Hardwood usually refers to wood that comes from species of trees [...]]]> Firewood is usually classified in two categories, softwood and hardwood. Knowing the difference between hardwood and softwood firewood can help you know how much to pay for a cord of wood as well as how to select the right wood for your needs.

Hardwood usually refers to wood that comes from species of trees that produce hard dense wood. Softwoods are of course the opposite, wood that comes from trees that produce softer and less dense wood. Dense hardwoods are heavier than softwoods because they actually have more wood fiber per volume than softwoods. This means there is more wood to burn in hardwood and more heat.

Resinous softwoods like pine and fir do have a little more energy per weight than non resinous wood because the resins have more heat than wood fiber. But the difference is minimal and is greatly overshadowed by more dense wood.

All wood will have around the same amount of energy per a certain amount of weight. It’s the density of wood that determines the amount of heat per volume. A cord of dense hardwood has more wood fiber than a cord of softwood. It’s the same volume, but the hardwood has more solid wood and weighs more than a cord of softwood.

Hardwood comes from broad leaf trees like oak, madrone, walnut, hickory, alder, maple, birch and aspen. Softwood comes from conifers like pine, fir, larch, redwood and cedar. Not all hardwoods are dense and hard. Some hardwoods like aspen, cottonwood and alder, even though they are technically hardwoods, are less dense and softer than some softwoods and they also burn more like softwoods. For this article, when we talk about hardwood firewood, we will be talking about the more dense hardwoods.

Hardwood is typically considered to be the best firewood and is usually the most popular, where it is available. Hardwood is known for burning long and hot. It puts out more heat over a longer period of time. It burns down to a hot bed of coals that tend to burn clean and put out a lot of radiant heat.

Softwoods and low density hardwood are easier to light than hardwood, especially resinous conifers. This makes these types of wood good for making kindling and starting fires. They produce heat quicker and sometimes produce a more intense heat, but it does not last as long. This makes softwood good for getting quick heat and for campfires and open fireplaces when you want a lot of flames.

Hardwood is more popular for cooking wood. This is because of the way it radiates heat and for its flavour. Resinous softwood will make your food have a “piney” taste. Most hardwood has a much better taste. Popular hardwoods for smoking and cooking are oak, alder, hickory, mesquite and many fruit tree woods.

Hardwood usually costs more per cord than softwood. This is because hardwood is more popular and there is more demand, but mostly because you are getting more heat out of a cord of hardwood.

Both hardwood and softwood firewood have their place. I like to have a mixture of both. All wood will burn and put out heat, so if you have it burn it. Over time and burning different types of wood you will learn which types are best for you.

Learn more about different firewood types and compare the BTU between different species.

Different species of trees can vary greatly in the way they burn, the amount of heat they put out, and they way they put out heat. Knowing the best firewood types for your needs can help you get better results from [...]]]> See firewood BTU charts for best firewood types and energy content by species.

Different species of trees can vary greatly in the way they burn, the amount of heat they put out, and they way they put out heat. Knowing the best firewood types for your needs can help you get better results from your wood burning.

People often ask what the best firewood types are for burning. But this question is not always as easy as saying this is the best wood, now go burn it. It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish by burning the wood. The ideal wood for home heating in a wood stove may not be what someone would want in an open fireplace, or for a campfire, or for cooking wood.

The main difference between firewood types, when it comes to burning, is density. Wood generally has the same amount of heat per weight. The difference is in density. Dense woods have more energy than less dense woods per volume. The exception is with resinous softwoods like fir and pine, which have a little more energy per weight than non resinous wood. This is because the resins have more energy per weight than wood fiber.

Higher density wood will usually burn slower and put out more radiant heat over a longer time. These are the high density hardwoods like oak, hickory and madrone. Low density wood will usually burn faster and put out less total heat over a shorter amount of time. Low density wood is easier to light and can put out more intense flames with intense heat, but for a shorter amount of time. Low density woods are softwoods like fir, pine, cedar and redwood, and the softer hardwoods like cottonwood, aspen and alder.

