Kinds of Firewood

Firewood for Heat

• Hardwood is the best choice for a fire that produces a lot of heat. Hardwood is dense which means it takes a long time to burn and burns hot. It also requires a longer seasoning process than softwood to allow it time to completely dry out. Popular choices of firewood that give off good heat include elm, almond, beech wood, birch, Douglas fir and oak.

Firewood for Smoking and Cooking

• Hardwood also is the ideal choice for cooking or smoking food over the fire. Hardwood not only burns hot but it burns with a low flame making it simple to cook food without burning it. The best types of hardwood for cooking and smoking are the ones which emit a scent and infuse into the food when burning, such as apple, cheery, cedar, hickory and grapevine.

Firewood for Getting Started

• While hardwoods are ideal once the fire is going, you'll want to use softwoods for kindling and getting the fire started. Cedar is good for kindling because it burns easily and sparks quite a bit, making it useful for catching fire to other wood.

Firewood for Indoor Use

• You'll want a wood that doesn't smoke or spark too much as well as one that doesn't give off a huge flame. Good options for indoor use include Douglas fir, ash, cherry and soft maple. If you use hardwood indoors, be sure that it has had enough time to season. The more water content in the wood, the more smoke it will produce.