Nothing is better than curling up next to a warm fire on a chilly evening. You may not have thought much about the fire you use. Does which wood you use matter that much? The answer is yes—the wood you pick matters a lot.
Burning the wrong type of firewood can be more than an inconvenience. If you’re lucky, it only leaves you up every few minutes to add more wood to the fire. At worst, it can damage your fireplace, pollute indoor air, and create fire hazards.
The right firewood offers optimal heat output, cleaning, burning, and safety. Kiln-dried firewood guarantees these.
Below, we’ll take a look at the worst firewood choices and why you should avoid them. Plus, we will give you some advice on the best woods to choose from.
But before we get started, if you have any questions or want to place an order for firewood, Lumberjacks is here to help. If you’re in Woodstock, IL, or the surrounding area, give us a call or click the button below to place an order.
Bad Firewood to Burn
Let’s start by talking about the firewood you should never burn.
Green or Unseasoned Wood
Unseasoned, or green, wood is freshly cut wood. Seasoned when talking about firewood means dried, meaning unseasoned wood hasn’t been dried. Depending on the type of wood and how it is stored, it can take up to two years to season.
The problem with this type of wood is it has a high moisture content—sometimes exceeding 50%. Unseasoned wood is more trouble than it’s worth. Being difficult to light is only one of its many downsides. Other issues with unseasoned wood include:
Low Heat Output
Unseasoned wood isn’t a good heat producer. Because of its moisture level, green wood wastes energy on evaporating water.
Excessive Smoke
Burning greenwood creates steam and thick smoke. Smoke doesn’t only detract from the aesthetic value of your fire; it’s also bad for your health. Excess smoke can irritate your eyes and lungs, particularly when you’re burning wood inside your home.
Creosote Build-up
Another big health and safety concern with burning unseasoned wood is the build-up of creosote. Creosote is a sticky residue that builds up in your chimney when you burn wood. It happens when wood doesn’t burn cleanly or completely—a common occurrence with green wood.
Creosote is highly flammable and can catch fire. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) lists creosote build-up as the leading cause of chimney fires. Creosote fires burn hot, reaching temperatures of up to 2,000 °F. That’s hot enough to damage your chimney structure.
Another problem with creosote is it’s toxic. At a minimum, it can cause skin and eye irritation. When exposed to creosote over a long period of time, you’re at risk for respiratory issues and even cancer.
Softwoods
Softwoods are fast-growing trees with low density and high resin content. Common softwoods include pine, spruce, and cedar—if it looks like a Christmas tree, it’s softwood.
While they ignite easily, that’s the end of the pros column. However, they can be used in small amounts for kindling.
Softwoods burn fast, making them a poor choice for long-lasting fires. Nothing ruins the vibe more than leaving your cozy spot to add wood to the fire.
More drawbacks include their low heat value. Softwoods don’t produce the sustained heat that hardwoods do.
Softwoods also produce a lot of creosote (particularly pine and spruce). As we mentioned before, creosote creates health and chimney fire risks.
Lastly, softwoods naturally contain resins. Resin is an issue for a few reasons. One is that it creates quite a bit of smoke when burned. Second, resins can cause popping embers, which can be a fire hazard indoors.
Treated or Painted Wood
Never burn wood that has been treated or painted. Some examples include construction wood and furniture, which are often treated with chemicals to prevent decay.
Burning treated wood releases more than smoke. The combustion process expels harmful toxins into the air. Older wood, particularly, may have been treated with products containing lead and arsenic.
Varnishes, adhesives, and stains produce also produce toxic fumes. These fumes can have serious effects health impacts, and even be deadly.
Besides health concerns, toxic fumes can also cause damage to the lining of your chimney.
Driftwood
While driftwood isn’t common everywhere in the country, it is worth mentioning. It is saturated with salt, releasing sodium and chlorine into the air.
You may think you’re exposed to sodium all the time—it’s in your food, and you jump in the pool with chlorine every summer. But having these compounds in smoke and in the air can be damaging to your health.
Burning driftwood can also damage your fireplace. Salt deposits that come from the wood can damage metal fireplace components.
Rotten or Moldy Wood
Unfortunately, you cannot do much with rotten or moldy wood. Decomposed wood loses density, making it hard to ignite and burn.
Rotten wood also contains contaminants. Mold spores will be released that can irritate your lungs and worsen allergies. No one wants to be breathing in mold.
Low-Density Woods
You want to avoid a few other woods when building a fire. While you generally want to select hardwoods for your fire, a few aren’t great. Low-density hardwoods aren’t ideal for fires.
They don’t burn as efficiently because they don’t burn as long, hot, or clean as dense woods. Common low-density hardwoods include poplar and willow.
Kiln-dried Hardwood is the Best Option for Your Fire
You’ve learned all about what woods not to burn, so let’s get into which wood you should be using. The best option is kiln-dried hardwood.
Why Hardwood?
We’ve talked a lot about how softwood and low-density woods are subpar. So, what’s so great about hardwood? Hardwoods are higher-density woods; they have more tightly packed fibers than softwoods. They burn hotter and longer, so when you use hardwood, you buy less wood and refuel less. The best hardwood options for your fire are:
- Oak
- Hickory
- Maple
- Ash
- Birch
- Cherry
Don’t Use Bad Firewood. Use Kiln-dried Firewood
You now know better than to burn unseasoned wood. But what’s the difference between seasoned and kiln-dried wood? Seasoned firewood dries naturally. The tree is chopped down and left to dry for months or even over a year.
Kiln-dried wood is placed in a kiln to expedite the drying process. Kiln drying reduces the moisture content to under 20%, the ideal moisture level for firewood. Seasoned wood tends to have moisture levels between 20% and 30%.
Low-moisture logs produce more heat, less smoke, and burn longer. As we mentioned above, less efficient burns can cause creosote build-up. Since kiln-dried logs are low-moisture, they burn cleaner, which leads to fewer creosote emissions.
Seasoned firewood is often exposed to insects, mold, and fungus while drying. Kiln-drying wood kills and removes these contaminants, leaving you with a pristine log.
How to Store and Handle Firewood Properly
Simply purchasing kiln-dried hardwood isn’t enough to guarantee a good fire. Proper storage and handling are essential for a good fire. Improperly stored wood can take on moisture, mold, and bugs. Don’t ruin your kiln-dried hardwood. Here is the best way to store your firewood:
- Elevate your firewood using a firewood rack. This keeps wood off the ground, preventing moisture absorption and pest infestations.
- Protect your woodpile with a tarp or cover, but leave the sides open for ventilation.
- Store your firewood in a dry area. Choose a location sheltered from rain and snow.
Why Lumberjacks is the Best Source for Kiln-Dried Firewood
At Lumberjacks, we specialize in hardwood kiln-dried firewood. We strive to provide the cleanest, hottest, and most efficient burn possible. In every Lumberjacks order you can expect a premium hardwood mix. Your mix will be kiln-dried oak, hickory, cherry, and birch, the best hardwoods for your fire.
If you’re unsure what to order, our customer service team is always there to help. You can reach out to us on our website, give us a call, or visit one of our locations. Don’t feel like stopping by? Our Lumberjacks team delivers throughout Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. You can have kiln-dried firewood delivered and stacked in your home often in 1-3 days.
Get High-Quality Firewood Today
Kiln-dried firewood is the clear winner for the best fires. At Lumberjacks, we go the extra mile to provide our customers with only the highest-quality kiln-dried wood.
Ready to upgrade your fire experience? Give us a shout here at Lumberjacks to explore our premium kiln-dried firewood.
