Types of Firewood: What Burns Best?

Choosing the right types of firewood can spell the difference between a roaring, efficient fire and a smoky, frustrating experience. Whether you're heating your home, gathering around an outdoor fire in your garden, or firing up the wood stove, understanding different wood types and their burning characteristics is essential.

The Basics of Firewood Quality

Before diving into specific wood types, it's important to understand what makes good firewood. The key factors are moisture content and density. Properly seasoned, kiln dried logs should have a moisture content below 20%. Fresh-cut wood typically contains 50% or more moisture, so it needs to be dried for at least 6-12 months. Burning wet wood creates more smoke, less heat, and can lead to dangerous creosote buildup in chimneys.

Denser woods generally contain more potential energy and burn longer. They may be harder to ignite but provide sustained heat output, whereas lighter woods ignite easily but burn through quickly.

Hardwoods: The Premium Choice

Hardwoods are generally considered superior firewood due to their density and long burn times. Oak is considered to be the king of firewood, providing exceptional heat output and incredibly long burn times. It's dense, splits well, and creates long-lasting coals. The downside? It takes up to two years to properly season.

Maple wood also makes excellent firewood. Maple burns hot and long, though not quite as long as oak, and it produces good coals and minimal smoke when properly seasoned. Famous for smoking meat, hickory is also premium firewood. It burns hot, long, and creates excellent coals. The dense wood can be challenging to split but rewards the effort with superior performance.

Medium-Density Options

While not as dense as oak or hickory, cherry wood is prized for its pleasant aroma and good burning characteristics. It produces moderate heat and is easier to split than many hardwoods. Known for burning well even when not fully seasoned, ash is another reliable choice. It splits easily, produces good heat, and creates lasting coals.

Softwoods: Quick Heat and Kindling

While often overlooked, softwoods have their place in your woodpile. Pine may burn quickly and produce less heat than hardwoods, but it’s excellent for starting fires and providing quick warmth on mild days. The resin content helps it ignite easily. Cedarwood is aromatic and easy to split, and makes excellent kindling so it’s perfect for starting fires. It also burns hot but quickly.

Quality low moisture logs are the foundation of an exceptional fire with ultimate burn quality. At Heritage Products, we exclusively sell kiln dried logs made from 100% premium hardwood for the most reliable and consistent burn. Quality is paramount for our customers, and naturally, it’s equally crucial for us. Kiln dried logs are the ace in the pack, making the comparison to cheap air-dried logs akin to comparing number cards to an ace.

What are Kiln Dried Logs?

So, what exactly are kiln dried logs? A kiln dried log, as the name suggests, undergoes the drying system in a kiln at high temperatures. In this process, the kiln creates a dry and warm environment that extracts the unwanted moisture from the wood, creating an ideal product for burning.

The lower moisture content is the key here. Consequently, it ensures a drier piece of wood that maximises your wood-burner's heat output. Moisture is the enemy of a fire trying to generate heat, constantly working against the desired temperature. Therefore, lower moisture content allows for efficient and clean burning. 

Additionally, excess moisture, mould, and related issues lead to increased smoke production. You might wonder why this matters with a chimney in place. However, consider the potential cost of a chimney fire. Using kiln dried logs can significantly reduce tar and soot build-up in the chimney, which can pose safety concerns. Still, we recommend that our customers have their chimneys inspected and cleaned by a professional chimney sweep every 6 months.

While kiln dried logs might have a higher cost compared to air-dried alternatives, we firmly believe they represent the superior choice for customers seeking a consistently comforting fire as we approach the winter months. Furthermore, with minimal downsides and a plethora of advantages, we proudly endorse kiln dried logs as a product. So, prepare your logs and kindling to keep your home toasty this winter! 

How are logs kiln dried?

Kiln-dried logs are made by splitting the logs and placing them in a kiln where they’re exposed to hot air to slowly draw out the moisture. The temperature, humidity and airflow in the kiln is carefully monitored to control the drying process and ensure the logs dry out evenly. The wood is usually exposed to temperatures between 70 to 80^oC, with fans used to circulate the air.

How long do kiln dried logs burn for?

The key advantage of kiln dried logs is that they burn for much longer. If you’re using kiln dried firewood on an open fire, the burn time will be quicker because you have less control over the airflow. But on a wood burning stove, you’ll enjoy a much slower burn and greater efficiency. To produce 4kW of heat over a five-hour period, you’ll need around 16 logs for an open fire and around five for a modern wood burning stove. 

A Guide to Making the Perfect Fire

To ensure you have the best fire possible in your wood-burner this winter, we have some top tips for your fire-making process. Lighting a fire isn't difficult, and maintaining it isn't either, but there are many small things that can make your fires efficient that may be overlooked.

Fire Starting Top Tips

For Wood-Burning Stoves:

1. Preparation: Before lighting your wood burning stove, start by cleaning out any ash and ashpan residue. Ensure the vents for the flue are open to allow proper air circulation, and open the stove door to provide adequate ventilation.
2. Kindling and Newspaper: To kickstart the fire, roll up newspaper and place it at the back of the stove on top of the fire grates. This newspaper will ignite quickly, producing intense heat and promoting upward airflow.
3. Kindling and Fire Lighters: Add a generous amount of kindling on top of the newspaper, creating a small, stable structure. Position a couple of our wax fire lighters within the kindling pile, as these will help ignite the wood more effectively.
4. Closing the Door: Once the kindling is burning well and the flames are strong, carefully close the stove door. This step allows the fire to develop and establish a robust burn.
5. Adding Kiln Dried Logs: Finally, introduce a few of our kiln dried logs to the fire. These logs are specially designed to ignite easily and burn efficiently due to their low moisture content. Their clean, hot burn will contribute to a well-sized, well-heated fire that graces your living room with warmth and comfort. Avoid overloading the stove with too many logs, as this can stifle heat production during the initial stages of burning.

For Open Fires:

1. Solid Foundations: Creating a solid base is key to mastering an open fire. Begin by using newspaper or a fire lighter as the foundation. Place this base at the centre of your fireplace.
2. Kindling and Fire Lighters: Layer kindling on top of the newspaper or fire lighter, creating a tee-pee shape to allow proper oxygen circulation. Position a fire lighter or two within the kindling structure.
3. Introducing Kiln Dried Logs: Once your kindling is well-lit and producing heat, it's time to add a couple of smaller kiln dried logs. These logs will ensure efficient airflow and a hot, consistent burn.
4. Avoid Overloading: While it's essential to keep your fire well-fuelled, avoid the temptation to overload it with logs. Maintaining a fire with three or four logs burning at once provides sufficient fuel for a robust, hot fire with maximum heat output.

The best firewood choice depends on your specific needs. For overnight heating, choose dense hardwoods like oak or hickory. For quick warmth or kindling, softwoods like pine or cedar work well. A mix of different woods allows you to optimise your fire for any situation.