Last Updated on January 18, 2023 by Forest Master
Choosing the best type of wood for your firewood needs can be a daunting task, but by educating yourself on what is available, you can make an informed decision. As we approach winter and the colder months, using the right wood will save you time, money and keep your home warmer for longer.
Types of Wood
Understanding the difference between hard and soft wood is essential to creating the perfect firewood.
Hardwood
– this type of wood is sourced from deciduous trees. They are great for use as firewood due to their density enabling them to burn for long periods of time. It also has a high BTU and can be easily found in most places. Hardwoods include oak, maple, ash, walnut, hickory, pecan, and beech. Although hardwoods are great as long-lasting fuel, they struggle to light straight from cold so the use of kindling is essential.
Softwood
– this type of wood is not as popular as hardwoods and is sourced from evergreen trees such as pine, fir and spruce. Despite their inability to deliver a long-lasting heat source, they are perfect to use as kindling to help the hardwood ignite.
Using both hardwood and softwood in your fire is the ultimate way to a powerful heat source.
Fuel Value & Energy Efficiency
Fuel value is a measure of how much heat a unit of fuel will produce when burned. The higher the fuel value, the more heat is produced for the amount of energy used to ignite or burn it.
A cord of wood has an average fuel value between 20,000-25,000 BTUs per cord. It also varies depending on what type of wood you are using and how dry it is.
Seasoning
Ensuring your firewood is optimally seasoned is essential for complete combustion. If there is too much moisture in your logs, they will not burn correctly and can produce thick, black smoke. A great way of knowing if your logs are fully seasoned is by using a moisture meter. Logs must have a moisture content below 25% to be dry enough to burn.
Ultimate Wood Burning Guide
This guide will help you to understand what wood is best to use for your fire. Lower-rated woods can still provide good fuel if mixed with higher-performing woods.
Do you make a kindling attachment or small kindling machine,which are made by private people for their own use,lots of people who are now buying log burning stoves because of high energy prices have asked me where to purchase one unfortunately I have been unable to help?we are all looking for one or even an attachment for the logsplitter that would split palletwood like putting 9inch wood through a chip type of box like seen on you-tube!!!WE are all waiting and watching for the first company in England to bring a one out,I believe their is a company in Germany (Sheppell)that does this type of attachment???
Hi Joe, we actually do have a few options for creating kindling with the machines we have available on our website. You can check out a full list of them on our dedicated blog post: https://forest-master.com/2020/10/02/split-wood-kindling-with-log-splitter/
We are currently looking into other potential designs but we can’t release much information at this time.