Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, December 11, 1994 TAG: 9412140003
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN S. SALADYGA NEWSDAY
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Whether you plan to heat with wood this winter or just curl up occasionally in front of the fireplace, throwing the right logs on the fire will produce efficient energy to heat your home or create a flame that will warm your spirit, if not your abode.
Unless you have access to a woodlot, the wood you burn will have to come from commercial sources, and knowing how to buy what you want and need will keep you from being left out in the cold by unscrupulous or unknowledgeable dealers.
The two words most misunderstood (on the consumer's part) or misrepresented (on the seller's part) in the commerce of firewood are ``cord'' and ``seasoned,'' says Bob Hicks of Hicks Firewood Co. in East Northport, N.Y. A cord is a standard unit of measure of firewood. Seasoned wood means dry wood.
Firewood is sold in cords, but there are differences in that term. A full, or standard, cord is a tightly stacked pile that measures 8 feet long by 4 feet high by 4 feet deep. It contains 128 cubic feet of wood, but because of air spaces between pieces, the actual volume of wood amounts to about 80 cubic feet.
What many people think of as a cord, and the way some sellers may represent it, is actually a face cord. At quick glance, it looks like a lot of wood, but since a face cord measures 8 feet long by 4 feet high and from 1 foot to 2 feet deep, it can contain anywhere from a half to a quarter of the wood of a full cord and should be priced accordingly.
Wood sold by the truckload could be an iffy proposition. It's difficult to determine if a pile of wood delivered in a dump truck is, in fact, the amount paid for - unless you take the time to stack and measure after it's unloaded. (It's pretty safe to assume that a pickup truckload of wood will not amount to a full cord - it's most likely half to a third of a cord.) Some dealers do stack the wood on their trucks for delivery and inspection.
For wood to burn easily and efficiently, it must be seasoned. Green, or wet, wood from a freshly felled tree has a moisture content of 60 to 80 percent. Seasoned wood has a moisture content of 20 to 25 percent.
Wet wood is not only difficult to start and keep burning, but the fire it produces loses heat energy because part of the fire has to boil out the moisture. That's why green-wood fires sizzle. In addition, wet wood produces a smoky fire, and, because it burns cooler than seasoned wood, it builds up creosote, which lines chimneys and poses a potential fire hazard.
There are a number of ways to check if the stack that was just delivered is seasoned. Look at the color. If the wood is pinkish, reddish or golden in color, it's wet (seasoning drains the color out of wood). If it smells ``woody,'' that's also an indication it's green. Or pick up two logs and bang them together; a ringing sound is produced by dry wood, a thud is a sign of wet wood.
There's nothing wrong with buying green wood - provided you don't pay as much for it as for seasoned wood and you allow it to dry before burning it.
Adequate seasoning takes from six months to a year, with the latter being preferable. And don't leave the wood in a pile; stack it off the ground, ideally in a spot where sun and wind can get to it. And backyard Bunyons who cut down their own trees should split the wood to hasten seasoning.
One way to gauge when seasoning is complete is to pick out a piece of wood from a newly stacked pile and record its weight. After a couple of months, weigh the piece again and record the weight (it should be lighter). Thereafter, continue weighing each month. When the weight seems to have stabilized, seasoning is done.
To keep wood dry after it has been seasoned, keep the top of the stack covered with a plastic tarp, but don't rest the tarp directly on the pile, because condensation will get trapped and start undoing what it took six months to a year to do.
Another important factor in buying wood is its intended use. Different species of trees have different densities that determine how the wood burns. A dense hardwood such as oak has a high heat output and burns slowly, requiring fewer refueling trips. Thus, it would be a good fuel for a wood-burning stove. Because oak sells for about $175 to $190 a cord, it's uneconomical to burn in a fireplace; fireplaces are made to look at, not to heat with. For fireplaces, less expensive ``mixed hardwoods,'' which sell for about $140 a cord, will do a good job.
However, if you want to impress your company - or just indulge yourself - over the holidays, not only with the look of a cozy fire but also with its aroma, it may be worth the money ($200 to $225 a cord) to stock up on woods such as apple, cherry or hickory.
by CNB