Precipitation during drying is contraindicated.
• You should not place chopped firewood on the ground or bare concrete. Build a deck - even a few boards will protect the wood from insects, mold and rot. Otherwise, the lower rows may rot.

Do not dry wood near the stove. This method is sometimes used in winter, during periods of frost, but this method of express drying is a fire hazard: any spark can lead to a fire.

How to dry?

So, let's move on to the main question - how to properly dry firewood. There is no need to carry out any special events for this. The secret is simple - just fold them correctly.

Before storing, many advise leaving the logs in the open air, in a pile. This way the wood will dry out faster under the sun and wind. Just a few weeks - and the firewood can be sent to the woodpile.

Stack firewood so that there is space between them. This will ensure air circulation, which dries the wood. There are many ways of laying: you can build a “house”, you can stack firewood lengthwise and crosswise. Folded? Now all we have to do is wait. In just a few weeks you will be able to use the fuel.

You cannot stack firewood on top of each other without any system. This will slow down drying and may lead to mold. Wood can be folded in this way only if it has already been dried. But it is best to leave it in the “house”.

Dried wood has large cracks and is easily cut, and when struck it makes a dull sound.

Please note: you cannot overdry the wood. If all the moisture leaves the log, it will flare up immediately and burn too quickly, giving all the heat to the stove. This can be dangerous for some fireboxes and chimneys: due to the temperature difference, a crack may form on the surface of the brick stove, through which smoke and carbon monoxide will escape.

Optimal humidity is 15-20%. This level is enough for the wood to ignite easily and burn evenly, gradually releasing heat to the stove.

Please note that wood does not dry well in winter. The ideal time to buy is summer. It is even better to buy firewood in St. Petersburg in late spring: in a humid climate with plenty of precipitation, it takes much longer to dry. Take advantage of the assortment: firewood will be delivered quickly.

It is known that the quality of the flame in the firebox of a fireplace or stove depends on the type of wood. And the crackling sound, the smell, and the composition of the smoke are different. The last factor affects the condition of the chimney channels. But the main characteristic of wood is its heat transfer. A good option for stove heating is birch firewood; it burns slowly and does not require immediate addition of logs. They also provide a lot of heat and the flame is bright.

Advantages of birch for fireboxes

Birch has several important advantages:

• Low price. This is one of the cheapest types of fuel. The only cheaper options are aspen, which burns out quickly and does not provide as much heat, and trimmings.
• High calorific value. According to this characteristic, birch is not inferior to oak and hornbeam.
• Duration of combustion. Deciduous wood burns more slowly, and you won’t have to constantly add fuel. One or two logs are enough for 30-40 minutes, depending on the intensity of the fire.
• Easy to cut and prepare. Birch logs dry well and are easy to process. No great effort is required for splitting.

Attention! When burning birch wood, it is important to ensure air supply. Otherwise, they will smoke heavily, and a lot of soot will remain in the firebox and chimney. Aspen will help clear them of soot.

Features of birch logs

Birch belongs to the medium-hard varieties; its wood is strong and has straight grain. It is difficult to chop firewood from it: you need to put in a lot of effort. However, they are considered the best among inexpensive varieties, as they provide excellent heat and a pleasant aroma.

Birch is even more famous for its healing properties. In a house where such wood is used for heating with a stove or fireplace, people rarely get sick. That is why birch brooms are used in steam rooms, and heating a bathhouse with birch firewood means ensuring good health.

Terms of Use

You can buy birch firewood wet to save money. In this case, they will need to be thoroughly dried for at least 4-6 months. Dried wood is more expensive, but it ensures proper combustion and a minimum of smoke and soot. During operation of the firebox, a small number of blanks are placed near the stove or fireplace. This is not only convenient, but also contributes to their final drying.

When ordering or preparing firewood yourself, it is important to take into account the depth of the firebox so that the logs are completely placed in it. Birch bark makes ignition easier, but it should be borne in mind that if the draft is poor, it releases birch resin (tar). This resin settles on the inner walls of the chimney ducts, which is why they have to be cleaned more often. In order to avoid this, it is enough to control the draft in the oven.

Advantages and disadvantages

Let's start with the fact that many experts consider birch firewood to be the best for lighting stoves. This is explained by a number of factors, including:

• Birch burns well, the fire catches on splinters of birch logs very quickly. For lighting stoves, birch bark is actively used, which contains even more resin, which means it can burn even when damp. If you need to heat the stove with raw wood, feel free to use birch logs.
• Birch wood burns for a long time. This effect is explained by the high density of wood. The coals that appear after burning wood also smolder for a long time, giving off decent heat, so there is no need to constantly add firewood, which is very convenient. At the same time, the combustion temperature of birch firewood in the stove remains at the same level.
• During combustion, a pleasant, intense heat is released. The heat transfer coefficient of birch firewood can be characterized as one of the highest, slightly inferior to oak, ash, and the main leaders. In ancient times, birch firewood was used in forges to create maximum temperatures. Nowadays, birch is an excellent option for lighting a stove, after which you can throw other firewood into it that does not have such outstanding characteristics.

