Is Birch Good Firewood?

It may be often mistaken for aspen, but birch is often most recognizable due to its bark, marked by dark horizontal lines. Birch is part of the Betulaceae family, sharing relations with alders and hazels. It prefers colder environments so you will most likely find birch residing in northern areas or elevated regions. 

How does birch perform as firewood?

Most varieties of birch perform remarkably well as firewood. Birch will provide you with enough heat to keep you warm in winter without making your fireplace overheat. However, this heat is short-lived compared to some hardwoods. For an overnight fire, mix birch with oak or ash to create a perfect, long-lasting fire.

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What Are The Varieties Of Birch?

Birch is the genus of between 30-60 species. But only a handful are available to use as firewood in America:

Grey birch – preferring the growing environments of northeast America, grey birch is the lowest burning birch species available in America. Though it has one of the strongest smells, it is mostly used for ornamental purposes.

White birch – named for its white, paper-thin bark, white birch is often called paper birch and is the most common birch tree in the northern United States. It is one of the lower burning birches in therms of BTU.

Yellow birch – also known as swamp birth and heavy with sap, yellow birch is harder to split and dries slower. It is most common in the Appalachian Mountains. Though more difficult to process, yellow birch is one of the hotter burning birches.

Black birch – as the most desirable birch firewood, black birch (also known as mountain birch, river birch, and sweet birch) is the hottest burning birch available in the US. It mostly grows in the eastern states.

More info on birch BTUs here.

What Are The Physical Characteristics Of Birch?

NameBirch
Heat per cord (Million BTUs)21.3 – 28
Weight dry (lbs per cord)3094 – 4066
Weight green (lbs per cord)3910 – 4845
Seasoning time12-18 months
Resin/ Sap ContentModerate
Splitting DifficultyEasy
SmokeLittle
SmellSweet
Coal ProductionMediocre
Creosote Build-upLow

Does it Split Easily?

Birch is an easy wood to split, especially if you split it while it is still green. Though black and yellow birch are often denser and harder to split as are more mature birch varieties.

It is worth noting that birch stores a lot of its moisture in its bark, so you will want to score the bark while splitting to ensure that it will season properly.

How Much Sap Content Does It Have?

Much like sugar maple, birch can be tapped for its sap.

It is typically tapped in the spring but is not as sweet as sugar maple. Neither is birch as messy or sappy as pine can be.

You should cut birch during the autumn months. Birch will begin to prepare its nutrients for sap in winter, so harvest it before the sap begins to build back up.

How Does its Smell?

Most birch types smell the same, but it is generally a sweet-smelling wood. That being said, there are a few exceptions.

For example, yellow does have a fragrance like mint or wintergreen. Grey birch is often said to smell like burning incense.

No matter which birch species you chose as firewood, you will not be too overwhelmed by the smell it produces. They will all leave your home smelling good.

Heat Output And Efficiency Of Birch

Even the lower burning birches will produce very good heat.

Grey birch is the lowest burning birch variety, with a BTU of 21.3, which is still hot enough to be excellent firewood. White birch jumps a little in terms of heat output, generating a perfect 23.8.

It is yellow and black birch that produce the highest heat, with a BTU of 26.2 and 28 respectively. However, this heat is often too much for an indoor fire if not controlled properly.

Fire Characteristics Of Birch

Birch is a brilliant source of heat, but it does burn up quicker than oak, locust, or mesquite, releasing most of its heat within a couple of hours. That is not to say that birch will not produce many coals.

Coals play a big part in how long a fire can keep burning. The more coals a wood produces, the more fuel it will feed into the fire. However, birch does not gain much fuel from its own coals.

The coals from a birch will stay hot for some time after the fire has gone out and can be used to help fuel another fire. But the birch wood itself will turn to coal too quickly to benefit from the coal’s fuel.

Seeing as the bark of a birch tree is what holds most of its moisture, the bark can be used to ignite a fire because of its high oil content. It will spark a fire faster than most people can imagine and is often used as a fire starter outdoors, even in wet conditions.

Does Birch Burn Clean?

Well-seasoned birch will not produce many sparks or smoke. Therefore, it will not create as much creosote.

It is the smoke from a sappy wood that will cause a rapid build-up of creosote. Birch is a generally safe wood to burn indoors as well as outdoors.

Is It Okay To Burn Birch In A Fireplace?

Birch does not burn for long enough to be a cause for concern when used in a fireplace. It will not produce a lot of smoke, or sparks while producing an adequate amount of heat to keep you warm.

in fact, birch can burn very hot, especially the dense varieties like black and yellow birch. With these varieties, it’s important to keep an eye on the fire to avoid damaging your stove or a log burner.

Make sure that you know how to use your fireplace’s airflow setting so that you can control how hot a birch fire gets.

How Expensive Is Birch Firewood?

When It comes to the price of birch firewood, it falls in the middle between pine and oak varieties. According to tyndallfirewood.com a cord of round birch wood will cost you a 480USD.

How Long To Season Birch?

It is the bark of birch that will prevent birch from seasoning properly. This can cause the wood to rot from the inside out.

But, if you properly score the bark while splitting, birch will only take 12-18 months to season fully.

Though you should check the moisture content of your firewood with a moisture meter before burning it. Greenwood will cause firewood to spark and smoke far more, so for a safer fire, only burn seasoned wood.

Pros And Cons Of Birch?

Pros:

  • Excellent heat output
  • Little creosote
  • Minimal smoke
  • Multiple varieties to choose from
  • Bark makes excellent kindling

Cons:

  • Can burn too hot

How Does Birch Compare To Other Firewoods?

Compared to other woods, birch burns just as well but not as long as other hardwoods like oak or ash.

Birch has less sap than sugar maple or pine, but still produces more than most hardwoods do. Though this sap does not really affect how well birch burns, unlike the sap of maple which makes them smoke more.

It is highly valued firewood in many parts of the world, despite some the fact that it does not burn as long as other, top-tier firewood do.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Which Birch Is The Best To Burn?

Arguably, white birch is the best firewood to burn as it will not burn too hot but will still provide a great amount of heat to tide you over during cold winter months.

Which Is The Worst Birch To Burn?

All birch perform well and would be a great addition to any firewood. That being said, grey birch is the variety that releases the lowest amount of BTUs.

How Much Sap Does Birch Produce?

Birch is only tapped for 3 – 4 weeks every spring but during that time 1 gallon of sap can be harvested per day depending on the size of a tree.

Conclusion

Birch is often overlooked in favor of ash or oak, but birch can provide just as much heat as both of these woods can. Though it will not last as long, it is still a highly valued wood among people who have used it.

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