Wood Types & How To Choose

This can be very confusing. With all the different types of woods available, it can feel impossible when trying to select the best types for ‘Yew’…you may even say ‘it’s difficult to ‘Cedar’ wood for the trees!’ ??

All wood types burn better when they have been ‘seasoned’. This simply means ‘dry’. If it is classed as ‘green’, it is ‘freshly cut or taken from a living tree’. The general rule is:- dry wood is good wood. However, if a fire is well built, most wood will burn even if it’s unseasoned.

For the best clean burn and maximum heat output it is best to choose wood that has been “Kiln Dried”, and has an average moisture content below 20%.

The Good Wood Guide:

Key…

???	= Excellent
??	= Good
?	= Fair
???	= Poor (it’s a lemon)

Tree	Heat	Burn	Flame	Other Information
Alder ???	Poor, does not last	Quick burner
Apple ??	Good heat	Slowly & steadily	Little flame	Pleasing scent. Gives lovely flavour to smoked foods
Ash ???		Brilliant heat provider	Best flame producer	Will burn when green. Small branches make great kindling
Beech ???	Brilliant heat provider, not as good as Ash		Best flame producer, not as good as Ash	Fair burn when green. May give a few sparks
Birch ??	Good heat quality	Burns quickly	Bright flame	Pleasing scent. Bark makes excellent tinder even damp because of natural oils
Blackthorn ???	Good heat	Burns slowly		Little smoke. A hedgerow. Produces small logs
Cedar ??	Gives much heat		Small flame	Must be dry. Has snap and crackle. Beautiful scent. Makes a good cooking fire
Cherry ??	Good heat	Slow burn		Pleasant scent
Douglas Fir ???	Little heat	Slow burner if well seasoned	Little flame	Produces sparks
Elder ???	Little heat	Quick burn		Plenty of smoke
Elm ?	Constant heat	One log put on before bed can keep a fire in until morning. Slow burner		Unpredictable due to Dutch Elm disease. Can smoke violently. High moisture level
Hawthorn ???	Good heat	Slow burner		Little smoke. Hedgerow tree, small twigs worth using
Hazel ??	Good	Burns quickly		Good all-rounder. Small pieces make good kindling
Holly ?	Good	Quick burner if green		Good when seasoned
Hornbeam ??	Brilliant heat provider, hot	Slow burning	Best flame producer, not as good as Ash	Fair burn when green
Horse Chestnut ???	Good heat		Good flame	Spits a lot
Larch ???	Good heat if seasoned			Crackly with nice scent
Laurel ?			Brilliant flame
Lime???	Poor	Poor	Dull
Maple ??	Good	Good	Good	Good quality firewood
Oak ???	Very old dry wood – excellent heat	Very old dry wood – Slow burner	Sparse	Acrid smoke if new or damp. Produces very little ash
Pear ??	Good heat			Pleasant scent
Pine ?			Bright flame	Pleasant scent. Crackles and spits. Good for keeping fire going in wet weather
Plane ?		Burns reasonably well		Throws sparks if very dry
Plum ??	Good heat			Pleasant scent
Poplar ???	Little heat	Slow burner		Poor camp firewood
Rhododendron ?		Good burner		Thick, tough, old stems are best
Spruce ???		Quick burner		Produces many sparks
Sycamore ??	Moderate heat		Good flame	Thin branches make good kindling
Walnut ?	Fair			Uncommon. Distinctive scent
Willow ?		Quick burner		Must be well seasoned
Yew ?	Fierce heat	Slow burner		Dense, slow-growing. Pleasant scent. Can spit & spark on a campfire.