Freshly sawn birch logs

• For connoisseurs of live fire, birch is simply a godsend, since it not only burns smoothly, releasing a pleasant aroma, but also slowly crackles, creating an overall unique atmosphere.
• The amount of smoke from the logs is minimal, which means the chimney does not suffer much, the most important thing is to maintain normal draft. Birch firewood for a fireplace with an open structure or for a black sauna is a good choice.
• After combustion of ash, a small amount remains, which means regular cleaning of the stove is not required.
• Birch firewood is considered environmentally friendly, because when burned during heating of residential premises or lighting a bathhouse, it emits a characteristic aroma that has a beneficial effect on humans. This aroma comes from burning the characteristic birch resins. It is believed that by inhaling the light aroma of burning birch firewood, a person strengthens the immune system and is cured of colds and chronic respiratory problems. You probably already guessed why birch firewood is actively used in baths and saunas, and why the best brooms are made from birch.

Industrial harvesting of birch

Since birch is not a rare tree in our area, it is harvested in many regions, which means it is available to most people. In Russia, birch is considered the most common deciduous tree. In addition, the cost of this type of wood is quite reasonable and inexpensive.

Note that it is most profitable to buy wood in logs or logs, and then saw and split them into suitable logs. Ready-to-use firewood is much more expensive, but if you don’t need a lot of wood, then this is also an acceptable option.

Birch firewood does not have any supernatural disadvantages, but there are some disadvantages:

• First of all, it is worth noting that chopping firewood from birch is a rather difficult and tedious task. Birch is a medium-hard wood species; it has very durable wood with straight grain. It is not so easy to split even a wet workpiece, let alone a dry one. However, if you split wood using technology, this will not be a big problem for you.
• The intense heat and high heat transfer of birch logs can also serve as a disservice if you put an excessive amount of firewood in the stove. Fire, of course, is an extreme case, but it is worth fearing.
• The optimal shelf life of birch firewood is 2 years, after which it loses its unique aroma. In the future, they will lose some of their heat.
• Birch wood takes a long time to dry, even under normal conditions, because it has a dense structure. If you purchased wet wood, it will take 5-6 months to dry it.
• If you constantly heat a stove with poor draft using only birch firewood, soot (tar) will accumulate on the walls of the chimney. Therefore, during operation of the furnace, it is necessary to monitor the draft.

Chopping logs into logs

In order for the tree to give off the maximum amount of heat, it must be well dried, therefore it is recommended to store and prepare birch firewood according to all the rules.

Good to know: How to light a stove with raw wood, effective methods

Preparation of birch firewood

If you want to prepare firewood yourself, it’s better to start by ordering round logs from companies that procure and deliver them. Then you will have to work hard, splitting each log into several parts (usually 2 or 4). Please note:

• birch pricks more easily when wet than when dry;
• For work you will need an ax and a cleaver;
• You will exert less effort in the cold than in the warm season.

How to store workpieces?

It is better to store birch firewood in the form of split logs. It is enough to stack them in a woodshed so that the first row is not on the ground, but on a raised base. It is also advisable to provide a canopy. In addition to the firewood shed on the street, split logs can be stored in a ventilated shed.

How to buy birch firewood?

You don’t have to bother yourself with hard physical labor, but buy birch in several options:

1. Wood chips and birch bark for kindling.
2. Wood trimmings.
3. The chopped firewood is standard.

The most convenient purchase format is in grids. Modern meshes are made of polypropylene, they do not tear and allow you to comfortably store any amount of wood. Such bundles can easily be brought into the house or bathhouse, and storage in nets ensures air circulation. Chopped firewood in nets can be ordered in 2 packaging options: in a net-sleeve or in a net-bag. They differ in size: the sleeve is smaller than the bag. As a rule, they have handles and a drawstring cord.

The volume of the mesh is measured in liters. The cost of birch firewood in 50 liter nets is on average 150 rubles. for 1 bundle in the North-West region of Russia.

How to determine the volume of chopped wood in a car

Wood is measured in cubic meters, and split firewood is measured in “folded” cubic meters. To determine one cube of chopped firewood, you need to multiply the width, length and height of the total volume of firewood, and for a “folded” cubic meter you need to take into account the coefficient, which is equal to 0.7. This is necessary to account for the gaps of empty space that are inevitably present in split firewood because they do not fit tightly together.

