To create a cozy fireplace environment, you need quality seasoned firewood to feed the roaring flames. Thankfully, modern drying techniques such as baking the wood in a kiln and heat treating help create the perfect bundles of firewood. While these two treatments sound similar, they actually serve different purposes for prepping wood for the fire.

If you tried to place completely untreated wood in your fireplace, you wouldn’t get very far. The moisture content in the fibers would be far too high to properly ignite and create a satisfying conflagration. This is why baking the wood in a kiln is so important. Kiln-drying simply means that the wood has been baked in a kiln at an unspecified temperature for an unspecified amount of time. There are no technical requirements regarding the temperature and time of kiln-dried wood. This process removes much of the moisture content of the material, making it more suitable for burning in a fire.

Heat treating also involves cooking the seasoned firewood at a high temperature, but it has stricter guidelines and serves a wider purpose than simply removing moisture. When wood is baked at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 60 minutes, it is considered heat treated. At that temperature for that amount of time, any living organisms that could pose a threat to forest health are eradicated. Microorganisms and damaging insects such as the emerald ash borer are completely wiped from any seasoned firewood that is put through heat treatment. This helps keep forests safe from invasions and your home safe from any unwanted critters.

In the end, both methods are important for creating useful seasoned firewood and preserving the health of forest environments. Your firewood delivery service can tell you exactly how the wood has been treated, leaving you confident in its ability to create the cozy fireplace atmosphere that’s so desirable during the chilly winter months.

Jay’s Firewood & Mulch is the go-to source for seasoned firewood in the great St. Louis, MO, region. More than just keeping St. Louis residents cozy, however, the company has a skilled crew of landscapers and technicians able to handle a wide variety of jobs. For more information, call (877) 492-2970 or visit the website.