A wood waste burner, known as a teepee burner or wigwam burner in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and a beehive burner in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, is a free-standing conical steel structure usually ranging from 30 to 60 feet in height. They are named for their resemblance to

beehive A beehive is an enclosed structure which houses honey bees, subgenus '' Apis.'' Honey bees live in the beehive, raising their young and producing honey as part of their seasonal cycle. Though the word ''beehive'' is used to describe the nest of ...

s, teepees or wigwams. A sawdust burner is cylindrical. They have an opening at the top that is covered with a steel grill or mesh to keep sparks and glowing embers from escaping. Sawdust and wood scraps are delivered to an opening near the top of the cone by means of a conveyor belt or

Archimedes' screw The Archimedes' screw, also known as the Archimedean screw, hydrodynamic screw, water screw or Egyptian screw, is one of the earliest documented hydraulic machines. It was so-named after the Greek mathematician Archimedes who first described it ...

, where they fall onto the fire near the center of the structure. Teepee or beehive burners are used to dispose of waste wood in

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, truckssawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

s by incineration. As a result, they produce a large quantity of smoke and ash, which is vented directly into the atmosphere without filtering, contributing to poor air quality. The burners are considered to be a major source of

air pollution Air pollution is the presence of substances in the Atmosphere of Earth, air that are harmful to humans, other living beings or the environment. Pollutants can be Gas, gases like Ground-level ozone, ozone or nitrogen oxides or small particles li ...

and have been phased out in most areas. Teepee burners went out of general use in the Northwestern United States by the mid 1970s, and are prohibited from operation in

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

, as well as southwestern

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

. There are a few derelict beehive burners remaining in California, Oregon, Washington State and

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a list of regions of Canada, Canadian region that includes the four western provinces and t ...

. The majority of wood waste is now recycled and used as a component in various

forest product A forest product is any material derived from forestry for direct consumption or commercial use, such as lumber, paper, or fodder for livestock. Wood, by far the dominant product of forests, is used for many purposes, such as wood fuel (e.g. in f ...

s, such as

pellet fuel Pellet fuels (or pellets) are a type of solid fuel made from compressed organic material. Pellets can be made from any one of five general categories of biomass: industrial waste and co-products, food waste, agricultural residues, energy crops, a ...

, particle board and

mulch A mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of soil. Reasons for applying mulch include conservation of soil moisture, improving soil fertility, fertility and health of the soil, reducing Weed control, weed growth, and enhancing the v ...

Gallery

File:Balaclava Mill - Sawdust Burner.JPG, Sawdust burner in Balaclava,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

File:Halfwaywigwam.JPG, Wigwam burner in Halfway, Oregon File:Wigwam Burner (Drain, Oregon).jpg, Wigwam burner in Drain, Oregon File:Wigwam Burner (Swisshome, Oregon).jpg, Wigwam burner near Swisshome, Oregon File:Wigwam Burner (Mapleton, Oregon).jpg, Wigwam burner near Mapleton, Oregon File:WIGWAM BURNER AT THE LOUISIANA PACIFIC LUMBER PLANT AT POST FALLS, IDAHO - NARA - 548157.jpg, Wigwam burner at a

Louisiana-Pacific Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LP) is an American building materials manufacturer. The company was founded in 1973 and LP pioneered the U.S. production of oriented strand board (OSB) panels. Currently based in Nashville, Tennessee, LP is the ...

lumber plant in Post Falls, Idaho (May 1973) File:Bark burner in Lincoln, Oregon.jpg, Remnant of Wigwam burner in Jackson County, Oregon. (September 2021)

References

External links

* {{cite news , url= http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+BURNER+OBSESSION.(Arts+&+Literature)(On+a+quest+to+preserve+the...-a0101453053 , title= A Burner Obsession , last= Keefer , first= Bob , work=

The Register-Guard ''The Register-Guard'' is a daily newspaper in the northwestern United States, published in Eugene, Oregon. It was formed in a 1930 merger of two Eugene papers, the ''Eugene Daily Guard'' and the ''Morning Register''. The paper serves the Eugene ...

, location= Eugene, Oregon , via=The Free Library , date= May 4, 2003 , accessdate= 2008-05-28
Historic images of teepee burners in Oregon
from the Salem, Oregon, Public Library

Environmental issues in Canada History of the Pacific Northwest Incineration Logging

Gallery

See also

References

External links