Top-tier Firewood for Wood-Burning Stoves, alongside Stacking Strategies, Storage Solutions, and Firelighting Techniques
Choosing the Right Wood for Your Wood Burner or Stove
When it comes to heating your home during the colder months, selecting the right wood for your wood burner or stove is crucial. Here's a guide to help you make an informed decision.
Hardwoods such as oak, ash, beech, and maple are the best choices for wood burners and stoves. These dense woods burn hotter and longer, produce more consistent heat, and create less creosote buildup in chimneys compared to softwoods like pine and larch.
Oak is a standout option, known for its slow, steady burn that can last up to 8 hours, and its high heat value of around 4200 BTUs/kg, making it ideal for overnight warmth. However, oak requires thorough seasoning, typically 18-24 months, to reach optimal dryness.
Ash is another reliable performer. It burns well even when not fully seasoned and provides a steady heat.
Beech is a pleasant performer, offering a good heat output and a delightful aroma. It seasons faster than oak, about 12-18 months.
Maple and beech also deliver long-lasting heat and have pleasant aromas.
Softwoods like pine and larch should be avoided due to their faster burning and higher creosote production.
Proper Seasoning, Storage, and Stacking
For optimal performance, wood must be "seasoned," meaning dried to under 20% moisture content to burn efficiently and safely. This typically takes 6 months to a year, depending on wood type, climate, and storage conditions.
Store wood in a dry, well-ventilated, and covered area protected from rain and ground moisture. Stack wood logs with good airflow around and between the pieces. Uniform log sizes facilitate airflow and make stacking easier.
Kiln-dried hardwood logs are already dried and ready to burn, offering convenience and cleanliness in use with optimal heat output.
A Word on Safety
Keeping wood and logs dry is essential to prevent excess smoke and clogging of the flue. Soft flammable foundations for a fire should be made of loosely rolled balls of newspaper.
Where to Buy Your Wood
B&Q sells Ash wood for £23.99, a steady burner with good heat output. Oak wood is also available from B&Q for £17.99, a slower burner but ideal for maintaining a fire at night when used in a mix of faster-burning logs.
B&Q and Logs Direct sell Birch wood for £25.99 each, which burns quickly but produces a good heat, best used in a mix of slower-burning woods like elm or oak.
Tips for Efficient Wood Burning
- The first logs added to a fire should be smaller in size, ending with the largest on top.
- Covering logs with a simple hard cover keeps the rain off and allows air to circulate.
- Storing logs indoors requires a log holder or similar indoor storage to keep them under cover but open on at least one side.
- Stacking logs level and avoiding any sloping in or out is important for efficient wood burning.
- An old wooden pallet makes an ideal base for storing logs as it allows constant air circulation.
- A generous handful of kindling is essential to maintain a fire.
- Corners in a wood stack can be created with one layer being laid at 90 degrees to the next.
- The bark of Birch wood can be peeled off and used as a natural firelighter for wood or log burners.
The fire pit or wood burner provides a welcoming sight during the winter months, offering a flickering flame, the cracking and popping of burning bark, and a delightful woodsmoke smell.
The delightful aroma of beech and maple, as well as their long-lasting heat, make them suitable additions to home-and-garden landscapes with outdoor fire pits or wood burners. Proper seasoning, storage, and stacking of these plants, especially within a home-and-garden setting, are crucial for an efficient and safe garden lifestyle.
