August 27, 2024 - By Kidogo Farm - Louisville, KY
Today was another hot, and I mean hot day at the farm. This time of year is pretty busy for us with firewood season just around the corner. In fact next week the weather man predicts temps in the low 50's in the evening so those fire pits will be firing up very soon. This brings me to today's post, what makes a great firewood? I've heard it said, all firewood will burn. Now that is of course true but there are several factors that make great firewood a huge step above most firewood.
First there is the moisture content. As an accepted rule in the firewood industry a moisture content of 20% or less is considered "seasoned" firewood. I put the term in quotes because the real meaning of seasoned wood is fire wood that has at least gone through one complete change of all the seasons on the calendar, or about one full year. Unscrupulous fire wood dealers usually call anything they just split seasoned wood and sell it to an unsuspecting customer only to have the wood smoke, sizzle and not burn well. When purchasing a great firewood make sure the moisture content is an average of 20% or less!
The second thing that makes a firewood great is the species. Some species burn hotter than others, some species smell better than others, some species burn longer than others. What makes a firewood great is a selection of premium hardwoods that not only burn great, but also make a fire pleasing with sounds and smells. Species such as cherry, oak, hickory, maple and ash are excellent. They provide great btu's and smell amazing.
Thirdly, a premium firewood should be a consistent length within a few inches. We always try to make sure our premium firewood is between 15" to 17" long. This is important not only because it looks great but it also means you won't have pieces that don't fit in a small fire pit or fireplace. The size of the splits should also be taken into consideration here. Huge boiler wood size pieces are fine for heating your home if you have a boiler but are just too big to be used efficiently by the average consumer who just wants to have a nice fire that is easy to start and fun to enjoy. Smaller sized splits also tend to light more quickly which is important to getting to the fun part of making a fire which is enjoying the fire!
The fourth and last thing that I will mention is a great firewood needs to also be tidy. No one wants to bring in dirty debris filled firewood and get it all over their deck or floors to enjoy a fire. We always try to make sure our firewood bundles are neat and tidy.
We are passionate about our premium firewood bundle mix and it shows. We know you'll love our firewood! We are located just outside Louisville, KY in the heart of Kentucky horse country so come visit us today and experience the difference for yourself.