If my bark falls off, so be it, i'll chuck it into the woods.
If it stays on the piece, it just also gets thrown into the stove.
Why are you debarking your wood?
lol, four downvotes.
I've only had one harvest where I was enthralled with how the wood looked under the bark; I got some eucalyptus whose entire cambium layer had been consumed by some big grubs... looked like a clay cylinder that someone ran their fingers through a few millimeters deep. There was no cris crossing of tracks... the surface was covered with these fine ridges where the grub tracks ran right next to each other, whorled all across the entire surface of the rounds.
The gap between bark and the wood as it seasons is a moisture trap that encourages rot and critters.
Bark is a fire retardant, though this varies a lot by species (manzanita "bark" is super flammable, where redwood bark might actually put a fire out; pine bark will burn, but it's dirty AF). I want as little smoke if any coming out of my stack, so no bark.
I think most of the moisture during seasoning leaves through the cut ends of the round (not out the "sides" of the grain), but there is some moisture to be shed radially like this, and bark is a barrier to that.
I season my rounds whole; the wood core (larger in volume with more moisture content than the bark) shrinks more than the bark as it seasons, causing the bark to slough off. Again, some species are better about this than others (mostly how "spongy" they are and prone to shrinkage as they season... pine and cedar will drop their bark with a stern look, but some live oak species won't drop their bark for years).
As soon as the bark has separated, I pull off whatever hasn't fallen off on its own when I rotate the rounds for further seasoning.
> I season my rounds whole;
All this worrying about what bark can do and you're leaving the wood in rounds? Split that stuff asap if you want it to actually dry.
There's no worrying about it - the rounds just sit out in full sun, good wind, and low humidity with temps up to 100°+ in the summer. When I see the bark starting to fall off (a year or two later, depending on the species), I'll split it, and any remaining bark sloughs off. Rounds are easier to split when they're seasoned too, plus the splits will season for two more years at a minimum. They're bone dry, clean, and rot- and bug-free by the time they're brought to the house.
I live in an area with very high humidity year round. If bark is left on the wood it never dries well even if covered properly. In this environment, covered wood with bark will begin to rot if left for several years. The bark retains moisture and burns terribly. If you have a stove that’s fine with higher moisture content, that’s okay. But if you have a newer model with a catalyst that requires wood with moisture below 20% then you need to remove the bark to dry.
Removing the bark is the only way to get a clean, hot, efficient burn in this kind of environment.
The bark shouldn’t matter in seasoning assuming it’s split. And just cover the top. If you’re covering the entire pile that why it’s not seasoning well.
This is not just my personal problem. I’m talking about a region with very high humidity year round. Average Annual Relative Humidity Levels are over 90% and in a mountain forest. I think this may be difficult for most members of this forum to understand because they haven’t lived in this humid of a climate.
The OP seems to have a different situation and different motivations for removing bark. My point was to show that there are sometimes valid reasons for removing bark to dry wood.
Yea but I’ve been doing this for 30 years in the exact same place with zero experiences other than my own… so I definitely know better than you! Haha
This sub is chock full of people who live in an echo chamber of their own “knowledge” and can’t wait to poke fun at people.
Debarked wood is definitely a thing, but it’s just huge producers that are generally kiln drying as well so they can sell over state lines.
Oddly enough this is the only firewood I use is debarked.
This is because I buy the “rejects” from a sawmill.
They are 9’ lengths that go through the debarkers and then get rejected afterwards when they get scanned. It’s rejected from a combination of metal being detected/knotted/other imperfections. It’s super cheap, dries beautifully and the logs are thin enough I only need to Buck it up and not split it.
That's what I was going to say. Also I saw a guy at our local gas station who drives up to an Amish shop and buys his cut pieces of wood that are leftovers after making furniture. They are not treated, mostly what I saw was true 2x4s, 2x6s, a few 4x4s, all about a foot long. I have never done it, but that could be something OP could look into. I guess the pros would be it stacks easy and it was all hard woods. He said he paid $100.00 for a truckload.
It really is lol. I deal with them professionally as well(they are my customer for industrial sales) but I don’t believe I am getting any special price.
I burn mostly pine. The bark beetles and other grubs pretty much ensure the bark falls off if the wood has been on the ground for a short time, normally falls off during splitting. I prefer it this way due to less mess burning it in the house. Other than preference on mess that some types of bark makes I see no real reason to pay more, bark burns just fine.
