It is wonderful to feel the warmth from a wood fire but there are more benefits than a sense of comfort when it comes to heating your home with fire logs. Wood is one of the most environmental sources of energy we have. If properly forested and responsible harvested, burning firewood can be a natural part of the carbon cycle and does not increase any greenhouse gases the way fossil fuels do.
Did you know that wood burning produces no more CO2 than the natural rotting of a tree?
Dry firewood burns with almost no smoke and the ashes produced are only about 1% of the original weight of the wood. These contain mainly nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, potassium hydroxide, silica, phosphoric acid and trace elements and is therefore very suitable as a natural fertilizer. The combustion itself is low in emissions therefore it doesn’t release more carbon dioxide than during the growth of a tree. You could say that burning wood is CO2 neutral!
The growing a tree consumes just as much CO2 as the burning of the wood, so it is said that wood is a CO2-neutral fuel and thus more environmentally friendly than for example coal, gas or fuel oil. These substances are also not be regenerated whilst wood must grown sustainably. But as with everything, wood is in not emission-free and with that we have commitments in the handling of wood.
Wood burns best and hottest when it’s dry – so do not burn green wood which releases more pollutants. The most environmental friendliest way is, to burning only dry wood which creates an optimal heat and a minimum of dust. Adjust your wood stove burner to the accurate setting and use only quality hardwood. As long as the wood is untreated, your ashes can safely land in the compost. Firewood is an easy and useful solution to heat homes during the cold winter months. If you want to use firewood to heat your home and are concerned about the environmental impacts, just make sure your wood comes from a responsibly harvested and sustainable source. Firewood is also often produced as a by product from producing other forest products.
