Source: Laurie Taylor Thomas, University of Kentucky extension forester at Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment 

Fires in the fireplace or outside in the fire pit are intrinsically connected to our visions of nestling in for a long, comfy winter. Outside, let the winter bring its ice and snow if it wants. Inside, we could have a fire to snuggle up to. But not all firewood is created equal.  

There are some important things to know before lighting, igniting just any old wood. 

• Different species of trees provide different amounts of heat. Wood is made up of air and wood fiber, or cellulose. Since the cellulose burns, but not the air, look for the heaviest or densest firewood per unit volume. The best woods would be oak, hickory and black locust. Yellow-poplar, silver and red maple are not as dense and will provide much less heat. On the other hand, they are great woods for starting a fire. 

• Freshly cut wood contains a lot of water. Seasoned wood refers to wood that has been given the time for some or all of that water to evaporate. It usually takes between six and 12 months for wood to cure. If you burn it too soon, when it’s still green, most of the heat generated will go into evaporating that water, rather than heating your room. 

• Burning unseasoned wood can also be dangerous. Generated smoldering fire can cause a creosote buildup in your chimney. Burning pine logs, with their heavy resin, can result in the same problem. Over time, that buildup can lead to a chimney fire. 

• If you’re seasoning your own wood, cut it first to a length that fits your fireplace, remove the bark, and split the logs for faster drying. Stack it off the ground in an open area with good airflow. Pallets make a good base for this. Air dry it for a minimum of six months. 

• If you are buying your wood from a vendor, ask what tree species the wood comes from and how long it has been seasoned. Wood that has been properly seasoned has a gray, weathered appearance and large cracks in the ends of the logs. Even if you’ve bought seasoned wood, storing it correctly—stacked off the ground and covered with a tarp to protect it from rain—will prevent the wood from reabsorbing water. 

• Be aware, too, of unwanted visitors that can hitch a ride on your firewood. Buy firewood near the location where you plan to burn it. Moving infected firewood long distances (especially ash) can spread invasive species, such as the emerald ash borer, a destructive species that originated in Asia. You likely won’t see the adult borers, which are three-eighths to one-half-inch long and very narrow. But larva and eggs could be out of sight inside the logs. 

However you plan to enjoy utilizing firewood this season, stay safe and enjoy their embers. 

Contact your local (COUNTY NAME) Extension office for more resources, tips and information.  

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The University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment news and communications team provides monthly Extension Exclusives in the categories of Horticulture, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 4-H and Family & Consumer Sciences. To see more exclusives, visit https://exclusives.ca.uky.edu.  

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