With your new fireplace or stove installed, the next thing you need to focus on is the type of wood you’re going to be burning. Not all wood is the same; knowing the different characteristics of wood will help you decide what is best, depending on if your fire is indoors or outdoors.

Different woods burn at different intensities and for different durations; this is because different woods are built up of different densities, with different levels of water retention. Woods with high densities and high moisture retention make for some of the worst firewood, as they provide little fuel for a fire to burn and burn at a very low intensity.

We’ve compiled a list of the very best woods to burn:

Very Good

• Ash – A fitting name for one of the best-considered woods for burning. Ash is very densely packed, producing a long-lasting flame with a high heat output. Ash can even burn relatively effectively without being dried, making it perfect for damp conditions.
• Beech – Burns in a similar way to Ash: with high heat and a long duration. The only major difference is that Beech won’t burn well unless it is completely dried.
• Hawthorn – Similar again to Ash and Beech makes Hawthorn a traditional firewood which is a good all-round burner.
• Rowan – The high density means it burns very slowly whilst producing good heat. An excellent wood type for indoor and outdoor fires.
• Thorn – Renowned as one of the best woods for burning due to its long-lasting flame that produces high and steady heat as well as the low smoke output.
• Yew – Popular for a very long burn time so users save on costs. Also produces a very high heat meaning it requires much fewer logs to heat your home.

Pearson fuels provide quality imported firewood and kiln dried logs ready to use.