Grandpa’s Two Heatings

By Robert Seay, U of A Division of Agriculture

10-08-2008

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - As with other petroleum products, the projected cost of home heating this winter has triggered interest in using firewood. An unusual number of trees were downed during storms in 2008, creating an abundance of this renewable heat source.

Grandpa’s philosophy on firewood was to produce two heatings! The first came each summer when he loaded up a half-dozen grandsons to cut, split and haul firewood. His routine resulted in a constant supply of well-seasoned firewood. This served to avoid chimney fires, which are caused by creosote buildup when unseasoned wood is burned.

I remember the conversations from those trips in regards to the heat potential of various types of wood. Hickory was always the hands-down winner, followed by white oak. Grandpa conceded, “Bois d’arc (Osage orange) burns hot enough to run Satan out of Purgatory, but no fool in his right mind would try to split it!”

Red oak occurred lower on the list, but was appreciated by the smaller grandsons since it was easier to split. This prompted Grandpa to comment on their ability to do a fair share of the work.

Other wood species are easier to cut, split, load and haul because they are much lighter. However, Grandpa advised that light wood simply flamed up like a match, serving only to keep you busy putting wood in the stove with little heat in the bargain.

Years later I found charts illustrating the BTU or heat value of various wood types. They note that engineers have ranked the various species about like Grandpa had taught us. I was not only pleased for Grandpa, but equally pleased the engineer had gotten it right!

Pay attention to your firewood purchases and check out the: fireplace; insert; wood heater; and flue system before lighting up. Do it soon because the Farmer’s Almanac predicts a harsh winter! Til’ next week!