AlderProduces little heat and burns quickly.
Apple Burns slowly and steadily with reasonable heat and a lovely smell. However it produces a disappointing flame.
Ash Widely regarded as a great burning wood, with low smoke and an excellent flame pattern (even on slow-burning) which provides plenty of heat, as well as being readily available wherever you live in the UK and Ireland. It is the wood that we burn most of in our Cheshire and County Down showrooms because it can usually be bought locally at a good price. You may read elsewhere on the internet that it can also be burned 'green' because, unlike most hardwoods, Ash has a relatively low moisture content – but please don't. Burning green wood is never a good idea, either for your stove and flue or for your neighbours and the environment. However, the reduced water content does mean that Ash logs will dry out just that bit quicker than most, and certainly faster than Oak and Elm. In our Cheshire showroom we stack our Ash logs against a south facing brick wall and they're usually ready to burn in just over a year. If you have to create your own log lengths then Ash is very easy to saw and split as it features fewer awkward knots than some hardwoods. Ash Dieback disease has had a devastating impact on Ash trees in the United Kingdom and Ireland and consequently the movement of some Ash logs for firewood has been legally restricted. Please read the following information from the Forestry Commission on the latest legislation and ensure please that you buy your Ash logs from a reputable source: Ash wood movements in the UK – Ash wood may continue to be moved except from woodlands or other sites where Ash Dieback has either been confirmed or is suspected, and a statutory Plant Health Notice has been served. Ash logs and firewood may only be moved off these infected sites with authority from the Forestry Commission. Note that these conditions are currently under consideration and could change. Wood imports into the UK from EU countries – Ash logs and firewood may continue to be imported in the usual way but In the unlikely event that this material is found to contain infection, the Forestry Commission have the powers to take remedial action such as destruction. Wood imports from non-EU countries – Ash logs and firewood, may also continue to be imported from certain countries outside the EU but the wood is required to be bark-free before entering the country. Similar regulations exist for the Republic of Ireland.
Beech Makes a good log which burns well. However because of its high water content it can take much longer to season than most other log varieties.
Birch These logs burn quickly but nevertheless provide good heat output, bright lively flames and a pleasing smell. Best mixed with other slower burning logs such as Elm (particularly slow burning), Ash or Oak.
Cedar Produces a well burning log with long lasting heat.
Cherry A lovely slow burning wood producing a good heat output as well as a lovely smell. Great at Christmas.
Chestnut Not a particularly good wood fuel with reasonable a flame and heat output.
Cypress Fast-growing garden tree. Difficult to handle before being cut into logs because of the density and numbers of branches. Burns very quickly so best mixed with other logs.
Elm A good firewood and unfortunately because of Dutch Elm Disease it has been in plentiful supply in recent years. Burns well but slowly so it generally needs a faster burning log to help to get it going. Once established it gives out good long-lasting heat and is the ideal log to put on last thing at night because it burns so slowly. It’s very high water content means that it is not quickly seasoned.
Eucalyptus A fast-growing ornamental tree which needs to be kept on top of in small gardens hence its inclusion on this list. Must be very well-seasoned but produces an obvious pleasant aromatic smell and burns reasonably well.
Hawthorn If you can get hold of this already cut into logs then it makes a steady burning firewood producing a good heat output, otherwise its vicious thorns make it very unpleasant to handle no matter how careful you are.
Hazel Burns quite fast but still produces a very good heat.
Holly Produces little heat and is fast burning but has a bright flame.
Laburnum If you chop down one of these in your garden then our advice is to take it straight to the tip. Every part of the tree is poisonous and when sawn a nasty sulphurous yellow sap oozes from the cuts. Even when seasoned it produces an inordinate amount of foul smelling smoke and will render your Airwash system obsolete, as one of The Stove Yard's customers found to his cost.
Larch A large fast-growing conifer which, unusually, loses its leaves in the Autumn. This softwood produces a reasonable heat but like Pine has the potential downside of leaving oily and sticky deposits in the flue system if not burned at a high temperature. Best mixed with other woods and not recommended for slumber or overnight burning. The discovery of the Phytophthora Ramorum disease in 2009 in the UK, which affects Larch trees and requires diseased trees to be felled, may result in a cheap plentiful supply. However, the movement of potentially infected logs may be legally restricted, so please ensure that you buy your logs or kindling, which could contain Larch, from a reputable source.
Lime Not the best of hardwoods with an unimpressive flame.
OakGenerally considered one of the very best wood fuel logs and therefore much sought after. However it must be seasoned for a long time – at least two years. It burns fairly slowly with nice flames and produces an excellent long lasting heat even when only the embers are left.
Pear Similar to Apple wood, burns slowly and steadily to provide a reasonable heat and, again, with a pleasant smell but disappointing flame.
Pine or Deal Both common resinous softwoods which need to be well seasoned. Usually acquired as joiners off-cuts which have already been kiln dried and therefore they will make good kindling. Burns fast with a bright flame, however because of the high resin content excessive use could eventually cause problems in the flue system with oily and sticky deposits. Better to mix with other woods and do not burn slowly.
Poplar Not recommended – even when very well-seasoned it burns poorly and produces an unpleasant black smoke.
RowanProduces slow well burning logs.
Spruce A softwood, which weighs around a third less than an equivalent oak log so it will burn very quickly. From our own experience it produces a low heat, can be smoky and produces some sparks, so it is really only any good for starting fires and should ideally be substituted with a harder wood on the first reload or generally mixed with hardwood. It does however split relatively easily.
Sycamore and other Maples Makes a good wood fuel log, burning well with a moderate heat output and good flame.
Willow Even when very well-seasoned Willow produces poor slow burning fire wood with little flame.
Yew Slow burning with tremendous heat.