If you want a lot of radiant heat for home heating, dense hardwoods are hard to beat. You get more total BTU over a long period of time. For lighting fires the less dense woods can be easier to ignite, especially softwoods, which are resinous. Softer wood will also put out heat faster and they make larger and more intense flames, which makes it good for open fireplaces and campfires. For cooking, avoid resinous woods like fir and pine, since it can give food a “piney” taste. Most cooking and smoking is done with dense hardwood. When roasting things like marshmallows where it isn’t over the fire for long, it doesn’t matter much.

Different firewood species can vary in the amount of ash they put out. For example, oak makes great firewood for a wood stove since it burns hot and will hold a bed of coals for a long period of time. But it also produces a lot of ash. For many, putting up with the extra ash is worth its good burning qualities. For those who would rather have less ash, madrone is a better choice.

Resinous softwood is great for lighting fires and in cases where you want more flames. Higher density softwood like Douglas fir and larch (tamarack) can also be good in wood stoves and in my opinion sometimes under rated, but still won’t give the same performance as more dense hardwood. Resinous softwood can also create more creosote buildup.

I often get asked whether a certain type of wood is worth burning. Usually if someone is removing a tree in their yard and want to know whether to cut it into firewood or not. Any wood is good for burning, as long as it is dry. Some are much better than others, but if you have the wood you might as well use it instead of letting it go to waste.

Learn about different types of firewood and the amount of heat energy by species in these firewood BTU charts.

Firewood is easy to dry as long as you give it the right drying conditions. With a little basic information about drying firewood, you can avoid the simple mistakes people commonly make. This will give you wood that is easy [...]]]>

Firewood drying in stacks spaced apart to allow air to circulate between them.

Firewood is easy to dry as long as you give it the right drying conditions. With a little basic information about drying firewood, you can avoid the simple mistakes people commonly make. This will give you wood that is easy to light, will burn cleaner, and will give you more heat per cord.

There are two types of wet firewood, green wood and seasoned wood that got wet. If wood is green, that means it is fresh cut from a live tree. Green wood still has moisture inside its living cells and will have tree sap. Seasoned wood is wood that has been allowed to dry long enough for the sap and cellular moisture to escape. When seasoned wood is left out in the rain, it will soak up water and it too will need to be dried again before it is ideal for burning. Green wood takes longer to dry than wet seasoned wood.

Your climate will determine how long it will take for drying firewood. If you have hot dry summers, your wood can dry much faster than if you are in a cool, damp, foggy climate. Drying firewood can take months to over a year or more, depending on the drying conditions. What we are going to teach you here is how to shorten that time.

The fastest way to dry wood is with a drying kiln. But since most of us don’t have a kiln, the next option is to air dry it, or simply leave it out in the open air to dry naturally. Air is what carries the moisture away from the wood as it evaporates. In order for wood to dry, it is very important that it gets plenty of air circulation.

The first step is to cut and split the wood. Wood will dry faster if it is in smaller pieces. A whole log can take years to dry. The exception to this is if the foliage is still attached. A tree that is cut down and left whole, or a standing dead tree, can actually dry quickly through the leaves. But since this is not a practical way for most people to dry firewood, it is best to cut it up and split it into small pieces so there is more surface area for water to evaporate.

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is to cover green or wet wood as soon as they get it. This is the opposite of what should be done. Not only do they cover it, they cover the whole pile with a tarp all the way to the ground. Doing this prevents air circulation and the wood will be more likely to mold before it ever dries.

If wood is green, it is best to leave it outside in the open air and preferably in the sun. Even in wet weather it is fine to leave it in the rain until dry weather comes when it can start drying. It’s not going to dry while it’s raining, but covering it with a tarp is not going to help it dry either. That will just make it a moldy mess of wet slimy wood instead of just wet wood. So it’s best to leave the tarp off until better drying weather.

Stacking the wood can help it dry faster than if it is left in a random heap. In a heap, the wood on top that is exposed to more air and sun will dry fast but the wood inside the pile will take longer. Stacking the wood in a single row gives exposure to open air on both ends of every piece.

