Observation on your limb mulch: As the season progresses the needles will fall off and continue as a fine mulch. Then the branches can be picked up and used for quick hot fires during the summer or kindling for next winter.
My favorite fire wood is large limbs from old trees. some break off every winter. They have closely spaced rings and are therefore very dense and therefore burn slower but at the same time have more volatiles than hardwood so work well in a rocket stove.
I thought my years of observation of the cycle of conifer limb mulching might be helpful to those that are new to it. I don't know if you have ants, [the insect] there in Montana, that gather the needles in large stacks for their nests. These eventually become a great source of
compost. When they get big enough the bears will come by and spread them out to eat the larva.