With chilly winter temperatures blowing in, many homeowners are purchasing seasoned firewood to keep their homes comfortable all season long. Since the quality of the wood you choose impacts how well your fireplace, fire pit, or wood stove will work, here are some helpful tips to ensure you choose excellent firewood this year.

Tips for Choosing Firewood

1. High-Density

Certain trees have a higher density than others, so their wood will produce more heat and burn for a longer time period. Some examples of high-density hardwoods are hickory, oak, and maple. Softer woods—such as balsam, spruce, or pine—will burn much quicker, so the logs will need to be replaced more often to maintain the fire.

2. Low Moisture

When choosing your firewood, you should select a seasoned option. Seasoned firewood refers to wood that has been dried out to a moisture content of less than 20%. Moisture levels higher than that can make the wood harder to light. It can also be difficult to keep moist firewood burning in your wood stove or fireplace.

3. Piece Length

Lastly, you’ll want to select seasoned firewood that is cut to a suitable length for your fireplace or stove. As a general rule, you should choose short, manageable pieces that are a consistent length—between 14 and 18 inches—since they are easier to handle and stoke. If your firewood varies more than two inches in length between pieces, this likely means it’s poor quality. To ensure you get good quality wood, look for a reputable firewood delivery service that guarantees consistent, high-quality products.

The next time you run out of seasoned firewood, turn to the most reliable firewood delivery service in the St. Louis, MO, area, Jay’s Firewood & Mulch. Homeowners depend on their service for high-quality products that always get delivered on time. To order firewood, call them at (877) 492-2970. You can also visit them online to learn more about their delivery services.