Can you burn pine cones in a fireplace

Additionally, Oleander and Mexican Elder trees are highly toxic , and the smoke is poisonous when inhaled. Paper with colored print, such as wrapping paper, magazines, cereal boxes, and pizza boxes, may release noxious, corrosive, or carcinogenic gases when burned.

Manufactured wood products release toxic fumes and carcinogens when burned. Fire accelerants or fire starters. Scientists have discovered a new class of chemicals emitted from burning pine trees. If the wood is covered in snow or ice, check the floor after 15 to 30 minutes and mop up the melted snow. Turn the wood over or stand it on end. Start the fire using dry kindling and wood. Damp wood will dry out and burn once the fire is burning well.

The best kind of wood to burn is one of the hard woods , such as oak, hard maple and birch because they release more heat and produce less creosote deposits. In fact, expect most types of wood to take about one year per inch of thickness to dry out. If it's a two-inch log , that means you'll need to let it sit outdoors for two whole years before it's dry enough to efficiently burn.

There are many other factors that affect the rate at which wood dries. Dry pine cones make excellent fire starters and frequently are used as such in wood stoves and fireplaces. Although they do release some creosote, pine cones can be burned as tinder in a wood stove when properly used. To make your pine cone fire starters, follow these simple steps. Melt wax in a double boiler do not leave unattended. Add a few drops of essential oil to the wax if desired.

Add candle dye or a few broken crayon pieces to the wax for color if desired. Dip the first pine cone into the wax using tongs. Starting the fire. Arrange two small to medium sized pieces of fire-wood on the grate, and place some crumpled up newspaper for tinder between the logs.

Now cover the tinder with several pieces of kindling. Be generous with the kindling - its the most important element in starting your fire. Now, place two more pieces of firewood on top of the kindling and two more at right angles to these two. Leave some space between the logs for air circulation. Warm up the flue.

For fireplaces, warm up the flue by holding a piece of burning rolled-up newspaper in the opened damper region for seconds. This helps the flue establish a good draft. Then light the tinder. Within a few minutes, you should have a nice, hot, roaring fire! Do check the manufacturer's guidelines for your wood stove or insert.

Do use seasoned hardwood. Do use commercial fire starters if you like. They eliminate the need for tinder and reduce the amount of kindling required. Don't use charcoal lighter fluid or other flammable liquids. These are extremely dangerous. Gel fire starters are okay Don't use coal in a wood stove or fireplace unless there are specific written instructions - it will burn, but not safely.

Don't burn artificial logs in a wood stove, unless they are specifically designed for wood stove use. Pine cones are a perfect firestarter as long as they are ripe old expanded suckers May 22, 1, Silicon Valley.

The only drawback is they are a bear to stack. I could burn a lot of them, but it's a PITA to have to clean your hands of the sap each time you start a fire. Sep 30, 10, Bend, OR. My splitter makes a real mess of them. True, lot of sap with the cones, but buy a cheap pair of cotton gloves for a buck or 2 and use them only for loading and starting the stove. I have a couple of pair and use one for caulking chores and the other for oil and gasoline handling. InTheRockies New Member.

Aug 15, Northern US Rockies. I use them as fire starters--I have plenty of them in my yard. I also save some of my pine needles when I rake in the spring and fall. I put a few pine needles and pine cones in a paper bag along with kindling to get the fire started. Works great. Dec 10, Mar 26, Plattsburgh, NY. The funny thing about the posting of this topic is that I was at the park with my daughter just a few hours ago and she was picking up pine cones and I thought, hmmm, I wonder if you could burn them and was thinking back as to whether or not I had ever come across the subject on this website.

Jan 12, 22 So. Maine Coast. How about acorns,I must rake up lbs. WonderingWoman New Member. Jun 5, Pacific NW. This forum is great, I'm so glad I found it! Click to expand Jan 25, 1, Newfields NH. Cluttermagnet Minister of Fire. Jun 23, Mid Atlantic. I had another 'break-in' fire just the other night. This time I tried an old, dry pine cone, the 'open' type described above. It was at least a year old; I suspect it may have been one that was years old, fully seasoned.

Remove and let dry. Place in your wood stove and light with a match. Pine cones do not produce much smoke when placed in a wood stove. They may spark occasionally, but do not often throw them.