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10 FIREWOOD
What is good firewood?
Good firewood has been cut to the correct length for the furnace, split to a range of sizes and stacked in the open until
its moisture content is reduced to 15% to 20%.
10.1 TREE SPECIES
The tree species the firewood is produced from is less important than its moisture content. The main difference in
firewood from various tree species is the density of the wood. Hardwoods are denser than softwoods. People who live
in the coldest regions of North America usually have only spruce, birch and poplar, other low-density species to burn and
yet they can heat their homes successfully.
Homeowners with access to both hardwood and softwood fuel sometimes use both types for different purposes. For
example, softer woods make good fuel for relatively mild weather in spring and fall because they light quickly and produce
less heat Softwoods are not as dense as hardwoods, so a given volume of wood contains less energy. Using softwoods
avoids overheating the house, which can be a common problem with wood heating in moderate weather. Harder woods
are best for colder winter weather when more heat and longer burn cycles are desirable.
Note that hardwood trees like oak, maple, ash and beech are slower growing and longer lived than softer woods like
poplar and birch. That makes hardwood trees more valuable. The advice that only hardwoods are good to burn is
outdated. Old, leaky cast iron furnaces would not hold a fire overnight unless they were fed large pieces of hardwood.
That is no longer true. You can successfully heat your home by using the less desirable tree species and give the forest
a break at the same time.
10.2 LOG LENGTH
Logs should be cut about 1" (25 mm) shorter than the firebox so
they fit in easily. Pieces that are too long make loading the furnace
very difficult. The most common standard length of firewood is 16"
(406 mm).
The pieces should be a consistent length, with a maximum of 1" (25
mm) variation from piece to piece.
10.3 PIECE SIZE
Firewood dries more quickly when it is split. Large unsplit rounds can take years to dry enough to burn. Even when dried,
unsplit logs are difficult to ignite because they don't have the sharp edges where the flames first catch. Logs as small as
3" (76 mm) should be split to encourage drying.
Wood should be split to a range of sizes, from about 3" to 6" (76 mm to 152 mm) in cross section. Having a range of
sizes makes starting and rekindling fires much easier. Often, the firewood purchased from commercial suppliers is not
split finely enough for convenient stoking. It is sometimes advisable to re-split the wood before stacking to dry.
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