Choosing The Best Wood For Your Fireplace

Not all firewood creates the same results, even if it’s correctly seasoned.  You might want wood that burns efficiently while not giving off extreme heat, wood that gives the most heat per log, or wood that crackles nicely. The secret to choosing the best firewood for your fireplace is in understanding the different wood types and what their qualities are.

Too much wetness in firewood of any kind reduces burning effectiveness. The smoke that comes off of unseasoned/green wood is energy that’s rising the chimney instead of being transformed into heat for your house.  Not only is wood smoke a sign of unproductive fuel, but it’s also unhealthful.

The smoke has little particles that are breathed in and can escape natural defense mechanisms in the body. Also, smoke creates a hazardous situation with your chimney, since too much smoke is the leading cause of the accumulation of creosote which creates chimney fires.

A Crackling Fire
If you like a fire that has lots of crackles, take a look at fir.  It’s softwood that dry out swiftly, splits correctly, and produces fantastic flames.  Best of all, fir fires have a fresh aroma that helps make the perfect holiday ambiance.  Be sure you have a good protective screen or glass doors since the popping and crackling put out more sparks than other firewood types.

A Hot Fire
Trees are either softwoods or hardwoods.  Hardwood has the highest BTU content, meaning it produces a lot of heat.  Hardwoods are dense. A pile of hardwood weighs way more than the same collection of softwood and delivers twice the heat.

Hardwood logs blaze slowly and are best for cooking and producing hot, intense fires.  Though, it’s much harder to get a fire going with hardwood. It’s best to use softwood to get your fire going and then add the hardwood.

Some hardwoods that are excellent for burning since they are easy to burn, offer high heat and create minimal smoke are:

• Ash
• Red oak
• White oak
• Beech
• Birch
• Hickory
• Pecan
• Apple
• Dogwood

Whatever sort of firewood you burn, it’s critical to get your chimney examined yearly. Call a certified tree care professional if you're interested in having some trees cut down for firewood.

---