It’s that time of year again! The birds are heading south, and the hearth fires are ablaze. Having a campfire out under the stars on a chilly night is one thing. Trying to heat your home with a wood stove or fireplace is quite another.
Have you ever been around a fire when the wood starts snapping and crackling, followed by little bits of burning embers flying all over the place? That was likely horse chestnut. While ALL wood burn, it doesn’t all burn the same way. This is why it’s best to get to know your wood.
让我们开始吧。
Wood You Shouldn’t Burn Indoors
The smell of pine and cedar wood burning is incredible — at least I think so. While it may burn well, it should never be an option you choose for burning in an indoor fireplace or wood-burning stove.
Softwood and resinous wood should be avoided. For one, softwood doesn’t burn very well, but more importantly, resinous wood contains oil and resin that can gum up your chimney pipes. Pine, for example, has a deliciously scented sap and it’s excellent for starting a fire. However, that resin will ultimately burn hot, and it’s not worth risking anyone’s safety inside. Pine pitch is prized by survivalists and preppers because it’s so useful for fires.
- Pine
- Birch
- Cedar
- Aspen
- Eucalyptus
One more thing about softwood (before I move on) is that it burns relatively quickly, leaves little to no coals, and creates a lot of smoke (leading to soot). In the long run, softwood is not worth it. Tossing a few pieces of softwood into the fireplace or wood stove is okay, but I’d try not to make it a habit.
The Best Firewood for Warmth
Now we’re getting to the good stuff. If you plan on heating your home with wood, you might want to be sure you’ve got one or two of the following varieties tostack in your woodpile.
Ash
Ash produces a steady flame with a really lovely heat output. It is one of the wood varieties that can be burned while it is still green (if you must). Otherwise, it’s best that it gets stacked and allowed around six months to season before use.
Beech
Beech burns best when it’s fully dry, much like many other wood varieties. It produces a steady flame with a good output of heat.
Hawthorn
Hawthorn is incredible for those long, cold winter nights. This wood variety burns hot and slow.
Honey Locust
蜜槐树上布满了荆棘,但如果你能越过它们的第一道防线,你就有了很好的柴火。It’s dense and burns long and hot.
Rowan
Similar to hawthorn, it provides a long-lasting burn with good heat output. This variety of wood burns slow, making another excellent choice for nighttime.
Yew
This wood has an incredibly slow burn time with a super-high heat output. It’s excellent for large homes or very cold weather.
The Next Best Thing
Don’t get me wrong, there is a wide variety of wood that can be burned to keep your home, shed, or space warm. Much like anything, some things are better suited than others.
Oak
Red and white oak are heavy hardwood trees. They produce small flames and burn relatively slowly. After a couple of years left to properly season, oak is at its best.
Pear and Plum
说到柴火,全世界的人都有不同的看法。虽然有些人觉得梨和梅子木会产生大量的热量,但其他人觉得“还好”。不管怎样,风干的梨和梅子木提供了相当多的热量。
Maple
我宁愿敲打一棵枫树来获取甜美的糖浆,也不愿把它砍成灰烬。然而,自然有时会走自己的路,我们最终会看到倒下的树木。枫木能产生良好的火焰,稳定的热量,燃烧得相当好。
Lilac
It may be more of a shrub than a tree, but lilac still has some bits of wood. I’d rather see it living and in full bloom, but things happen. That being said, the dead twigs and branches of lilac make incredible kindling and tinder. The seasoned wood burns reasonably well, so it’s an option.
Hazelwood
Hazelwood burns fast and hot. It isn’t something you’d want to burn overnight; otherwise, you’d be up often to add more wood. Hazelwood is an excellent choice to get the stove roaring for the long cold nights. Let some coals build up and toss in a chunk of slow-burning wood.
Cherry
Cherry wood smells fantastic. It has a decent output of heat with a slow, steady burn.
Hardwoods Or Softwoods?
Again, there are many types of wood that are an excellent source of heat and cook wood. I could quickly end up with a book, so I chopped the list to some of my favorites.
The high density of plant cells found in hardwoods is the reason these types of wood burn so hot. It’s also why they tend to create less smoke than softwood species. Hardwoods also burn a bit longer than softwood as well. Hardwoods such as: Oak, almond, ash, apple, cherry, birch, dogwood, and maple produce less smoke than other varieties. Aspen, elm, basswood, and elm are hardwood varieties that generate more smoke.
Firewood Smokiness
我提到吸烟是因为如果你在室内燃烧木头你应该知道会发生什么。不管你用的是壁炉还是柴炉,烧出来的木头都是一样的。打开木制火炉的门看到一团烟雾可能会让你大吃一惊。调整烟道会有帮助,但当有多余的烟往往逗留在烤箱。
If you don’t know how to identify trees and use a wood stove or heat source, investing in a pocket guide may be a good idea. Remember, all wood burns; it just doesn’t burn the same. In a survival situation, I’d say burn it if it burns, but it’s crucial to pay attention to the fire and the amount of soot that collects. If you only have resinous wood, your pipes will need some extra TLC to keep the pipes and building from catching on fire. Remember, there are several ways to sourcefree firewood. There are many people that will let you have the wood for free if you cut it and haul it yourself.
快乐平安燃烧!
I hope you and your loved ones have a safe, healthy, and happy winter season. And if you use wood to heat, have a beautiful stack by your side. Being able to harvest wood from your property can save you money, and you’ll want to make sure you replant what’s been taken in order to be ready for the many winters to come.
Please learn what you can about the type of wood you’re burning. The resin produced from some can lead to a fire in your pipes. If you purchase your wood from someone else, don’t be shy. Ask them questions about the wood so you have the inside scoop. Beware of scammers, I’ve seen some shady businesses where people toss in whatever wood they have around and that doesn’t always end well. Stay safe and warm out there y’all!
Cynthia Henrysays
Sorry, but I can’t agree with your “never burn soft wood” statement. Of course hard wood is better, but all we have here in the inter-mountain west of Idaho is soft wood, and we burn a lot of it to heat our homes through sub-zero winter temps. We burn about 10 cords per year of mostly lodgepole pine, white fir, and douglas fir that comes from cleaning up our property. Other resident get their firewood from Forest service land. I think it is not a problem with creosote build up, etc. because we have a hot fire burning for so many of the hours of the day. I think I’ll go put some more wood in the stove.
Elaina Garciasays
Hello @Cynthia Henry! Well, I have to say you’re right about what you say. More than anything I meant that if hardwood is available there’s no need to burn softwood. There are some soft resinous woods that can cause a build up in stove pipes if the fire isn’t hot enough or burned often. Thank you for sharing your experience of life in the inter-mountain west of Idaho.
那是我旅行中从没去过的地方。归根结底,所有的木材都是可以燃烧和使用的。当有更好的选择时,选择它们;当没有更好的选择时,选择你应得的最好的。
BCsays
Exactly!
Millions of people heat solely with softwood around the world. Keep your chimney clean and the fire hot and all is well.
The author talking about softwoods being a risk to safety is simply baseless fear mongering.