{"id":41529,"date":"2024-11-14T12:06:37","date_gmt":"2024-11-14T11:06:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/0e8d0949-50b8-42e9-bce6-a544ce0f3d8e"},"modified":"2024-11-14T13:26:43","modified_gmt":"2024-11-14T12:26:43","slug":"wood-fire-guide-how-to-burn-firewood-how-to-light-a-fire-and-best-wood-to-burn","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/wood-fire-guide-how-to-burn-firewood-how-to-light-a-fire-and-best-wood-to-burn\/","title":{"rendered":"Wood fire guide: how to burn firewood, how to light a fire and best wood to burn"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the nights draw in, there\u2019s nothing cosier than a crackling log fire or warming wood burner. Here’s our expert guide on how to burn firewood, the best firewood to burn for the perfect blaze and tips on how to light a fire <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 14 November 2024 at 11:06 AM<\/p>

\n\n

As each winter approaches, rising energy prices seem to hit the headlines. So it’s not surprising that some turn to firewood as an occasional heating source. But with recent data<\/a> (updated in February 2024) finding domestic coal and wood burning to be one of the biggest sources of small particulate air pollution in the UK (PM2.5), it’s more important than ever to ensure you’re burning the right kind of wood. Our expert guide gives you the low-down on what constitutes the ‘right’ type of wood \u2013 whether you buy or collect it \u2013 as well as the best way to store and season wood.<\/a><\/p>

Naturally, this is the time of year when we become a little competitive with our fire-lighting skills, with everyone having their own methods \u2013 whether that’s holding a newspaper across the hearth to force the pull from the chimney, or building a traditional pyramid in the grate. If your skills are a little rusty, see below for how to light the perfect fire<\/a> \u2013 and settle that argument once and for all.<\/p>

Around 1.5 million UK households burn wood. Credit: ArtistGNDphotography\/Getty <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
What fuel can I burn at home?<\/h2>
\u2022 By law, all firewood should contain less than 20% of moisture, which generates smoke. This is no bad thing: properly seasoned wood burns hotter and cleaner. If buying in, look for Woodsure\u2019s<\/a> Ready to Burn logo:<\/p>
$\"\"$ <\/figure>
If seasoning your own wood, use a moisture meter<\/a>.<\/p>
\u2022 Buy sustainably sourced firewood from woodlands where new trees constantly replace harvested ones. Look for FSC certification or Confor\u2019s \u2018Grown in Britain\u2019 labels.<\/p>
\u2022 To keep particulate pollution levels down, burn smaller logs \u2013 large ones can end up smouldering at lower temperatures, releasing more harmful molecules. Start your fire with kindling, then add pieces of wood around 5\u20138cm wide. When these are burning well, add medium-sized logs (roughly 8\u201312cm).<\/p>
\u2022 See Defra\u2019s advice on responsible burning<\/a> for more information on safely burning fuel.<\/p>

$\"\"$
Credit: Vitelle\/Getty <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
How to burn wood safely and sustainably<\/h2>
The Stove<\/h3>
\u2022 First, consider whether burning wood is appropriate for your home. The Centre for Alternative Technology offers more information<\/a> on this.<\/p>
\u2022 Make sure your home is as energy efficient as possible. This will allow you to choose a smaller burner, using less fuel.<\/p>
\u2022 Choose accredited wood stoves or pellet boilers \u2013 look for the HETAS Ecodesign Compliant label:<\/p>
$\"\"$ <\/figure>
\u2022 Batch boilers (which burn a batch of wood and release heat slowly) and pellet boilers are most efficient. Pellet boilers convert about 90% of energy into useful heat. Wood stoves absorb heat, then radiate it into your room. By contrast, most heat from open fires disappears up the chimney, and almost all stoves with back boilers don\u2019t meet smoke-control standards.<\/p>
\u2022 Burn hot: use the vents on your stove to keep air flowing in, and the fire hot. Don\u2019t close them to smoulder wood at a low temperature (also known as \u2018slumbering\u2019 \u2013 keeping a stove smouldering overnight), which produces extra smoke and particulate pollutants.<\/p>
\u2022 Use a stovepipe thermometer to check you are burning your wood at the correct temperature.<\/p>
\u2022 Keep your stovepipe clean.<\/p>
What is the best way to light a fire?<\/h2>
There is nothing quite as satisfying as being the one who gets the log fire blazing first time. Here is a step-by-step how to create the perfect log fire in five simple steps.<\/p>

