“All spruce trees spark no end and are not good for open fires.” Granny Spear

We had an awful lot of trees to choose from to burn in the range, and some were far better than others. Well seasoned hardwood was by far the best. We stored it in a huge shed, more like a small barn really. There were a few holes in it, but that didn’t matter, it let the air circulate! Here’s a list of what we used, and what we didn’t:

Ash: One of the best woods for burning. It gives plenty of heat, flames well and even burns reasonably when green.

Beech: Not quite as good as ash. It makes a good fire, but spits out embers.

Birch: A good heat, but a quick burner. Nice smell.

Hazel: Burns well but does spark a little.

Hawthorn: One of the best woods to burn, but not easy to find. It burns slow and hot.

Hornbeam: Similar to beech. Well worthwhile.

Oak: Must be well-seasoned. Very dense, so burns slow and hot and makes a lovely bed of glowing coals. Only real drawback is the amount of ash that it makes.

Sycamore: Flames nicely but heat is not as strong as oak or ash. Very common firewood and good to mix with others. Continue reading →