Formulas for determining the volume of firewood in the car body

For clarity, let's look at an example. The width of the log of chopped firewood is 2 m, the length is 3 m, and the height is 1 m. Multiply the numbers and get 6 cubic meters. We multiply 6 by 0.7 and get 4.2 “folded” cubic meters of chopped wood.

How many cubes of wood are in the car? 1 cubic meter of firewood in a car is determined using another formula, which consists of multiplying the length, height and width of the car body. Afterwards, the resulting number must be multiplied by the conversion factor, which is 0.82. The resulting figure is equal to the number of cubes of chopped logs. Split birch, if it is wet, is profitable to buy in large quantities, because it is well stored and does not lose its original properties for a long time.

Firewood. How to calculate the total volume of brought firewood

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Everything about collecting firewood in questions and answers

Winter is approaching and many homeowners are concerned about stocking up on firewood. The RMNT website has collected the most common questions on the topic of firewood collection to answer them and give you useful tips.

A supply of firewood is necessary not only for owners of houses that are heated by solid fuel boilers and stoves, but also for those who have a bathhouse with a traditional stove. And just a small supply of firewood in case of a family holiday with barbecue will not hurt anyone.

1. When is the best time to prepare firewood?

Starting in mid-autumn. The trees are already preparing for winter; the movement of sap along the trunk and branches has practically stopped. Such wood dries faster, and the leaves no longer interfere with the workpiece. In winter, you can also prepare firewood; frozen logs are easier to split, and the logs are even. In addition, firewood cut in autumn and winter will dry out perfectly over the next summer and will be just right for kindling.

Important! You need to negotiate the legal cutting of trees with your local forestry department. You will be allowed to cut and remove trees damaged by pests, wind-fallen trunks, dead wood, and brushwood. Do everything legally so as not to receive a fine for illegal deforestation.

2. What tree species are best suited for firewood?

One of the leaders in popularity is birch. The tree is widespread in our country, and the wood itself is quite dense and burns well. Oak and beech burn for a long time and produce a lot of heat, but they are more difficult to find and expensive to buy. Often homeowners use trunks and branches of old fruit trees cut down on their own property for firewood - cherry, cherry, apple, pear... This is medium-density wood, burns well, gives a pleasant aroma, which makes it a suitable choice for barbecues and sauna stoves. The medium density category also includes conifers - pine and spruce. Alder and aspen practically do not produce heat and are used mainly in fireplaces for beauty.

3. What does the process of collecting firewood look like?

In the forest, you will, of course, have to use a chainsaw to prepare logs and branches for transport to your site. Don’t forget to clean up after yourself in the forest, don’t just leave branches lying around! Already in the yard you will need to start cutting logs and branches into logs approximately 40–50 centimeters high. And then start splitting. The portal Rmnt.ru wrote in detail about how to properly chop wood.

4. How can you make the process of chopping wood easier?

Use a wood splitter, you can make it yourself, buy it, rent it, or borrow it from your neighbors to use. In addition, there are craftsmen who chop wood in old car tires, fastening them together or stretching them onto a block of wood. The logs will not fly apart in different directions, it is very convenient, say those who have used this technique.

Important! It is convenient to carry large logs and logs using a pincer or grab grip. It will be especially useful if the logs are dirty and wet.

5. Should chopped firewood be immediately placed in a woodpile and how should it be stored correctly?

Experienced homeowners advise leaving chopped firewood in a pile in the yard for at least a week. Of course, if the weather forecasters do not promise prolonged autumn rains. In a pile, the wood will be blown by the breeze and will begin to dry faster. After a week, you need to start putting them in a woodpile, which is placed in a separate shed under the roof, along the fence, covered with waterproof protection. As we have already written, split firewood must not come into contact with wet ground.

Important! It is not recommended to store firewood under the wall of a bathhouse or other wooden building. Wood pests can move onto these structures. In addition, it does not meet fire safety standards.

6. How long do different types of wood take to dry and how long can firewood be stored?

According to experts, birch must be split into logs immediately, otherwise the logs will begin to rot from the inside. The same goes for alder. If you don’t chop the oak right away, after a year it will be much more difficult to do it, the tree will become even harder. On average, if firewood was collected in December-January and stored in a woodpile on the street, then in June it can be transferred to the woodshed to begin to be actively used in the fall. There are user reviews that firewood stored in a dry place for 7–10 years has only gotten better. This suggests that the entire process of procurement and storage was carried out absolutely correctly.

7. How can you make it easier to carry firewood to the stove and into the house?

Of course, carrying logs with your hands is inconvenient, and you can no longer use pliers on logs. Many simply load firewood into buckets, others cook tools, as in the photo above, others carry them in baskets, together, and small debris and wood chips in cardboard boxes, which can then also be burned.