$\"\"$
Credit: Hans Huber\/Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
**1. Get an ample supply of fully-seasoned firewood logs<\/strong><\/p>**
Pick a range of different sized logs (up to 8-12cm wide), with a moisture content of less than 20%. Fill the wood basket in daylight to save going out to the woodshed after dark and remember that an open fire will burn around five times more than a wood-burning stove.<\/p>
**2. Good kindling is essential<\/strong><\/p>**
**Keep a small basket of dry sticks split to 1-2 cm diameter. These can be supplemented by fallen sticks and branch wood gathered during country walks \u2013** **beech<\/a> sticks are best. Pine cones and dried orange peel are also really good kindling.<\/p>**
**3. Don’t clear the grate completely <\/strong><\/p>**
Leave a blanket of ash 3\u20135 cm deep and make a slight saucer-sized depression in the middle where the kindling will go. The ash is brilliant at holding the very first embers and will help the fire to get going more quickly \u2013 it will also protect the inside of the wood stove, prolonging its life.<\/p>
**4. Create an enclosure for the fire<\/strong><\/p>**
Place a large log to the back of the fire and a smaller log to the left and right of the fire. You now have a log lined enclosure to light the fire, with an ash base. Place the material you will first light, rolled up paper, shreds of cardboard or a tiny piece of firelighter, in this space and arrange several sticks of kindling on top. Have a couple of small split logs, say 5-10cm diameter, ready to place on top of the kindling once you are sure it has lit. With a wood stove, have all the air vents open at this stage, and maybe the door just slightly open.<\/p>
**5. Warm the chimney<\/strong><\/p>**
The trick is to get the fire burning really well for 30 \u2013 45 minutes to warm the chimney. Get the stove up to working temperature \u2013 about 200\u00b0C if you have a stove thermometer. Then partly close the stove air vents, so that you have beautiful rolling flames above the fire. Feed your fire one or two fresh logs when the burning logs are half embers. Keeping the fire \u2018low\u2019, that is burning just enough wood to keep the stove running efficiently, is an art, but worth learning as it is the secret to an easy life of perfect fires.<\/p>
$\"\"$
Logs should have a moisture content of around 20% before they are burnt. Credit: Jordan Siemens\/Getty <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>

What is the impact of wood-burning on the environment?<\/h2> <\/div> <\/div>
Recent data<\/a> (updated in February 2024) has shown that domestic combustion (which covers households burning a variety of fuels including wood, coal, solid smokeless fuels, and fuels derived from waste such as coffee logs) was a major source of small particulate air pollution in the UK (PM2.5 and PM10). Most emissions from this source came from households burning wood in stoves and open fires.<\/p>
Regulations<\/a> were introduced in May 2021 banning the sale of wet wood (that which has more than 20% moisture content), bagged traditional house coal and wet wood in units under 2m3, and solid fuel with high sulphur content.<\/p>
These restrictions were part of the Conservative government’s Clean Air Strategy<\/a> of January 2019, a series of measures to improve the air quality within the UK.<\/p>
How is firewood processed?<\/h2>
There are two ways of processing fresh timber \u2013 or \u2018wet wood\u2019 \u2013 into firewood that is dry enough to burn with minimal air pollution. You can season it in a well-ventilated stack for two years (or till the moisture content drops to 20%). Or you can speed up the process by kiln-drying. Here, logs are cut into firewood by machines and loaded into \u2018kilns\u2019 \u2013 modified skips with perforated floors. Hot air, created by a 950kw woodchip boiler working 24\/7, is blown into the bottom of the skips and rises through the perforated floors to dry the wood.<\/p>
Which is the best type of wood to burn?<\/h2>