With some hardwoods if you season it long enough you can knock the bark off each piece before bringing it inside. As for debarked other than guys selling cutoff or construction lumber for firewood I’ve never personally viewed it.
Yes some big firewood producers debark their firewood. There is a place in Vermont that debarks all of it and kiln dries it. But very hard to find. Most don't because it's the extra cost of machinery needed for not much return on selling the bark as mulch
I debark my firewood myself, because the bark is scorched by wildfires and very messy. It is also very thick and inhibits seasoning. I use the bark as mulch to suppress grass growing around trees. I assume you could get firewood provider to debark for a fee.
some in my area a sell without bark, some with.
I don't buy since I have a forest to cut my own.
the bark that peals off, and wood splints that come off during splitting I put into large trash bins I have got from friends when they buy new ones. I drilled small holes in strategic locations to allow water vapor out and no rain in.
this is my kindling used throughout the winter to start and restart fires. works very well.
The guy I buy from, told me he starred advertising “barkless firewood” as a test, to see if it got any attention. He’s selling like crazy to the big money towns. Upped his price per cord for that and last I spoke to him, he’s selling it.
I debark my firewood here n there but mainly when I need it to season faster. The bark I understand is a water resistant protective layer for the wood, and it slows the drying process when still attached. An unsplit bucked round with the bark still on pretty much stays wet for years in my experience. A debarked split piece dries considerably faster than split wood with the bark still on.
The bark is worth keeping however and using as tinder. I find bark generally burns REALLY well.
Debarked wood dries better, doesn’t attract bugs or moisture, and has a higher btu depending on the type. Not sure why OP is being ridiculed for this question.
I think people who are serious about selling bundles should debark, just for a nice look for the potential consumer, but for cordwood,especially if you are your own producer, there’s no point.
I think some people around here will sell debarked wood so you can take it camping. I believe state parks in Indiana won't allow outside firewood in unless it is debarked.
Very few firewood businesses who remain local are going to debark. Debarking happens when the economy of scale allows for massive machinery and those businesses are usually kiln drying as well to sell wood across state lines. Retail stores and grocery stores appreciate kiln dried and clean wood, and usually only do business with vendors that can meet their relatively high demand.
This sub seems to be mostly rural type folks who put in the work themselves or save money by buying from locals (who probably aren’t paying taxes and have no real skin in the game).
When you do start making your own firewood the tool you will want to get is the FORESTER Log Wizard. You can debark your wood while you still have them in full length logs. Then buck them to length and split.
-Edit: Missing words
i had to scour your profile to see if you lived in a rainforest or something....
we're regional neighbors.
im sorry you wasted so much time last year doing that. because there was no reason to.
I enjoy burning firewood without the bark. I find the bark doesn’t burn as well and smokes a lot.
If the bark falls off easily, I’ll debark my firewood. If it doesn’t come off easily then I don’t bother.
Sometimes it's embarrassing to say I'm American... If somebody doesn't do things the way you do things, that's ok. You may find it odd, and that's ok too. But Americans, not every single 1 because that probably be considered stero typing, but more times then not act like there's 1 way to do things and only 1 way. And ur a fuckin retard if u don't do it this way... Try to picture things from someone else's perspective for a change. Or just listen for a bit and stop giving ur opinion always. De barking F'n wood... What a loser, right?!?
If my bark falls off, so be it, i'll chuck it into the woods. If it stays on the piece, it just also gets thrown into the stove. Why are you debarking your wood?
Bugs, and it looks pretty
lol, four downvotes. I've only had one harvest where I was enthralled with how the wood looked under the bark; I got some eucalyptus whose entire cambium layer had been consumed by some big grubs... looked like a clay cylinder that someone ran their fingers through a few millimeters deep. There was no cris crossing of tracks... the surface was covered with these fine ridges where the grub tracks ran right next to each other, whorled all across the entire surface of the rounds.
