'I'm a smallholder - these are the lessons I've learned about storing logs for firewood'
The English philosopher Francis Bacon famously advised: “Age appears to be best in four things – old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust and old authors to read.” I couldn’t agree more, especially when it comes to logs.
Winter is woodland-management time on the smallholding – felling rotten trees or thinning out crowded areas – but early spring, with its drier, longer days, is ideal for processing the timber and getting it stacked into the log store.
Chopping and stacking firewood is like putting money into a high-interest savings account – you have to wait to enjoy it but it’s always worth it. There are lots of things to consider when choosing and stacking logs, however, so here’s what I’ve learned over the years.
You can burn most tree species but some give you a better result than others. Softwoods, such as pine and spruce, catch quickly, so are useful for kindling and the early stages of a fire. Hardwoods, such as oak, beech and ash, burn more slowly and more intensely, so are perfect for kicking out heat once a fire is well established.
Logs must be fully seasoned – dried out so their water content is less than 20% (freshly felled wood is about 50%) – to burn cleanly and efficiently. As a general rule, I leave softwood to season for a year and hardwoods for two years. Properly seasoned wood makes a lovely “thwack” when knocked together. It also feels lighter with the bark starting to peel away and splits appearing.
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If you buy your own logs, do so by volume (cubic metres), not weight; that way, you won’t be sold heavy, wet, unseasoned logs. As a rough guide, an average 5kw woodburner for moderate use (weekends and evenings) will probably use about three cubic metres of seasoned logs over winter. Hardwood costs more but will last longer.
Ask how long it’s been seasoned for. You can buy green wood, part-seasoned or fully seasoned logs. If you want to burn now, buy fully seasoned wood or kiln-dried logs. Green wood is cheaper but you’ll have to season it yourself. Invest in a moisture meter to check when your logs are ready to burn – logs must be less than 20 per cent water to burn cleanly, ideally 15 per cent. If you store your logs outside, however, even seasoned firewood will never be drier than around 12-18 per cent, as it absorbs moisture from the air.
Only buy from sustainable, ethical sources. Foreign imports of logs have a heavy carbon footprint and it can be difficult to find out whether the producer is committed to responsible, sustainable woodland management. Look out for quality assurance schemes such as Woodsure or buy from a locally managed estate.
When it comes to storing your logs, two things really matter. One is airflow and the other is weather protection. Logs will not dry out in a sealed environment, so any log store must have good ventilation. Firewood also needs protection from the rain and snow; although seasoned logs rarely get sodden, constant exposure to water will leave timber prone to rotting. A simple cover on the log store is fine.
As for stacking logs, my husband jokes I must have some Swiss heritage as I create Jenga-like stacks of perfection. There’s logic in this, however, as a neat stack is also a safe one. Logs should be uniform lengths – ours are around 30cm, perfect for our size of woodburner.
With some careful preparation, you’ll have a ready supply of perfectly dry “old wood” to draw on over the coming months. And, with any luck, plenty of old wine and old friends to go with it. As for old authors, they may be a bit tricker to source but, as my husband cheekily reminds me, he’s lucky enough to live with one…
Four of the best firewoods
Oak: The king of firewood, oak burns slowly and creates long-lasting heat right through to the embers stage. Needs two years' seasoning.
Ash: Another excellent hardwood for fires. Burns well with no sparking. Needs at least 18 months' seasoning.
Birch: Burns well but quite fast – best mixed with a slower fuel, such as oak. The papery bark is great for kindling. Needs at least a year's seasoning.
Beech: Very good firewood – burns well with few sparks and one log can last for hours in the fire. Needs two years' seasoning.
Author and seasoned smallholder Sally Coulthard shares her Yorkshire plot with sheep, horses, hens, ducks, geese, an orchard, a vegetable garden and a pond and regularly contributes to our The New Good Life series.
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