$\"\"$
Vincent lighting his fire. Credit: Vincent Thurkettle <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
Kilo for kilo, all firewood types have a similar heat value, but when it comes to scent, crackle and flame, there is a lot to learn. We asked Vincent Thurkettle<\/a> for his top tips.<\/p>
**1. Beech<\/strong><\/p>**
**‘A dense wood which takes 1 year to season. Bright yellow flames, good embers, long hot burn, rarely throws sparks. Gentle smoke with scent of fresh-cut hay. My first choice.’<\/p>**
**2. Oak<\/strong><\/p>**
‘Dense logs, can take two years to season. Very good embers, reasonable flames, crackles, rarely throws sparks. Best used in mixture. Fierce, eye-watering smoke, but a hint of smoke suggests mulled wine or cloves to me.’<\/p>
Oak tree guide: how long they take to grow, UK species and how to identify?<\/a><\/li>
Hawthorn tree guide: berry, blossom and why it’s called the May tree<\/a><\/li>
Silver birch guide: the “most beautiful of forest trees \u2013 the Lady of the woods”<\/a><\/li> <\/ul>
**3. Elm<\/strong><\/p>**
**‘Ridiculed in firewood poems but an excellent firewood. Long-seasoning. Dense, hard to split, poor flames, but first-rate embers. Smoke is sharp but fruity.’<\/p>**
**4. Hawthorn<\/strong><\/p>**
**‘Beautiful logs, but it is hard to get hold of. Seasons in a year, good flame, excellent embers, rarely throws sparks and has a thin sweet-scented smoke.’<\/p>**
**5. Fruitwoods (apple, cherry, plum)<\/strong><\/p>**
**‘Dense, delightful firewood. Bright flames, good embers, seasons within the year. The smoke is floral and sweet-scented.’<\/p>**
**6. Ash<\/strong><\/p>**
**‘Medium density, easy to split, naturally low moisture content, seasons rapidly. Pale ethereal flames, moderate embers. Produces soft, vanilla-scented smoke.’<\/p>**
**7. Birch<\/strong><\/p>**
**‘Medium density, easy to split, seasons rapidly. Good flames, moderate embers, rarely throws sparks. Bark makes great natural firelighters. Smoke is aromatic.’<\/p>**
**8. Scots pine<\/strong><\/p>**
**‘Best for kindling. Low-density, resinous, catches easily \u2013 important when building a \u2018top-down\u2019 fire.’<\/p>**
How to store and season your firewood<\/h2>
As winter bites, it feels good to have a store full of well-seasoned logs and know that, whatever nature or the modern world throws at you \u2013 in storms, power cuts or shortages \u2013 your home will be warm. But you need to be sure you have enough wood of the right quality. Knowing how much to buy in is a matter of judgement and depends on how much space you have to store your logs.<\/p>

$\"\"$
Storing and seasoning your firewood correctly is key to a good fire. Credit: Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
The importance of seasoning cannot be overstated. Logs dried out to a moisture content of between 15\u201325% are said to be fully seasoned. You can check this with a moisture meter \u2013 readily available and easy to use.<\/p>
Drying is very important because it takes a lot of heat energy to boil off the moisture in wood \u2013 energy that should instead be heating your home. Ash logs will burn when freshly felled but have a moisture content of about 35%: so a kilo of fresh ash logs contains roughly 0.35 litre of watery sap, a little over half a pint. Just visualise the heat needed to boil this water away in a saucepan \u2013 what a waste.<\/p>
Checklist for buying firewood<\/h2>
1. Are the logs being sold by weight or volume \u2013 if by volume, are they stacked or loose?<\/p>
2. What is the size range of the logs and are they split?<\/p>
3. Are they hardwood, softwood or a mixture of the two?<\/p>
4. Are the logs seasoned, or \u2018green\u2019? The latter won\u2019t burn efficiently.<\/p>
5. How will the logs be delivered?<\/p>
6. Is there a discount for bulk loads or for green logs?<\/p>
7. Do the logs come from a sustainable source?<\/p>
8. Finally\u2026 what is the price?<\/p>

$\"\"$
It’s important to check whether the logs are seasoned or \u2018green\u2019 before making your order. Credit: Vincent Thurkettle <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
Can you gather wood in the wild?<\/h2>
Most woodland managers would not object to a family gathering a few kindling sticks or pine cones while out walking, but if someone is filling their car with roadside wood, the manager\u2019s approach will be rather different. Foresters often store felled wood at the roadside, perhaps for months \u2013 it is not waste, nor forgotten.<\/p>

