Finding firewood can be done without a lot of money

The best firewood species are black locust, hickory, beech and sugar maple.

By Dean Fosdick ~ The Associated Press

NEW MARKET, Va. -- Woodburning stoves are regaining their appeal as home heating prices continue climbing, and families who don't have any spare money to burn are finding it profitable to gather their own firewood.

Aside from the cozy cheer a wood stove gives off, wood burning is an efficient way to generate heat.

"If properly air-dried and burned in an efficient, modern wood-burning stove, the heat from a cord of native hardwood is nearly equal to that of burning 130 gallons of No. 2 fuel oil," the Maryland Energy Administration says.

Even more savings can be had if you gather your own. That can mean scavenging from your wood lot, working with friends and neighbors or turning to public lands.

More about sources later.

Ask a seasoned woodsman about the best varieties for keeping the home fires burning and he'll probably suggest hickory or oak -- long-standing favorites from the hardwood side of the family. Dense wood burns hotter.

Based strictly on heat value, the best firewood species are black locust, hickory, beech and sugar maple. In that order. Adding pieces of white or Oregon ash, white and red oak and black and yellow birch to the pile will serve you almost as well.

Avoid pine

There are, however, a few firewood species to avoid.

"You don't want to use pine because of the creosote," said Joe Lehnen, a forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry.

Creosote is an oily substance that can coat chimneys and flues. It often causes chimney fires if allowed to build up.

"You can use a piece of pine to get a fire going in the morning, but don't make it a regular part of your burn during the day," said Lehnen, who spends a large portion of his week advising homeowners about managing their wood lots.

If you're an occasional wood-burner, content to roast hot dogs in the fireplace, then you'd probably do well to buy a few bundles of firewood at a nearby service station.

But if you're feeding a wood stove full time, or want to cool your fuel oil, natural gas or electric bills, then look to your surroundings. But have someone with a practiced eye walk through your wood lot before you do any cutting.

"I hate to see people drop large saw timber trees when they go about gathering their firewood," Lehnen said.

You'll save a lot of energy, not to mention your best shade trees, by cutting up your downed wood first, he says.

Other priority firewood choices are trees that appear hazardous, the so-called "widow-makers."

"Any dying trees around your house or where you spend much of your time should be removed for safety's sake," Lehnen said.

Some of your trees may have deteriorated too much to provide a good burn, but that's an easy thing to judge.

"Anything that's still good and solid; anything with branches still attached, is salvageable," Lehnen said. "A lot of that has to do with ground contact. Some standing trees can last twice as long -- five or six years, perhaps."

On the other hand, burning wood that's too "green," or firewood that hasn't seasoned thoroughly, lowers its heat value. The moisture has to be burned off first, before the residual heat can work its way through your house.

"Figure about nine months" to dry, Lehnen said. "That, of course, depends upon the wood and the moisture content of the wood. If it's already dead, it can be burned right away."

Not everyone has access to rural properties, of course. That opens the way to gleaning firewood from friends or neighbors who want dead or dying trees cleared from their properties.

Hurricane Isabel provided a literal windfall for firewood around the Atlantic Coast states last year, toppling or damaging trees by the thousands.

And then there are public lands.

"On national forests, you can go to the ranger's office and get a permit which allows you to cut dead and downed timber in specified areas," Lehnen said. "You're allowed to take a certain number of cords per year."

Check the appropriate authorities for other free or low cost wood-gathering opportunities.