Skip to content
Grow In Backyard
Fire Pits

Can You Burn Pine in a Fire Pit? Yes — It's Chimneys That Mind

Pine is fine in an open fire pit as long as it is seasoned. The creosote warning that follows it everywhere is a flue problem, not an outdoor one.

By Zakaria 2 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
The sawn ends of pine logs stacked in a pile, growth rings showing
Photo: ajs1980518, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
On this page

Yes. The creosote warning that follows pine around is a chimney warning — and an open fire pit has no chimney. Season it, screen it, and it is a perfectly reasonable outdoor fuel. It just burns fast and sparks.

The creosote question, settled

All wood makes creosote. The amount depends far more on how wet the wood is and how cool the fire burns than on the species.

This table answers the question on its own
Open fire pitStove or chimney
Where creosote collectsNowhere — it goes upIn the flue
Seasoned pineFineAcceptable, burn hot
Green pineSmoky, poorAvoid
Green oakSmoky, poorAvoid
The actual variableMoisture and fire temperatureSame

A hot fire burning pine at under 20% moisture makes less creosote than a smouldering fire burning damp oak.

The real fire pit concern is sparks

Resin pockets pressurise and snap

Pine throws embers further than a dense hardwood. Use a spark screen. Keep good clearance from a timber deck, fence, dry grass and overhanging branches, and do not burn pine on a windy evening near anything flammable.

Seasoning it

  1. 6–12 months — a summer is usually enough for normal splits.
  2. Split, stack off the ground in single rows, ends to the wind.
  3. Cover the top only.
  4. Meter a fresh face — under 20%.

Green pine hisses, smokes heavily and gives very little heat. That is where the reputation comes from, not the species.

What pine is actually good for

  • Kindling and fire-starting — it lights more readily than any hardwood
  • Getting to temperature fast before adding hardwood
  • Shoulder-season and daytime fires where a long burn is not the point

The two-wood fire

Light with pine, cook and settle on hardwood. You get the easy start and the long coal bed, and you avoid resinous smoke anywhere near food.

Common questions

Can you burn pine in a fire pit?

Yes. The warning against burning pine is a chimney warning, and an open fire pit has no chimney for creosote to collect in — the smoke goes into the sky. Seasoned pine is a perfectly reasonable outdoor fuel: it lights easily, comes up to heat quickly and smells good. What you should expect is a fast burn, a weak coal bed and more popping and spark throw than a hardwood, which means a spark screen and sensible clearance rather than a ban.

Does pine really cause creosote?

All wood produces creosote, and the amount depends far more on how wet the wood is and how cool the fire burns than on the species. Pine's resin does add to it, but a hot fire burning pine at under 20 percent moisture produces less creosote than a smouldering fire burning damp oak. The reason the warning attaches to pine is that softwood is often burnt green and burnt cool, not that the species is uniquely dirty.

Does pine spark more than hardwood?

Yes, and this is the genuine fire pit concern rather than creosote. Resin pockets in the wood heat, pressurise and snap, throwing embers further than a dense hardwood would. Use a spark screen, keep the pit well clear of a timber deck, fence, dry grass and overhanging branches, and do not burn pine on a windy evening close to anything flammable.

How long does pine take to season?

Six to twelve months, which is much faster than any hardwood, because pine is light and open-grained. Split it, stack it off the ground in single rows with the ends to the wind, and cover only the top. A summer is usually enough for normal splits. Burning it green is where most of pine's bad reputation comes from — green pine hisses, smokes heavily and produces very little useful heat.

Is pine good firewood at all?

It is a poor heating wood and a decent fire-starting one. A cord gives roughly 15 to 20 million BTU against 27 to 28 for oak, it burns through quickly and it leaves almost no coals, so it will not hold a stove overnight. What it is genuinely good at is lighting, coming to temperature fast, and shoulder-season fires where a long hot burn is not the point.

Can you cook over pine?

Avoid it for smoking or direct cooking. Resinous softwood smoke is acrid and tastes of turpentine, and it deposits soot on food and cookware. If you want to cook over an open fire, let the pine burn down and add a hardwood for the cooking phase, or use a fruit wood or oak from the start. Pine is fine for getting the fire going underneath that.

Backyard Weekly

Know what to plant, week by week

Join the weekly email for seasonal jobs, fixes for what is going wrong, and gear worth buying.

Not ready to subscribe? The planting calendar is free and needs no email.

By subscribing you agree to our privacy policy. Grow In Backyard will never sell your address.

Keep reading