What Kinds of Wood Can Be Burned in a Fireplace?

There are few things more inviting than to sit in front of a brightly burning fireplace in a cold day. The winter is harsh and unforgiving and when you enter the house, you deserve a warm cozy environment. However, a weak fire will definitely not provide this. Learn what kind of wood you can use to make a fire that will keep your house warm and welcoming during a harsh icy winter.

Seasoning Wood

Any wood that is described as "seasoned" is a good choice for your fireplace. The reason for this is because the wood has been dried out of all the residual humidity from the time that the tree it belonged to was alive. Not only is seasoned wood a good burner, but it is also slightly easier to split than wood that still has humidity. You know you are using seasoned wood if your fireplace doesn't whistle while the wood is burning. Another indicator is that your wood is not spewing steam from the sides while burning. A rule of thumb is that dry wood will always burn more efficiently and will catch fire a lot faster.

Time Frame

A 1-foot segment of wood will dry in two or three months. There is no advantage to leaving wood to dry for a year or so, as some people say. It would be a waste of time, since the physical properties of wood allow decent amounts of airflow to dry the interior when the wood is cut into segments. If it frequently rains in your area, put the wood in a storehouse, or store your wood with tarpaulin or nylon over it. This will help keep the wood dry during rainy and snowy seasons.

Don't Burn Softwood

For health purposes, softwood should not be used for combustion of any kind that involves exposure to the fumes emitted by the burning wood. Even the dust from softwood is considered a carcinogen, and, according to the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, a person should not be exposed to more than 2 mg/m2 of softwood dust.

Softwood Fires

Softwood is also a bad choice for use in a fireplace for other reasons. Softwood is known to burn for a shorter period of time than hardwood. The reason for this is because the material inside of the softwood is less compressed than the material in hardwood. For a slow, steady, hot fire, you should use hardwoods such as oak or walnut.

Never Use Pinewood Indoors

Using pinewood in your fireplace is one of the worst choices you can make. The resin in any part of the pine tree will burn at extremely high temperatures and spit burning chunks of the wood around, creating a high risk environment for starting a house fire. With safety in mind, you should never use any part of a pine tree in an open fireplace. Not only does it cause discomfort by burning at extremely hot temperatures, but you can end up damaging your house.

References

• What to do about softwood? A review of respiratory effects and recommendations regarding exposure limits.
• U.S. Forest Products Laboratory Statistics - Fireplace Wood Comparison
• U.S. Department of Energy - Pine Cone Burning