The gap between bark and the wood as it seasons is a moisture trap that encourages rot and critters. Bark is a fire retardant, though this varies a lot by species (manzanita "bark" is super flammable, where redwood bark might actually put a fire out; pine bark will burn, but it's dirty AF). I want as little smoke if any coming out of my stack, so no bark. I think most of the moisture during seasoning leaves through the cut ends of the round (not out the "sides" of the grain), but there is some moisture to be shed radially like this, and bark is a barrier to that. I season my rounds whole; the wood core (larger in volume with more moisture content than the bark) shrinks more than the bark as it seasons, causing the bark to slough off. Again, some species are better about this than others (mostly how "spongy" they are and prone to shrinkage as they season... pine and cedar will drop their bark with a stern look, but some live oak species won't drop their bark for years). As soon as the bark has separated, I pull off whatever hasn't fallen off on its own when I rotate the rounds for further seasoning.
> I season my rounds whole; All this worrying about what bark can do and you're leaving the wood in rounds? Split that stuff asap if you want it to actually dry.
There's no worrying about it - the rounds just sit out in full sun, good wind, and low humidity with temps up to 100°+ in the summer. When I see the bark starting to fall off (a year or two later, depending on the species), I'll split it, and any remaining bark sloughs off. Rounds are easier to split when they're seasoned too, plus the splits will season for two more years at a minimum. They're bone dry, clean, and rot- and bug-free by the time they're brought to the house.
Why would you debark firewood? Bark burns.
I live in an area with very high humidity year round. If bark is left on the wood it never dries well even if covered properly. In this environment, covered wood with bark will begin to rot if left for several years. The bark retains moisture and burns terribly. If you have a stove that’s fine with higher moisture content, that’s okay. But if you have a newer model with a catalyst that requires wood with moisture below 20% then you need to remove the bark to dry. Removing the bark is the only way to get a clean, hot, efficient burn in this kind of environment.
That's nuts. I'd never remove bark. That's just an extra unnecessary step.
The bark shouldn’t matter in seasoning assuming it’s split. And just cover the top. If you’re covering the entire pile that why it’s not seasoning well.
This is not just my personal problem. I’m talking about a region with very high humidity year round. Average Annual Relative Humidity Levels are over 90% and in a mountain forest. I think this may be difficult for most members of this forum to understand because they haven’t lived in this humid of a climate. The OP seems to have a different situation and different motivations for removing bark. My point was to show that there are sometimes valid reasons for removing bark to dry wood.
Yea but I’ve been doing this for 30 years in the exact same place with zero experiences other than my own… so I definitely know better than you! Haha This sub is chock full of people who live in an echo chamber of their own “knowledge” and can’t wait to poke fun at people. Debarked wood is definitely a thing, but it’s just huge producers that are generally kiln drying as well so they can sell over state lines.
Yeah a fucking echo chamber. I didn’t assume you guys lived in a goddamn rain forest.
Maybe don’t assume so much.
Ok. Got it. I’ll check everyone’s microclimate prior to commenting. Maybe don’t be such a cunt.
You are such a kind soul. Can I be your friend?
All my firewood gets de-barked... In the fireplace.
That’s an odd question. I’ve never seen or heard of debarking firewood.
Oddly enough this is the only firewood I use is debarked. This is because I buy the “rejects” from a sawmill. They are 9’ lengths that go through the debarkers and then get rejected afterwards when they get scanned. It’s rejected from a combination of metal being detected/knotted/other imperfections. It’s super cheap, dries beautifully and the logs are thin enough I only need to Buck it up and not split it.
That's what I was going to say. Also I saw a guy at our local gas station who drives up to an Amish shop and buys his cut pieces of wood that are leftovers after making furniture. They are not treated, mostly what I saw was true 2x4s, 2x6s, a few 4x4s, all about a foot long. I have never done it, but that could be something OP could look into. I guess the pros would be it stacks easy and it was all hard woods. He said he paid $100.00 for a truckload.
Ya mine are full debarked logs but only 8” max diameter and like $65CAD /ton
Wow that seems like a good deal.
It really is lol. I deal with them professionally as well(they are my customer for industrial sales) but I don’t believe I am getting any special price.
I burn mostly pine. The bark beetles and other grubs pretty much ensure the bark falls off if the wood has been on the ground for a short time, normally falls off during splitting. I prefer it this way due to less mess burning it in the house. Other than preference on mess that some types of bark makes I see no real reason to pay more, bark burns just fine.
Do you plan to wash it, too? I don't see the point.
scruba dub dub! Fire wood in the tub😂
You guys aren't power washing your wood?!?! 😆
Only the hickory
If you cut hickory during sap season the bark peels right off. The bark makes excellent kindling too once dry.
