Does anybody debark their firewood?

[Creamer]

I was thinking today as I was cutting up some more firewood that I have not seen any posts on debarking firewood. It makes so much less mess and ash when it doesn't have bark. Who does it and how do you do it?

 

[4570Man]

Sometimes I get debarked reject logs from the sawmill. They’re nice, but I haven’t found an efficient way to do it short of waiting a year.

 

[bunyip]

Depends on the species and some falls off not long after felling which we use as a starter.

 

[MossRoad]

If I leave my locust logs laying in a pile for a year or two, most of the bark falls off. Its still wet under there, and stinks to high heaven. Then it takes another year to dry after I split it.

 

[oosik]

After felling - pine will reach a state of "curing" where the bark peels off easily. Usually this happened, to me, after I had the splits already racked up in the woodshed. I usually took the time to peel the firewood before bringing in the house. Lot less mess.

Note: Mt St Helens erupted in May, 1980. We came down from AK in May, 1982. The first few huge pines I fell for firewood really amazed me. As they fell - there was a GREAT trail of ash left in the air on their path of fall. It was the volcanic ash in the bark of the pine. I soon learned that one of two things were happening. I could simply forget about the volcanic dust in the bark and resharpen the chain on the chainsaw four or five time a day. OR if somebody was there to help me - they could debark the big 'ol tree and I would only need to resharpen at the end of the day.

Many days I worked well into dusk and noticed the tip of the chainsaw looked like a kids sparkler if the tree was not debarked.

The volcanic ash is still in the bark of the big pines, even today, but to a much lesser degree.

The volcanic ash and all the bugs were the major reasons we converted from firewood to pellets.

 

[Looking4new]

The way I figure it, if the bark doesn't fall off then the wood isn't dry enough to burn. We use it for kindling, too. Keep in mind that I burn mostly Oak, Maple and Beech. I get some white or yellow Birch for kindling, too.

 

[LD1]

The way I figure it, if the bark doesn't fall off then the wood isn't dry enough to burn. We use it for kindling, too. Keep in mind that I burn mostly Oak, Maple and Beech. I get some white or yellow Birch for kindling, too.

All depends on the species.

Some bark comes off easily on green wood. And other bark still.clings on tight even when we'll seasoned.

I would not use bark falling off as an indication of seasoned wood

 

[FTG-05]

All depends on the species.

Some bark comes off easily on green wood. And other bark still.clings on tight even when we'll seasoned.

I would not use bark falling off as an indication of seasoned wood

AMEN!

 

[CobyRupert]

Cheese and rice! I handle the firewood nine times from log to stove, and now I'm suppose to debark it too!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I normally handle my firewood 5 times, starting from the time I walk up to the tree with a chainsaw, and there's STILL no way I'm debarking it!

SR