$\"\"$
Be sure to check that recovered wood is free of paint, preservatives or pesticides. Credit: Vincent Thurkettle <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
Firewood can be gathered from less obvious places, such as beach driftwood or sawn waste in skips. A huge amount of waste wood ends up in landfill. The Government decided against banning this practice in 2013 and many skips still contain a proportion of good firewood. Again, the rule is to ask the owner, but this time it is also important to ensure that any wood recovered is free of paint, preservatives or pesticides \u2013 if there is any doubt, don\u2019t burn it. Salt-laden driftwood is also to be treated with care. The occasional piece is fine, but be aware that you are introducing highly corrosive sea salt into your metal wood stove and chimney system.<\/p>
What is the history of the wood fire?<\/h2>
Evidence is growing that we had fire long before we were actually human. Many anthropologists now believe that it was almost two million years ago that our early hominid ancestors first learned to tame wild fire, to domesticate it and reap the rewards of light, warmth, protection and cooked food. Curiously, it is the last of these benefits that provides the best evidence.<\/p>
While early hearth sites have been studied by archaeologists, centuries of wind and rain have caused most to melt back into the environment and become indistinguishable from the burnt remains of natural fires. The further we go back, the harder it is to say whether a slight hollow with scorched earth and charcoal fragments is a hearth or simply the remains of a burnt-out tree stump.<\/p>
The physical evidence for very early, deliberate fire sites is sparse and often tenuous and many scientists now believe that the best evidence for the earliest use of fire is in fact not the hearth sites at all \u2013 rather, it\u2019s us, the human mind and body.<\/p>

Best hot water bottles to keep you warm on winter evenings<\/a><\/li>
Best fire pits for creating a cosy atmosphere<\/a><\/li> <\/ul>
We have small mouths and teeth and a short digestive tract when compared to the other primates. It seems that our bodies may have physically adapted to consume cooked food. Cooking meat and plants breaks down starch and proteins, making it easier to absorb the food energy. This pre-digestion of our raw food through cooking allows the day\u2019s energy requirement to be absorbed much more quickly. It\u2019s been calculated that a human would need to eat for 9.3 hours a day if all of the day\u2019s food was eaten raw and unprocessed. Researchers have observed that non-human primates spend an average of 48% of their day eating, compared to only 4.7% for humans.<\/p>
These differences in our body\u2019s digestive system are strong evidence of an unimaginably long relationship with cooked food and the curious phenomenon of fire.<\/p>

$\"\"$
Our bodies may have physically adapted to consume cooked food. Credit: Naftizin\/Getty <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
But it is not just a physical adaptation: we are mentally different, too. Even today, people tend to sit around a campfire in a circle \u2013 which is fun, but not important. But just imagine the effect on our nascent social development to sit and face each other for hours each evening. The mastery of fire had lengthened our day; sunset no longer heralded a time of predators and fear, darkness no longer held dominion \u2013 and our species blossomed.<\/p>
Fire was staggeringly important to the development of modern humans and even today has an essential role in our lives \u2013 we still delight in the joy, warmth and self-sufficiency that a full woodshed promises as the nights draw in and winter arrives.<\/p>
*Vincent Thurkettle <\/strong>is a woodsman who grows Christmas trees and also prospects for gold. He is author of* **The Wood Fire Handbook<\/a> (Mitchell Beazley, 2012)<\/em><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n**
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Around 1.5 million UK households burn wood. Credit: ArtistGNDphotography\/Getty <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
What fuel can I burn at home?<\/h2>
\u2022 By law, all firewood should contain less than 20% of moisture, which generates smoke. This is no bad thing: properly seasoned wood burns hotter and cleaner. If buying in, look for Woodsure\u2019s<\/a> Ready to Burn logo:<\/p>
$\"\"$ <\/figure>
If seasoning your own wood, use a moisture meter<\/a>.<\/p>
\u2022 Buy sustainably sourced firewood from woodlands where new trees constantly replace harvested ones. Look for FSC certification or Confor\u2019s \u2018Grown in Britain\u2019 labels.<\/p>
\u2022 To keep particulate pollution levels down, burn smaller logs \u2013 large ones can end up smouldering at lower temperatures, releasing more harmful molecules. Start your fire with kindling, then add pieces of wood around 5\u20138cm wide. When these are burning well, add medium-sized logs (roughly 8\u201312cm).<\/p>
\u2022 See Defra\u2019s advice on responsible burning<\/a> for more information on safely burning fuel.<\/p>

