Dry first
The EPA's guidance is to burn wood with a moisture content under 20 percent, to season it for at least six months and never to burn wet or green wood. A freshly felled pine is full of water and resin and burns poorly. Wood from a standing dead tree can be dry already, but it can also be rotted, and the EPA says not to burn rotted, diseased or moldy wood.
Check with a moisture meter, and see how to season and stack firewood.
Why pine gets a warning
Penn State Extension advises limiting conifers such as pine, fir and spruce as heating fuel, because their compounds can coat a chimney with tar, soot and creosote, and creosote can lead to a chimney fire if the chimney is not cleaned regularly.
The practical answer is to burn pine hot, keep it dry, mix it with other wood if you can and have the chimney inspected and cleaned. Our guide on firewood species in the Sierra and Great Basin compares local woods.
Burn rules and what we sell
Washoe County has a burn code from November 1 to the end of February with green, yellow and red days that limit use of some heating devices. Check Northern Nevada Public Health's Know the Code before you light up. See Washoe County burn codes explained.
We sell firewood but have not published species, sizes or prices. Call 775.232.8243 and ask what is available now and how it was stored.
Ask your stove or chimney professional about your own appliance, since some manufacturers give fuel advice for their models. If you buy wood, ask the seller how long it has dried; we have not published that for ours, so ask the office.
Sources
- US EPA Burn Wise: Best Wood Burning Practices (read October 17, 2026)
- Penn State Extension: Heating with Wood, An Introduction (read October 17, 2026)
- Northern Nevada Public Health: Wood-Burning Devices (read October 17, 2026)