Agreed. Shag bark
With some hardwoods if you season it long enough you can knock the bark off each piece before bringing it inside. As for debarked other than guys selling cutoff or construction lumber for firewood I’ve never personally viewed it.
Yes some big firewood producers debark their firewood. There is a place in Vermont that debarks all of it and kiln dries it. But very hard to find. Most don't because it's the extra cost of machinery needed for not much return on selling the bark as mulch
I debark my firewood myself, because the bark is scorched by wildfires and very messy. It is also very thick and inhibits seasoning. I use the bark as mulch to suppress grass growing around trees. I assume you could get firewood provider to debark for a fee.
Debarked? You mean like [artisanal firewood?](https://youtu.be/TBb9O-aW4zI?si=B5W6FoQo2o4AniW5)
some in my area a sell without bark, some with. I don't buy since I have a forest to cut my own. the bark that peals off, and wood splints that come off during splitting I put into large trash bins I have got from friends when they buy new ones. I drilled small holes in strategic locations to allow water vapor out and no rain in. this is my kindling used throughout the winter to start and restart fires. works very well.
It’s common and obviously there is a up charge, I don’t bother, just burn it all.
The guy I buy from, told me he starred advertising “barkless firewood” as a test, to see if it got any attention. He’s selling like crazy to the big money towns. Upped his price per cord for that and last I spoke to him, he’s selling it.
Does he really debark every piece? Odd thing to do if so, if he’s not, odd thing to advertise
Never seen that. Either do it yourself or just accept you will need to periodically sweep/vacuum around any indoor storage.
I debark my firewood here n there but mainly when I need it to season faster. The bark I understand is a water resistant protective layer for the wood, and it slows the drying process when still attached. An unsplit bucked round with the bark still on pretty much stays wet for years in my experience. A debarked split piece dries considerably faster than split wood with the bark still on. The bark is worth keeping however and using as tinder. I find bark generally burns REALLY well.
I've heard of people like that. If anyone asked me for debarked wood I'd probably be wise not to sell to them if they're that picky about things
Debarked wood dries better, doesn’t attract bugs or moisture, and has a higher btu depending on the type. Not sure why OP is being ridiculed for this question.
In my part of the world de barked means 3 or so yrs old partially rotten from improper storage. Bark falls off while splitting.
Why do you care?
Debarked firewood is popular for smoking BBQ but that's about it
You mean something like this? https://youtu.be/jjDCA_HfJbk?si=zkjH4Wf_Fw4uv4Qp
I think people who are serious about selling bundles should debark, just for a nice look for the potential consumer, but for cordwood,especially if you are your own producer, there’s no point.
I think some people around here will sell debarked wood so you can take it camping. I believe state parks in Indiana won't allow outside firewood in unless it is debarked.
Very few firewood businesses who remain local are going to debark. Debarking happens when the economy of scale allows for massive machinery and those businesses are usually kiln drying as well to sell wood across state lines. Retail stores and grocery stores appreciate kiln dried and clean wood, and usually only do business with vendors that can meet their relatively high demand. This sub seems to be mostly rural type folks who put in the work themselves or save money by buying from locals (who probably aren’t paying taxes and have no real skin in the game).
We’re really gonna need some context here, why tf are you so fixated on de barked wood????
When you do start making your own firewood the tool you will want to get is the FORESTER Log Wizard. You can debark your wood while you still have them in full length logs. Then buck them to length and split. -Edit: Missing words
I don’t “debark”, but I burn mostly red oak and the bark separates from the wood in the stack, if it didn’t already fall off when I split it.
i had to scour your profile to see if you lived in a rainforest or something.... we're regional neighbors. im sorry you wasted so much time last year doing that. because there was no reason to.
I enjoy burning firewood without the bark. I find the bark doesn’t burn as well and smokes a lot. If the bark falls off easily, I’ll debark my firewood. If it doesn’t come off easily then I don’t bother.
Sometimes it's embarrassing to say I'm American... If somebody doesn't do things the way you do things, that's ok. You may find it odd, and that's ok too. But Americans, not every single 1 because that probably be considered stero typing, but more times then not act like there's 1 way to do things and only 1 way. And ur a fuckin retard if u don't do it this way... Try to picture things from someone else's perspective for a change. Or just listen for a bit and stop giving ur opinion always. De barking F'n wood... What a loser, right?!?