$\"\"$
Credit: Vitelle\/Getty <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
How to burn wood safely and sustainably<\/h2>
The Stove<\/h3>
\u2022 First, consider whether burning wood is appropriate for your home. The Centre for Alternative Technology offers more information<\/a> on this.<\/p>
\u2022 Make sure your home is as energy efficient as possible. This will allow you to choose a smaller burner, using less fuel.<\/p>
\u2022 Choose accredited wood stoves or pellet boilers \u2013 look for the HETAS Ecodesign Compliant label:<\/p>
$\"\"$ <\/figure>
\u2022 Batch boilers (which burn a batch of wood and release heat slowly) and pellet boilers are most efficient. Pellet boilers convert about 90% of energy into useful heat. Wood stoves absorb heat, then radiate it into your room. By contrast, most heat from open fires disappears up the chimney, and almost all stoves with back boilers don\u2019t meet smoke-control standards.<\/p>
\u2022 Burn hot: use the vents on your stove to keep air flowing in, and the fire hot. Don\u2019t close them to smoulder wood at a low temperature (also known as \u2018slumbering\u2019 \u2013 keeping a stove smouldering overnight), which produces extra smoke and particulate pollutants.<\/p>
\u2022 Use a stovepipe thermometer to check you are burning your wood at the correct temperature.<\/p>
\u2022 Keep your stovepipe clean.<\/p>
What is the best way to light a fire?<\/h2>
There is nothing quite as satisfying as being the one who gets the log fire blazing first time. Here is a step-by-step how to create the perfect log fire in five simple steps.<\/p>

$\"\"$
Credit: Hans Huber\/Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
**1. Get an ample supply of fully-seasoned firewood logs<\/strong><\/p>**
Pick a range of different sized logs (up to 8-12cm wide), with a moisture content of less than 20%. Fill the wood basket in daylight to save going out to the woodshed after dark and remember that an open fire will burn around five times more than a wood-burning stove.<\/p>
**2. Good kindling is essential<\/strong><\/p>**
**Keep a small basket of dry sticks split to 1-2 cm diameter. These can be supplemented by fallen sticks and branch wood gathered during country walks \u2013** **beech<\/a> sticks are best. Pine cones and dried orange peel are also really good kindling.<\/p>**
**3. Don’t clear the grate completely <\/strong><\/p>**
Leave a blanket of ash 3\u20135 cm deep and make a slight saucer-sized depression in the middle where the kindling will go. The ash is brilliant at holding the very first embers and will help the fire to get going more quickly \u2013 it will also protect the inside of the wood stove, prolonging its life.<\/p>
**4. Create an enclosure for the fire<\/strong><\/p>**
Place a large log to the back of the fire and a smaller log to the left and right of the fire. You now have a log lined enclosure to light the fire, with an ash base. Place the material you will first light, rolled up paper, shreds of cardboard or a tiny piece of firelighter, in this space and arrange several sticks of kindling on top. Have a couple of small split logs, say 5-10cm diameter, ready to place on top of the kindling once you are sure it has lit. With a wood stove, have all the air vents open at this stage, and maybe the door just slightly open.<\/p>
**5. Warm the chimney<\/strong><\/p>**
The trick is to get the fire burning really well for 30 \u2013 45 minutes to warm the chimney. Get the stove up to working temperature \u2013 about 200\u00b0C if you have a stove thermometer. Then partly close the stove air vents, so that you have beautiful rolling flames above the fire. Feed your fire one or two fresh logs when the burning logs are half embers. Keeping the fire \u2018low\u2019, that is burning just enough wood to keep the stove running efficiently, is an art, but worth learning as it is the secret to an easy life of perfect fires.<\/p>
$\"\"$
Logs should have a moisture content of around 20% before they are burnt. Credit: Jordan Siemens\/Getty <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>

