As one of the most popular fuels on the market, it is important to source your firewood correctly or else you can end up spending a lot of money on something that you cannot even use. Here at Pearson Fuels, we consider ourselves the experts in the industry and in this blog we are going to go over everything you need to know about seasoned firewood…

What is it?

Seasoned firewood is the name that is given to wood that has been chopped, stack and allowed to dry via exposure from the elements for 6-12 months. This lengthy process is what makes seasoned wood different from fresh wood as it helps reduce the water content from 40-50% down to 10-20%, which helps a fire burn more efficiently.

Characteristics

There are many ways to tell if your firewood has been seasoned when you know what particular characteristics you are looking for:

  • Appearance: Seasoned wood is generally darker at the ends and will have clear splits due to the lack of moisture where as fresh wood is smooth and may even feel damp.
  • Sound: If you hit two fresh logs of wood together, they will make a deep ‘thud’ sounds whereas the result of the same movement with seasoned logs results in a hollow ‘clunk’ noise instead.
  • Weight: Due to the high levels of moisture, it is a no brainer that fresh firewood is considerably heavier than seasoned firewood.

Storing

If you want to season your own firewood then preparation is key. After all, the entire process can take up to a year and there is no magic button to speed it up. The logs should be placed on a rack that is above the ground as this will keep insects at bay and there should be a waterproof roof in order to prevent rain or snow moisture from increasing the seasoning length.

Whilst we are known for our role as coal merchants, the team here at Pearson Fuels are also familiar with firewood and kiln dried logs too. After all, we believe that is important to cater to as many clients as possible and we recognise that not every customer is going to use coal as their number one choice for fuel. In fact, all of our imported firewood comes from Latvia and Lithuania, which are two countries known for their heavily dense forests. To find out more information, get in contact with a member of the team today!