|
|
Firewood Is Not Created Equal; Shop Around
By
Terri McLean
 LEXINGTON, Ky., (Nov. 29, 2006) – As temperatures dip and
thermostats rise, many homeowners head for the nearest woodpile
to stock up on firewood for the winter heating season. But
unless they know what to look for when buying this popular
source of heating fuel, those homeowners could be left out in
the cold.
“All firewood is not created equal,” warned Doug McLaren,
forestry specialist with the University of Kentucky College of
Agriculture. “There is a difference in the woods you can obtain,
so it’s important to know what you’re getting.”
There are two major considerations when buying firewood –
potential heat content and how well seasoned, or dry, the wood
is, McLaren said.
When considering potential heat content, remember that wood is
made up of air and cellulose (wood fiber). The more air space
that wood has, the less there is to burn. Therefore, McLaren
recommends buying wood with the heaviest/densest per unit
volume.
“The short list of good firewood would be Osage orange, hickory,
black locust, all the oaks, sugar maple and ash,” he said. “All
of those are very good firewoods, first of all, because they
produce a very good fire and, second, because they are easy to
split.”
Yellow-poplar and silver and red maple provide much less heat
per unit volume but are good for starting fires in the
fireplace. Species to avoid include the elms, sycamore and sweet
gum. “Even if they give it to you free don’t bring it home. They
don’t make good fires, and because the fibers are interlaced,
they will not split,” McLaren said.
Most of the tree species that make good firewood are found in
Kentucky. Supplies of such firewood are usually readily
available, he added. However, suppliers sometimes will identify
their firewood simply as “hardwoods” and won’t specify the
species.
 “You simply need to ask,” McLaren said.
The second thing to look for when buying firewood is how much
water is in the wood. Because wood comes from a living plant, it
contains water. And the more water in the wood, the less heat
generated when it burns.
“Wood is 50 percent moisture,” McLaren said. “It needs six
months to a year to dry out enough to burn efficiently.”
It is important to ask a firewood vendor if the wood is
seasoned, but it’s equally important to check the wood for signs
that it is dry: splits in the ends of the wood and a gray
appearance, he said.
Firewood is sold in a variety of measures. The forestry
industry’s standard measurement is a cord – a load of firewood
that measures 4 feet wide by 4 feet high by 8 feet long – but
that’s often too much for the occasional user, as most
homeowners are. Many vendors will instead price their firewood
by the truckload.
“What they usually do is sell it to the top of the truck bed, so
the price of the load is going to be based on the size of the
truck bed,” McLaren said.
McLaren advises people to “shop around” before buying firewood.
“It’s better if they go out and do some comparative shopping,
just like with anything else they buy.” |
Contact: Doug McLaren, 859-257-2703 |
|
The UK College
of Agriculture, through its land-grant mission, reaches across
the commonwealth with teaching, research and extension
to enhance the lives of Kentuckians. |
Questions/Comments,
e-mail the
webmaster
Copyright © 2001-2006 University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture,
Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service |
News Home
Other Headlines This Week
More
News
RSS Now Available
for those
using news aggregation programs
College News
|
