Kiln Dried Hardwood & Sustainability

The popularity of "hygge" — essentially, comfort and warmth — has meant chimneys being unblocked and fireplaces revamped. Stove companies have responded with models for modern interiors. Around 150,000-200,000 new stoves are sold every year and new EU Eco-design models, compulsory in the EU from 2022, are coming on to the UK market now. Wood is back in fashion.‍

Wood fuel sustainability‍

Wood fuel sustainability is becoming a concern as worldwide we are using more biomass boilers and wood-burning stoves than ever before.
In the UK, domestic boilers and stoves are very popular. Therefore, the true cost of green energy as public concern about wood fuel sustainability is likely to rise. ‍

Impact of Kiln Dried Firewood‍

As people who care about the environment, but who also like being warm and because consumers are increasingly turning to sustainable firewood in the search for environmentally friendly renewable energy resources. This is why you need to switch to Kiln Dried Wood.

Because they are kiln dried and have a certified low moisture content of less than 20% Kiln Dried Logs are ideally suited for use in all log burning stoves and fires. Kiln Dried Logs are FSC [Forest Stewardship Council] certified, 100% natural and are produced from sustainably managed woodlands.

Kiln Dried means that firewood has been treated in a timber drying kiln which heats the logs to a high temperature to cook off the excess moisture. Kiln Dried Logs are always very dry with a moisture content of below 20%.

Burning wet firewood is bad for both your stove and your pocket! A large amount of energy (heat) is used to burn off the moisture in wet firewood so unseasoned logs give very poor amounts of heat. If you have ever seen the ends of your logs sizzling in your fire or stove, you can be assured that your logs are not dry enough! Also, unseasoned firewood is very difficult to light and will burn at sub-optimal temperatures, causing your stove to blacken with soot.

Everything about Kiln Dried Firewood is superior,  the logs will burn efficiently so you won’t waste time poking at dying embers or drying out sodden wood on your hearth. The logs come from sustainable, locally sourced hardwood forests and smell pleasant while burning slowly and evenly.

Luxury or necessity?

The UK has a large rural population and for these households, oil and mains gas central heating is often impossible or intermittent. As a rural dweller, the power supply can be frequently cut off and without the stove, there would be no heat at all during these often-prolonged periods. It’s also often a cheaper source of heat in many of our poorly insulated homes. Consequently, a wood-burning or multi-fuel stove becomes a necessity in many rural homes, rather than a luxury. However, there are questions we need to ask about burning solid fuels generally, in order to ensure that as suppliers and consumers we’re making responsible decisions.

Raw materials

The best firewood logs are hardwoods, as they’re denser and have less sap. But hardwood comes from broad-leaved trees, which support greater biodiversity. Softwoods, from conifers, support much lower levels of biodiversity. Hardwoods grow slower (hence are denser), so they burn slower. This means they take longer to replace so are less sustainable. But softwood logs are not as good for your stove and burn very quickly.

On a local level, where trees are removed because of wind damage, end of life, or for safety reasons, this is a perfectly sustainable process. Well-managed woodlands are productive, healthy and biodiverse. As log-burning stoves become increasingly popular though, our ability to produce enough firewood to meet demand is becoming problematic.

This is one of the main reasons that the UK has to import firewood from Europe. Imported firewood is excellent quality, usually consisting of singles species such as Birch, Ash or Oak. It’s clean, kiln-dried and stacked in wooden crates. We reluctantly import small quantities of logs each year, because the demand for logs outstrips the local supplies.‍

Pollutants

There is no doubt that burning wood fuel produces particulates. The best way to minimise this is to make sure you’re burning dry firewood on an efficient appliance. Burning wet firewood in an old, inefficient stove produces pollutants on a par with that from coal fires.

Wood burning appliances should be well-maintained and as modern as possible. The efficiency of stoves has increased hugely in the last ten years or so, and that needs to be taken into account.

The fuel should be as dry as possible, and certainly under 20% moisture content. The amount of moisture in firewood affects the number of pollutants released into the atmosphere.