Know your wood hot tips

Which wood is best for burning? Oven ready logs are what you need for your fire, and please be aware of the different kinds OF WOOD that are available. The woods which are best to burn are woods with a moisture content of 20% or less! Below is some information on which wood is best for burning on your appliance.

• Alder: a softwood with a high water content. It gives out little heat and doesn't
last for long.
• Apple: a hardwood that burns slowly and steadily when dry, with little flame,
giving good heat. The scent is pleasant.
• Ash: a hardwood that is considered the best for burning; it gives out a good flame
and heat, and will burn when green, however it is never a good idea to burn green
wood in a stove.
• Beech: considered a rival to ash, though not a close one. It does tend to spit out
embers far into the room, so beware using in an open fire, but ideal for a stove.
• Birch: a hardwood that produces a good heat but it burns quickly. The smell is
pleasant.
• Cedar: a softwood that burns well when dry. Much better in a stove than in an
open fireplace.
• Cherry: another hardwood that burns slowly, giving out good heat. It also gives
off a nice smell when burnt.
• Chestnut: this must be one of the noisiest firewoods, best in a stove. It has a
small flame and doesn't give out much heat. Avoid if possible, or mix these logs
with a hardwood.
• Douglas Fir: not much good.
• Elder: a softwood that is very smoky. It is a quick burner, without much heat.
• Elm: this is commonly offered for sale due to Dutch Elm disease. To burn well it
needs to be kept for two years. Even then it will smoke. Vary variable fuel.
• Hazel: good.
• Holly: good, best seasoned for a year, like all logs for woodburning stoves.
• Hornbeam: almost as good as beech.
• Laburnum: one to avoid because it is a poisonous tree, giving acrid smoke,
tainting food and best never used. However it can be used by wood turners as it
has a beautiful pattern.
• Larch: a softwood that gives a crackly sound. It gives out a scent, and is quite
good for heat.
• Laurel: gives a good bright flame.
• Lime: not a favourite as it has a poor flame.
• Maple: another hardwood that is good for burning.
• Oak: a hardwood, it gives out few flames and the smoke is acrid. Dry old oak is
excellent for heat, burning slowly and steadily.
• Pear: a hardwood giving good heat scent.
• Pine: is a softwood that burns with a good flame, but it is apt to spit. The resinous
Weymouth pine has a lovely scent and an interesting blue flame.
• Plane: burns fairly well, but is prone to throwing sparks.
• Plum: hardwood that gives heat and scent.
• Poplar: one to avoid.
• Rhododendron: the thick old stems, being very tough, burn well.
• Robinia (Acacia): burns slowly, with good heat, but with acrid smoke, so use in a
woodburner as opposed to an open fire.
• Spruce: a softwood that burns very quickly and gives out a lot of sparks - one to
avoid if possible.
• Sycamore: burns with a good flame, with moderate heat.
• Thorn: one of the best woods. It burns slowly, giving a good heat and not much
smoke.
• Walnut: hardwood that gives out very good heat and a beautiful aroma.
• Willow: Poor as it has a high water content. It must be dry to use, and then it
burns slowly, with little flame and sparks.
• Yew: burns slowly, with fierce heat, and the scent is pleasant