burning wood (in a fireplace)

[wickED_dude]

i have a question:
we just moved into a house and we've cut down a few trees that were either dead (rotten), dying, or sick.

my question is can we cut the wood, let it dry, then burn it next winter?
most of the wood is "ok" but there is some that has for example white spots (which im sure it's fungus. there's also some wood (from the dead trees) that im tempted to throw away.

can we burn this without fear of...say the fungus burning and releasing harmful vapors that will make everyone sick?

thnx!
PS: if i posted this in the wrong section, i apologize.

[GeneralChaos]

I'd be more careful of bugs/termites than fungus. I've never heard of any fungus that could be trouble (at least not in NE USA). No promises that burning fungi smell good though, but hopefully most of it goes right up the chimney.

[Surgeon]

If you let it dry out then the fungus should die off anyway...

[MrMofo]

im not an expert but ive used my share of woodstoves and cut my share of wood. If you store it somewhere dry it should be okay. Depending on what kinda wood it is, it might need a little time anyway.

[Sphere]

There is nothing wrong with burning rotten wood. If its got some mutant bacteria/virus that can survive fire, you're ed anyways. But don't store it too close to your house, the real worry is getting wood beetles or termites in your house framing.

[Sidmen]

We burn wood with white fungus on it all the time, there isn't any problem.

Can't say for sure tho, since our stove is enclosed and there is no contact with the room's air.

[Mathias]

There's no problem with burning fungus infested wood. We use wood for heating every winter (and I live in Norway, so that means we burn a lot of wood), and I know from experience that it is no problem.

[H_man]

We own a wood-burning stove and use it to heat our Canadian (just sayin') home in the wintertime. I would be worried solely about the bugs that can get into your home if the wood is stored improperly, or the carbon monoxide produced when it burns. All you need is a simple plug in CO detector, and you're in business.

[Lugat]

If your stove is fine there should be enough oxygen so that only minimal levels of CO are reached, a CO detector is a good idea just to be safe though

[Tiwaz]

Or if you do not know how to heat. At least fireplaces here, in Finland, have metal slates in chimney to close it off. Purpose is to stop heat from heading upwards indefinitely and cooling the house faster.

This is because hot air tends to go upwards, and chimney which is not blocked is basically hole up to the sky.

But if you close the slates too soon, before fire has died out, you cut the airflow and thus reduce amount of oxygen available and start creating CO in your fireplace.

Thus, old saying of checking that there is no blue flame before closing the chimney.