Firewood is a common term used for any wooden material that is used as fuel. Firewood is a renewable energy source.

Generally, firewood is not a highly processed form of wood and is a somewhat recognizable log or branch form as compared to other types of wood fuels like chips or pellets. Firewood can be dry/seasoned or fresh/wet/unseasoned. These two types are generally known as hardwood and softwoods. Despite the fact that it is a renewable source, the demand can outpace its ability to regenerate on regional and local levels. Moreover, harvesting and collection of firewood vary by culture and region. There are some parts of the world that harvest these woods and collect them on a massive level.

Everything you need to know about firewood

Buying and using firewood is a popular and interesting topic and for good reason. It is really hard to find facts about the hearth wood and thus it is difficult for a novice person to know about it. Therefore we are here to share some words on these winter essentials to keep your home cosy and comfortable. Some of the most common questions in people’s minds are about the cord of wood, the cot and how much to stack for a season. The list of questions does end here; there is still a lot to mention. Although we cannot help you find the answer to the entire question we hope this article can clear the dense fog of confusion about firewood.

Hardwood is a smart choice

When you head to shop online, firewood prices vary based on if they are hard or softwoods. If you are planning on stacking wood for the entire season, important is to pay attention and pick the right type. And by right we mean nothing else than hardwood. Contrary to softwood the hardwood offers long lingering fires with lots of coals. Here you can consider options like hickory, black maple, locust or oak firewood. If you want to enjoy some simple and small files while cuddling in your living room you can go for softer hardwoods like poplar, birch firewood, red maple or cottonwood.

Buy seasoned firewood

Make sure you are buying high quality seasoned firewood. Here seasoning is the common term used for drying firewood logs. It is important to ensure that the wood logs are dry before you ignite the first one. Although the surface water evaporates quickly, the moisture remaining inside the wood cause it to ignite taking more time. It also results in inefficient burning, producing little heat, and smoke or smoulder. Here you should know that properly dry wood is lighter in with and has cracks on the ends. Also dry wood is usually grey, deep brown or yellow in colour. And when you bang the log together you can hear a shallow smack instead of a thud. Wood is ready for burning if you find these symptoms.

Split the logs properly

Split wood has more surface area to evaporate water and dry quickly and deeply. This is the reason why split wood burns better than round logs. You can split the wood log into halves or quarters based on the side and shape. As a rule of thumb, if you can hold the log in one hand, it is ready to put on fire. It should be no more than 6 to 8 inches in width. Whereas the ideal size begins from 3 to 6 inches for most of the modern style fireplaces in living rooms. Larger pieces are more suitable for outdoor fire pits or larger wooden furnaces.

Storing firewood

First of all, you should never store firewood inside your home. Because the wood contains ants or termites you will surely not want to introduce them to your clean house. So if you are stocking for a season, keep them in the garage or anywhere in shade outside your home. However, you can keep a few logs near the fireplace. If you don’t have a covered woodshed or storage area, it better is to buy smaller stocks that can last for a day or two. Also while storing makes sure there is proper airflow around the wood. To do so you can keep it off the ground and avoid stacking it directly against the wall.

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