What is the impact of wood-burning on the environment?<\/h2> <\/div> <\/div>
Recent data<\/a> (updated in February 2024) has shown that domestic combustion (which covers households burning a variety of fuels including wood, coal, solid smokeless fuels, and fuels derived from waste such as coffee logs) was a major source of small particulate air pollution in the UK (PM2.5 and PM10). Most emissions from this source came from households burning wood in stoves and open fires.<\/p>
Regulations<\/a> were introduced in May 2021 banning the sale of wet wood (that which has more than 20% moisture content), bagged traditional house coal and wet wood in units under 2m3, and solid fuel with high sulphur content.<\/p>
These restrictions were part of the Conservative government’s Clean Air Strategy<\/a> of January 2019, a series of measures to improve the air quality within the UK.<\/p>
How is firewood processed?<\/h2>
There are two ways of processing fresh timber \u2013 or \u2018wet wood\u2019 \u2013 into firewood that is dry enough to burn with minimal air pollution. You can season it in a well-ventilated stack for two years (or till the moisture content drops to 20%). Or you can speed up the process by kiln-drying. Here, logs are cut into firewood by machines and loaded into \u2018kilns\u2019 \u2013 modified skips with perforated floors. Hot air, created by a 950kw woodchip boiler working 24\/7, is blown into the bottom of the skips and rises through the perforated floors to dry the wood.<\/p>
Which is the best type of wood to burn?<\/h2>

$\"\"$
Vincent lighting his fire. Credit: Vincent Thurkettle <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
Kilo for kilo, all firewood types have a similar heat value, but when it comes to scent, crackle and flame, there is a lot to learn. We asked Vincent Thurkettle<\/a> for his top tips.<\/p>
**1. Beech<\/strong><\/p>**
**‘A dense wood which takes 1 year to season. Bright yellow flames, good embers, long hot burn, rarely throws sparks. Gentle smoke with scent of fresh-cut hay. My first choice.’<\/p>**
**2. Oak<\/strong><\/p>**
‘Dense logs, can take two years to season. Very good embers, reasonable flames, crackles, rarely throws sparks. Best used in mixture. Fierce, eye-watering smoke, but a hint of smoke suggests mulled wine or cloves to me.’<\/p>
Oak tree guide: how long they take to grow, UK species and how to identify?<\/a><\/li>
Hawthorn tree guide: berry, blossom and why it’s called the May tree<\/a><\/li>
Silver birch guide: the “most beautiful of forest trees \u2013 the Lady of the woods”<\/a><\/li> <\/ul>
**3. Elm<\/strong><\/p>**
**‘Ridiculed in firewood poems but an excellent firewood. Long-seasoning. Dense, hard to split, poor flames, but first-rate embers. Smoke is sharp but fruity.’<\/p>**
**4. Hawthorn<\/strong><\/p>**
**‘Beautiful logs, but it is hard to get hold of. Seasons in a year, good flame, excellent embers, rarely throws sparks and has a thin sweet-scented smoke.’<\/p>**
**5. Fruitwoods (apple, cherry, plum)<\/strong><\/p>**
**‘Dense, delightful firewood. Bright flames, good embers, seasons within the year. The smoke is floral and sweet-scented.’<\/p>**
**6. Ash<\/strong><\/p>**
**‘Medium density, easy to split, naturally low moisture content, seasons rapidly. Pale ethereal flames, moderate embers. Produces soft, vanilla-scented smoke.’<\/p>**
**7. Birch<\/strong><\/p>**
**‘Medium density, easy to split, seasons rapidly. Good flames, moderate embers, rarely throws sparks. Bark makes great natural firelighters. Smoke is aromatic.’<\/p>**
**8. Scots pine<\/strong><\/p>**
**‘Best for kindling. Low-density, resinous, catches easily \u2013 important when building a \u2018top-down\u2019 fire.’<\/p>**
How to store and season your firewood<\/h2>
As winter bites, it feels good to have a store full of well-seasoned logs and know that, whatever nature or the modern world throws at you \u2013 in storms, power cuts or shortages \u2013 your home will be warm. But you need to be sure you have enough wood of the right quality. Knowing how much to buy in is a matter of judgement and depends on how much space you have to store your logs.<\/p>

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Storing and seasoning your firewood correctly is key to a good fire. Credit: Getty Images <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
The importance of seasoning cannot be overstated. Logs dried out to a moisture content of between 15\u201325% are said to be fully seasoned. You can check this with a moisture meter \u2013 readily available and easy to use.<\/p>
Drying is very important because it takes a lot of heat energy to boil off the moisture in wood \u2013 energy that should instead be heating your home. Ash logs will burn when freshly felled but have a moisture content of about 35%: so a kilo of fresh ash logs contains roughly 0.35 litre of watery sap, a little over half a pint. Just visualise the heat needed to boil this water away in a saucepan \u2013 what a waste.<\/p>
Checklist for buying firewood<\/h2>
1. Are the logs being sold by weight or volume \u2013 if by volume, are they stacked or loose?<\/p>
2. What is the size range of the logs and are they split?<\/p>
3. Are they hardwood, softwood or a mixture of the two?<\/p>
4. Are the logs seasoned, or \u2018green\u2019? The latter won\u2019t burn efficiently.<\/p>
5. How will the logs be delivered?<\/p>
6. Is there a discount for bulk loads or for green logs?<\/p>
7. Do the logs come from a sustainable source?<\/p>
8. Finally\u2026 what is the price?<\/p>

