Mt. Nusatsum

Mt. Nusatsum

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Firewood Debate Followup

A question was asked about the difference in BTU's between Mountain Pine Beetle killed Lodgepole Pine and green Lodgepole Pine that is cut and allowed to dry.  It's good question, because it comes up often over in the corner when the guys are talking about important things at social events as well.  My opinion is that beetle killed pine has less BTU's because some of the volatile oils that originate in green wood and give fresh green pine such a strong beautiful smell vaporize in the drying process and you would expect less of those oils available to burn in long dead pine.

So to answer this question I looked to the web (this isn't a science forum folks -- so take it for what it's worth) and at this website noticed right off the bat that they supply pine pellets from beetle killed pine in Colorado and premium pine from BC.

Eco-Flame Premium Pellets (Softwood)
Eco-Flame wood pellets by Confluence Energy from Kremmling, Colorado are sourced from Lodgepole Pine trees killed by the Mountain Pine Beetle that has infested many forests in Colorado and surrounding states. These trees are being removed to help protect the remaining forest and land from devastating forest fires, and being used to help heat homes in the process. These premium wood pellets have been tested to have ash content typically below .65% and heat value of 8,000 BTU/lb.


The same place sells something they call "Green Supreme" made of Lodgepole Pine with a premium grade standard and you'll note an extra 200 BTU/lb.

Green Supreme (Softwood)
This product is manufactured in British Columbia and is then shipped to the US in bulk, where it is packaged by New England Wood Pellet. This pellet is made from Lodgepole Pine and exceeds the Pellet Fuel Institute's premium grade standard in every category. This product has the same low ash, low dust, high energy burning characteristics as other softwood pellets. The Green Supreme premium pellet is consistently sized, has a very faint softwood fragrance and average ash content of 0.22 percent and heating value of 8,200 BTU/lb.


This is not a lot of data to go on -- my daughter will critique me for this based on my sample size - as she's big into statistics at university!

It was a little bit of weather transition today in the Bella Coola Valley.  Mostly grey and windy and just above 0 C till late afternoon, when the whole thing blew east and by sunset it was beautiful cold clear day and just around -1 C tonight.  Grizzly

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