Log fires and stoves – do we have to use hardwoods?
Hardwoods are the traditional choice for log-burning stoves and fires but increasingly people are seeing the advantages of burning softwoods. Softwoods have a lot going for them in that they are:
- more readily available
- cheaper, though being more bulky you have to compare carefully the transport costs.
- they take much less time to season (dry out), typically 6 months rather than the two years needed for hardwoods
Whilst softwoods are lighter, their calorific value (how much heat they give off) is generally the same as that of hardwoods on a weight for weight basis. All current log-fuel burning equipment works well with either hardwood or softwood logs, or a mixture.
This is good news for many owners of small woodlands because very often for management reasons you will want to take out softwoods planted in the 1960s and 1970s or simply thin them out. It is often hard to find a good market for such timber (especially lodgepole pine and spruce) so being able to use it for firewood can be a great help. Prices of all firewood have been rising over the last couple of years and, because it is a retails market, it is less susceptible to swings in prices. Of course if you are using firewood form your own woodland you are immune to changes in market prices.
Demand for firewood is currently growing rapidly, illustrated by the fact that domestic demand for wood-burning stoves in 2009 is said to be 50% above the level of 2008.
In terms of drying out, the moisture content of log fuel should be 20% or less. If you burn wetter material there are various risks – it can corrode equipment and the chimney and lead to reduced heat output . If you have a stove it may be worth getting a meter for checking how dry your logs are. There is a selection of these meters available on Amazon which range in cost from £25 to £65. One UK source of moisture meters is stovesonline.co.uk where meters cost about £32:
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4 comments so far
Paul Hopes
11 February, 2010
Just thought i would mention poplar here. in France (where i live) poplar is frowned upon generally and not
regarded as worth bothering with. I decided to give it a whirl in my wood-burner (Jotul) and found it to be a
really excellent burning wood. I guess its reputation probably comes from open fire use, where one has little control over the rate of burn. Poplar is a lovely species, and it does provide a good crop very quickly, so it is
a tree worth thinking about if you have the space, and especially if you need some added wind shelter too.
Steve A
2 March, 2010
My wood is mainly Poplar. I have 2 wood burners at home and was dissapointed to hear that poplar would be a poor wood to use on it.
Having read Paul’s comments I may just fell one of the trees this weekend and leave it to season.
Does anyone know how long polar should be seasoned for?
john
23 November, 2010
The following relates only to use of logs in wood burning stoves; softwoods (pine etc), poplar/willow will burn if seasoned with good airflow but under cover for one year. It is best to at least cut/split into billets if you don’t have time/equipment to do the full log size & split that you will need for your stove opening. If left as round logs with bark on, the seasoning time will need to be extended by around 6+ months. Poplar/willow need plenty of airflow thru stove as otherwise they tend to just smoulder and smoke up the glass; pine doesn’t need so much air flow once alight, but on opening stove door beware of sparks flying as it re-ignites. If you can get it, always go for hardwoods. No matter what you burn on a wood burning stove, you will still be at risk of tarring toward the top of the flue if no rain-guard is fitted. It’s less of a long term problem if you have a steel liner, but with any other form of flue – beware tar if no rain-guard. My experience comes from being a small-woodland contractor and have been burning logs on wood burners for over 35 years.
Frank Moore
3 January, 2012
Like some of the other comments I endorse the use of seasoned POPLAR in wood burners having culled 14 mature poplars and enjoyed free and very hot fuel for 4 years.