All wood burns, but not all woods burn a similar. Some burn off hotter, slower, and cleaner than Other folks. Some smoke a good deal, and many have many sap or resin that clogs your chimney swiftly. The most effective types of firewood for the Wooden stove or fireplace burn up incredibly hot and relatively steadily, making more heat and, generally, burning more fully. These woods are generally hardwoods, like hickory or ash, in lieu of softwoods, such as pine and cedar.
Hardwood Firewood

Hardwoods including maple, oak, ash, birch, and many fruit trees are the most beneficial burning woods that will give you a hotter and more time burn off time. These woods provide the the very least pitch and sap and they are generally cleaner to handle. Nonetheless, hardwoods are typically costlier than softwoods and are more vulnerable to leave clinkers, a hard and stony residue, within the leftover ash.

In case you are burning birch firewood, pay attention to the thick inner brown bark called the phloem. This bark retains a lot of humidity and might reduce the Wooden from drying evenly.1 Consequently, it's best To combine birch with One more sort of hardwood for any cleaner burn and fewer smoke. Smoke contributes to a buildup of creosote, which can be a byproduct of wood combustion consisting predominantly of tar that normally brings about chimney fires.2
Softwood Firewood

Softwood is The most affordable sort of Wooden You should buy. Fir is the only option, but other softwoods include things like pine, balsam, spruce, cedar, tamarack, alder, and poplar. Softwoods are inclined to burn speedier and leave finer ash in comparison to hardwoods.three They also is often messy to handle, In particular pine, spruce, and balsam, as they bring about creosote to build up additional rapidly as part of your chimney.
Comparing Firewood by Heat Strength

Different firewoods might be classified by the level of heat Vitality they make per cord of wood. The top firewoods give the heat-Vitality equivalent of 200 to 250 gallons of gas oil.four These include things like the subsequent:

Apple
Beech (American)
Birch (Yellow)
Hickory (Shagbark)
Ironwood
Maple (Sugar)
Red oak
White ash
White oak

The next class of heat Vitality could be the equal of one hundred fifty to two hundred gallons of gas for each cord of firewood. These woods contain:

Birch (White)
Cherry (Black)
Douglas fir
Elm (American)
Maple (Crimson and Silver)
Tamarack

In the lowest heat-energy category, Every cord of Wooden provides about the same warmth as one hundred to one hundred fifty gallons of fuel oil:

Alder (Pink)
Aspen
Cedar (Purple)
Cottonwood
Hemlock
Pine (Lodgepole and White)
Redwood
Spruce (Sitka)

Ensure that Your Wood Is Dry

You need to by no means melt away "environmentally friendly," or insufficiently dried, wood as it provides a lot less heat and much more smoke (and, ultimately, creosote) than thoroughly dried, or seasoned, wood. For proper storage, you'll want to stack your wood for economical air circulation, protected at the top only, and ensure it's comprehensively dry in advance of burning. An excellent general guideline is always to rotate your firewood, as in burning the more mature dryer wood 1st, to avoid wood rot and squander.

Wooden should have a dampness content of considerably less that twenty percent for burning. Along with the moisture previously mentioned twenty p.c, wood is hard to start out and burns improperly and inefficiently, making extreme quantities of drinking water vapor, smoke, and harmful air.five
Woods to Avoid

Salvaged firewood or other scraps can save you lots of money when it comes to heating your house with wood. But you can find sure Wooden products as well as other things that you ought to prevent for health and fitness and protection explanations. Many of such will produce harmful fumes indoors, and chimney emissions that may be an environmental issue.six Some also pose added pitfalls to the stove metals or can produce a hazardous buildup of creosote in your chimney.

For your protection it is best to constantly stay away from burning:

Painted or varnished wood, trim, or other Wooden by-items
Pressure-addressed lumber
Driftwood
Engineered sheet items, like plywood, particleboard, and MDF
Hardboard or other compressed paper products6

If you put up with allergic reactions, some woods, Particularly aromatic cedar, also needs to be employed with warning.
Wood Burning Basic safety Suggestions

Use treatment and customary sense On the subject of feeding your wood stove. Whilst you do will need some paper to start out your stove, only use plenty of to have the hearth likely. Too much use of starter paper will just insert towards the creosote buildup.5

Burning Dry Firewood Will save Money and Improves Air Excellent. Point out of Vermont Agency of Normal Means, 2021.

Safety, needless to check here say, is A serious issue when functioning any Wooden-burning equipment. Usually comply with all advised clearances and guard flooring with a fire-resistant floor pad. Be sure you have an active carbon monoxide alarm in the area and that your house is equipped with Functioning smoke alarms.