When winter nights start to draw in and the curtains are getting closed earlier and earlier you will most likely want to put on your wood burning stove to keep you warm and cosey, but are you burning the correct wood?
Don’t be tempted to go on a Sunday walk and think about collecting wood from the local wooded area. Not only will this wood be unseasoned, meaning its moisture content is above 20% it is also a fire risk to your home. Burning wood which is over 20% moisture will be hard to light, burn in-efficiently, cover your stove in black sut and release large quantities of pollutants into the atmosphere.
Here at Firewood Farm, we offer the perfect solution. We stock plenty of choice of Kiln Dried hard wood logs. When choosing which type of logs the first step is to always try and find hardwood such as Oak or Birch this is because compared to the like of pine, a softwood, it has more energy. This allows for more heat and a longer burn.
So which hard would we recommend? We have created a short list below to help you with this decision.
Kiln Dried Birch
Birch is a good versatile wood. It offers great heat and can be used in a mix of scenarios, whether that be on a open fire, pizza oven and of course the wood burning stove. The downside of Birch is the speed in which is burns as it does burn relatively quickly. This could be a good option to mix with slower burning woods such as oak.
Kiln Dried Beech
Beech does have a high-water content meaning it is important that is has been dried out for a long enough period but once completed it is a perfect wood to burn on it owns. Although it may not be as good as the likes of Ash, Oak and Birch it does have a good burn time and provides the heat required to run in a wood burning stove.
Kiln Dried Ash
Ash is considered to be one of the best firewood’s out there. It starts life with a low water content (around 50%) and can be split very easily. It produces a steady flame and good heat, this does not have to be complimented with other types of firewood, can be alone in your wood burning stove.
Kiln Dried Oak
Oak is a well known wood type, due to several reason, one of them been the use of this type in furniture. Oak is best used with a mix of firewood, use with the likes of Birch which is a fast, heat intensive wood type. Oak will produce lower heat in comparison but is very dense meaning it has a long burn time. Oak is a good wood if you are looking for a heat source to use overnight.
Kiln Dried Cherry
Cherry is a slow burning wood and provides a nice aroma when burning. Good heat output in an open fire and in a wood burning stove. The bark can also be used as a perfect natural firelighter.
So what is best for me?
This all depends on your need, budget, and storage space. If you are looking for reliable burn and powerful heat, then oak or birch is the best option but do come with a price as these are the Ferrari of the kiln dried log world.
Looking for something more economical, then looking at the likes of beech could be a good choice. There are some economical alternatives which could be an option, and these are the heat logs or coffee logs. Check Firewood Farm for more information on these economical alternatives.
