– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension
Happy Holidays! I hope that the holiday season is filling your heart with joy and your mind with precious memories to carry into the New Year. The Caldwell Square is looking gorgeous. Thank you to all of volunteers who have dedicated their time and talents to turning our already beautiful small town into a winter wonderland. The glow of lights on homes helps counteract the gloom of dreary evenings driving home from work each day. I am thankful for the Christmas cheer in the air and I hope it lasts beyond the holidays.
Personally, I consider it “Christmas” until New Year’s Eve. My family has traditionally celebrated Christmas with gatherings and gift giving from Christmas Eve through January 6th, the 12th day of Christmas and the traditional observation of Epiphany. However you celebrate the season, I hope you “make the yuletide gay” or in other words, have a happy holiday!
For many, holiday celebrations include a fire in the fireplace. My parents always made it a priority to have a crackling fire glowing Christmas morning when we woke up for breakfast, our Advent devotional, stockings, and family gift exchange. We always thought it was fun to throw our wrapping paper in and see what color it changed the flame. Which was slightly dangerous and likely frowned upon.
The wood burning warmly was a combination of seasoned wood collected from our lot. A mix of maple, walnut, pine and more. We saved a couple slightly sappy logs for the pop, crack and fragrance it added to the morning.
Of course, firewood for your home should not be sappy. When burned, the moisture in the wood smolders and generates creosote that can build up in the chimney and pose a fire hazard. Burning wet wood reduces the BTUs produced to heat your home, because the fire must first dry the wood before it actively produces heat. In fact, for every 1% increase in wood moisture there is a 1% decrease in heating value.
At the least, your firewood should be dried to 20% moisture before burning it for home heating. Green wood can be 65% or more water. On average, green wood needs 6 months to cure before burning. The time it takes to dry depends on the type of wood and the storage conditions. The quicker you split the wood to size, the quicker it will dry.
Sun, temperature, and air flow are all critical for drying wood. Stack in piles allowing for air flow and cover the top of the pile to prevent water from running between the wood in the stack. Keep sides open. Elevate wood from the ground with pallets or lay sacrifice wood laterally on the ground to create a platform. Dry wood will usually change color and take on a gray hue. It will also have cracks and splits.
Avoid moving firewood inside too far ahead of burning. More than a week is probably too long. A variety of insects are commonly carried in with firewood. They may take shelter in the wood or under the bark in cold temperatures. When the temperature warms, they may emerge to explore. Shelters that hold a temperature below 50 degrees are typically cool enough to keep insects in hiding.
Dense hardwoods, like oak and hickory, will take longer to dry and will have longer burn times than softwoods, like pine and fir. Some professionals severely caution homeowners from burning softwoods in home heating systems because they contain more resins that create smoke, sparks, and creosote. Be sure to talk with a chimney technician to see if you are able to burn softwoods safely.
No matter what type of wood you burn, it is important to clean your chimney each year. Although you may be able to complete this task on your own, it is still advisable to have a chimney technician do an annual checkup. Your insurance company may even require documentation that you have had your chimney professionally serviced in order to maintain coverage.
I hope you safely enjoy the glow of the fire during your festivities and cherish your time with family and friends!
To learn more about firewood preparation and safety, consult these tips from the EPA- https://www.epa.gov/burnwise/best-wood-burning-practices.