DRY WOOD!! Because Water Doesn't Burn!!

There is folklore from way back which says that Ash is the best wood for burning. This has no real basis in fact except, that when people went into the woods to cut down a tree for fuel, an Ash Tree was often chosen because, when felled, it contained less water (40%) than other trees and was therefore more likely to burn. Proper seasoning, or drying, eliminates that advantage.

The moisture content, when burned, should be below 20%.

A newly felled tree cut, split and stacked to dry will contain between 40% and 60% water, depending on species and time of year, and take 2 to 3 years to dry to an acceptable level.

The term "seasoned" should be treated with some caution. Some stove manufacturers recommend that bought "seasoned" logs are kept for a further 12 months, protected from the rain but open to a steady air-flow, before they are ready to be burned. In France, where they know about wood burning, they air-dry for a minimum of 3 years.

Properly Seasoned Wood, Kiln Dried Hardwood or Manufactured Logs will all give easy lighting, clean burning, minimal ash and no smoke when burned in a good quality stove.

Hardwood burns longer than softwood so less re-fuelling is needed but if you have a supply of good, clean, dry softwood, use it.