Do you enjoy sitting by the fire on cold crispy winter days? Well, today I am going to be going over the best firewood so you can enjoy a warm fire on the cold days of winter! Although you can throw any type of wood on the fire, different tree species burn differently; some smoke more because of sap, some are more fire resistant and some provide long raging fires, and some burn so quickly, there is no time to rest by the fire before you have to put another log on.
The best wood will provide a long-lasting, raging fire that gives off lots of heat and burns clean (meaning not a lot of smoke). The best species of trees to burn are usually hardwoods including ash, hickory, maple, beech, birch, and Red Oak. These trees are all high quality trees to burn. Amazingly an ash tree can burn while still green and birch bark can help you start a fire in the rain!!!
Why do hardwood trees burn better than softwood trees? Naturally hardwood trees have less moisture and sap. They also have higher levels of density which makes it burn longer and hotter, while softwood trees hold more moisture and sap and aren’t as dense as they have bigger pores.
You could throw freshly cut wood, also known as green wood, on a fire, but it is best to stay away from this. Freshly cut wood is not recommended to put on a fire because it holds more moisture and has no time to dry out. You should give the wood time to dry evenly to ensure a long-lasting, successful fire. Oh, and here’s a pro-tip; never throw wood that has poison ivy vines wrapped around it on the fire or you will suffer poison ivy polluted air.
You may also burn different species of wood together to make your perfect fire. The best thing to do is combine the word that burns the hottest and the wood that burns the longest, but never burn wet and dry wood at the same time as it will ruin the fire and make it smoke.
After a long day‘s work in the cold winter, everyone, especially arborists, enjoy a warm, raging fire to come home to!
