All About Tree Services

Firewood is still commonly used in many parts of the world, including many rural parts of the western world. Although, there is a lot of controversy surrounding burning fossil fuels and reducing humanity’s carbon footprint, some wood burning advocates believe that firewood is carbon-neutral and thus, won’t negatively impact the carbon footprint released during burning. Some states in the world however, have begun banning the practice of wood burning and some, like the city of Montreal, Quebec, have banned the installation of wood burning fireplaces in new construction.

Although it is still possible to acquire firewood for yourself in cities like Toronto, some advise that, unless you live in a city and away from any woodlots, it is better to cut, stack, and store your own. This allows you to judge for yourself how much wood you need for your own personal use and allows you to save money instead of having to buy wood of your own.

Here are some tips for how to burn wood fuel efficiently:

Cutting – when cutting firewood, try to search for older and decaying parts of wood, these have less moisture and tend to burn more efficiently than, newer and greener wood varieties, thus requiring you to burn less wood. Cut up wooden logs in equal shapes and measurements to expose as much of the inside as possible to the elements to help them age and dry more rapidly.

Cutting your own firewood is more time consuming but, will be less expensive overall than buying from commercial woodsellers.

Stacking and Drying - once, appropriately cut, stack your firewood in single rows exposed to the elements, particularly sun and wind, which help to remove moisture. Take note that different wood varieties have different moisture contents and will tend to vary their ageing time respectively. For instance, oak being a denser wood will take longer than the summer months to age properly. A good rule of thumb is to stack and age your wood a year in advance before using it.

Note: that if you are living in northern climes, it would be best to stack your wood outside in the dry summer months and inside during the damper seasons of the year. You’ll recognize your wood is sufficiently dried when the inside is yellow or gray and tends to sound hollow when struck together, while wet wood feels damp to the touch on the inside, has a creamier color, and gives a loud thunk when struck together.

Fuel Efficient Certified Stove – A good stove will not only last you longer and burn fuel more efficiently, but, will be safer both for the environment and yourself when you use it. Always look for EPA or Environment Canada certified wood stoves, which have a low release in relative carbon particle emissions. This will help save time, resources, cause less pollution, and pose lesser health risks overall.