Instruction Manual

Page 11
500IH-I05-020320
exposing more surface area to the sun and wind, but cutting the wood to shorter
lengths is of primary importance.
Here’s how you can tell whether your wood is ready or not: Well seasoned
firewood generally has darkened ends with cracks or splits visible, it is relatively
lightweight, and makes a clear "clunk" when two pieces are struck together.
Green wood on the other hand is very heavy, the ends look fresher, and it tends
to make a dull "thud" when struck.
Another thing you can do to help is store your wood properly. Store it off the
ground by building the pile on some longer logs (or whatever method you can
devise). A shed or shelter with an open side makes an ideal storage place, as the
air can circulate around the logs and help to dry them out. Unventilated spaces
or plastic tarps, which never get taken off will prevent the drying and
evaporation process and cause moulds and rot. So, if a tarp is your only option,
take it off frequently to air the wood on fine days. And remember to put it back
on again. Seasoned firewood will reabsorb large amounts of water if exposed to
rain, snow and excessive dew, which is liable to make it rot and be unfit for
making a good fire.
When you build up a store of firewood, remember that the wood may start to
deteriorate after 4 to 5 years, although this is of course variable and depending
on storage conditions and species involved.
What Type of Wood is Best?
The difference between 'hard' and 'soft' woods is the density of their cells or
fibres.
As a general rule, the deciduous trees (those that loose their leaves in the
autumn) are usually thought of as hardwoods and the evergreen trees (such as
pines, firs and larches) as the softwoods. But generalisations are of course
always subject to many exceptions. Some evergreens may well be harder than
some deciduous trees. Birch, for example, is not very hard at all. So we should
understand that there is a whole range of densities amongst our tree species,
including medium dense woods, which cannot be satisfactorily classed as hard
or soft.
Firewood tends to be sold by volume rather than weight. Assuming that the
wood is reasonably dry, the weight of a square metre of good hardwood may be