How to Select Firewood
All trees are not created equal when it comes to the amount of heat they can produce when converted to firewood. In general, the harder the wood is the better it will perform in the woodstove or fireplace. Soft woods like pine start easily but burn fast. The three variables in whether you are selecting good firewood or not are the variety of trees, how long the wood has dried out, and the size of the individual log.
Your firewood supplier should be able to tell you the varieties of trees he cut down to produce firewood. Chances are he will tell you they are mixed hardwoods. This is fine, even though some trees classified as hardwoods are much softer than others. In fact, American elms are so soft and burn so poorly that most people don’t even want to mess with them.
Ash is a very good wood for burning, as are hickory, wild cherry, oak, and maple. If you are cutting your own wood, take along a field guide. It won’t be long until you can pick out those good firewood trees with confidence.
If you are new to burning wood, you probably don’t know how to tell the difference between green wood and seasoned wood. After you’ve burned wood a while, though, you’ll know the difference because green wood is much heavier and harder to get burning. Seasoned wood has been allowed to dry out for 6 months to a year or even longer.
When you buy wood from a firewood supplier, you will probably receive green wood. The best way to have good firewood in this case is to buy your wood early in the spring, stack it, cover it with a tarp, and let it season until the weather turns cold in the fall. Some firewood suppliers stack the wood on their own property and keep it there until it sells. In this case it is allowed to season. Chances are seasoned wood will be more expensive.
If you are trying to select a seasoned log or stick from the wood pile, here is what to look for. The ends of seasoned wood are darker in color than those of green or wet wood. Also, it is normal for cracks to form in the end of the stick, and the bark may be falling off as well. Seasoned wood, as already stated, is lighter in weight when you pick it up. Seasoned firewood also makes a different sound when it strikes another stick. The drier wood makes a sharper sound while the wetter wood makes a duller thud.
Finally, when selecting good firewood, consider the size of the individual stick of wood. If you want a log that will burn for a long time, slowly giving off a lot of warmth, look for a stick that is larger in diameter. If you need to get a fire going in a hurry, thinner sticks will suffice.
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