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It’s important to check whether the logs are seasoned or \u2018green\u2019 before making your order. Credit: Vincent Thurkettle <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
Can you gather wood in the wild?<\/h2>
Most woodland managers would not object to a family gathering a few kindling sticks or pine cones while out walking, but if someone is filling their car with roadside wood, the manager\u2019s approach will be rather different. Foresters often store felled wood at the roadside, perhaps for months \u2013 it is not waste, nor forgotten.<\/p>

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Be sure to check that recovered wood is free of paint, preservatives or pesticides. Credit: Vincent Thurkettle <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
Firewood can be gathered from less obvious places, such as beach driftwood or sawn waste in skips. A huge amount of waste wood ends up in landfill. The Government decided against banning this practice in 2013 and many skips still contain a proportion of good firewood. Again, the rule is to ask the owner, but this time it is also important to ensure that any wood recovered is free of paint, preservatives or pesticides \u2013 if there is any doubt, don\u2019t burn it. Salt-laden driftwood is also to be treated with care. The occasional piece is fine, but be aware that you are introducing highly corrosive sea salt into your metal wood stove and chimney system.<\/p>
What is the history of the wood fire?<\/h2>
Evidence is growing that we had fire long before we were actually human. Many anthropologists now believe that it was almost two million years ago that our early hominid ancestors first learned to tame wild fire, to domesticate it and reap the rewards of light, warmth, protection and cooked food. Curiously, it is the last of these benefits that provides the best evidence.<\/p>
While early hearth sites have been studied by archaeologists, centuries of wind and rain have caused most to melt back into the environment and become indistinguishable from the burnt remains of natural fires. The further we go back, the harder it is to say whether a slight hollow with scorched earth and charcoal fragments is a hearth or simply the remains of a burnt-out tree stump.<\/p>
The physical evidence for very early, deliberate fire sites is sparse and often tenuous and many scientists now believe that the best evidence for the earliest use of fire is in fact not the hearth sites at all \u2013 rather, it\u2019s us, the human mind and body.<\/p>

Best hot water bottles to keep you warm on winter evenings<\/a><\/li>
Best fire pits for creating a cosy atmosphere<\/a><\/li> <\/ul>
We have small mouths and teeth and a short digestive tract when compared to the other primates. It seems that our bodies may have physically adapted to consume cooked food. Cooking meat and plants breaks down starch and proteins, making it easier to absorb the food energy. This pre-digestion of our raw food through cooking allows the day\u2019s energy requirement to be absorbed much more quickly. It\u2019s been calculated that a human would need to eat for 9.3 hours a day if all of the day\u2019s food was eaten raw and unprocessed. Researchers have observed that non-human primates spend an average of 48% of their day eating, compared to only 4.7% for humans.<\/p>
These differences in our body\u2019s digestive system are strong evidence of an unimaginably long relationship with cooked food and the curious phenomenon of fire.<\/p>

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Our bodies may have physically adapted to consume cooked food. Credit: Naftizin\/Getty <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div>
But it is not just a physical adaptation: we are mentally different, too. Even today, people tend to sit around a campfire in a circle \u2013 which is fun, but not important. But just imagine the effect on our nascent social development to sit and face each other for hours each evening. The mastery of fire had lengthened our day; sunset no longer heralded a time of predators and fear, darkness no longer held dominion \u2013 and our species blossomed.<\/p>
Fire was staggeringly important to the development of modern humans and even today has an essential role in our lives \u2013 we still delight in the joy, warmth and self-sufficiency that a full woodshed promises as the nights draw in and winter arrives.<\/p>
*Vincent Thurkettle <\/strong>is a woodsman who grows Christmas trees and also prospects for gold. He is author of* **The Wood Fire Handbook<\/a> (Mitchell Beazley, 2012)<\/em><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n**
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How to burn wood safely and sustainably<\/h2>