There is a technique for drying wood in a heap that can work well if you are not trying to dry it all as fast as possible. You leave the heaping pile out in the sun. As the top layer of wood dries, you take the dry pieces and put them into your covered storage or wherever you will store your dry wood. Now the wood underneath is exposed to quickly dry. With this technique you just keep peeling the top layer off until the pile is gone.

The most common mistake I see people make when stacking wood is to stack the wood against a wall or stacking multiple rows against each other. This greatly reduces air circulation. When stacking a row of wood next to something or when stacking multiple rows, leave a few inches of space between so air can circulate. See the picture at the top of this article.

Only the top of the pile is covered so air can still circulate through the sides.

Once the wood is dry, it should then be covered before wet weather comes. You can cover it with a tarp but only cover the top. Leave the sides exposed so the air can flow.

You can put wet or green wood in a shed, garage, barn, or other structure as long as it gets plenty of air flow. It will still dry this way, but not nearly as quickly as it will in the open sun.

It will dry faster if you leave it outside until it is dry and then bring it in before the weather gets wet. There will be more labor in moving it around this way, so if you have plenty of time for it to dry, you may want to just let it dry inside. But if you want to know how to dry firewood quickly, leave it outside in the sun, if weather conditions allow it.

Drying firewood is simple, it’s just a matter of giving it air circulation while keeping it dry. And if you can add direct sun to the mix, that is ideal. If you have questions or comments please post them below.

Texas [...]]]> Texas is world renown for its hunting opportunities. With the vast size and open space, Texas has some of the richest populations of wildlife available. Whether you are into hunting deer, turkey, elk, rabbits, antelope, rattlesnakes, ducks, quail, alligator and more, you can find some of the best of it in Texas.

Texas Deer Hunting Leases

Texas Exotic Hunting Ranches

Texas provides habitats that are similar in some ways to the [...]]]> Texas exotic hunting ranches offer an experience to hunt exotic game animals, all within the comfort and convenience of the United States. Texas provides excellent habitats that many exotic animals from all around the world can easily adapt to and flourish in.

Texas provides habitats that are similar in some ways to the plains of Africa. This makes Texas an ideal and popular place to hunt exotic African game animals. In Texas you can enjoy a safari experience without the expense and hassle of traveling to Africa. You also skip all the problems associated with language barriers and political instability.

African game is very popular but many exotic game hunting ranches also have animals available from all over the world including Europe, Asia and Australia. Not to mention animals native to Texas and North America.

Most exotic hunting ranches in Texas are not for those on a budget. But if you can afford the $2000 to $5000 price tags that are common, the experience can be well worth the money. Texas exotic hunting ranches offer high class amenities that include lodging and dining. Guided hunts area also usually part of the package to help ensure you get the animal you are looking for.

Since exotic hunts come with a high price you will want to be sure an do your research to make sure you get the quality experience that you are looking for. If possible get a review from previous clients to hear what kind of experience they had.

In modern developed civilisations hunting is no longer a part of survival but the hunting instinct in humans still [...]]]> Hunting has been important to humans since prehistoric times. Without hunting, people in many parts of the world would not have been able to survive where other forms of food is not available year round.

In modern developed civilisations hunting is no longer a part of survival but the hunting instinct in humans still runs strong. Hunting gives humans an opportunity to get back in touch with and align with their deep human nature. Getting out in the wild and being in touch with who we really are and where food comes from can be a therapeutic break from the artificially created world that most people now live in.

For men hunting has long been a way to leave the home with other men and bond friendships with a common interest and goal. In prehistoric times, going hunting daily was probably as routine as going to our jobs is today. The urge to leave the home to go hunt is a deep part of us that most of society has lost tough with and is a missing part of most humans.

Although hunting is a male dominated activity, it is becoming increasingly popular with women. More women than ever are now discovering how therapeutic and enjoyable hunting and the shooting sports can be.

Hunting is not only good for the sole, it is also healthy for the body. The fresh air and exercise are great for the body and so is the organic fresh meat from a clean kill. The “organic” meat people buy in the health food stores doesn’t compare to real organic meat from the wild.

Hunting is looked down upon by much of society as though it was something barbaric and cruel. At the same time the same critics are eating meat they buy from the store. The only difference is they hire someone else to do the killing for them. And in the case of vegetarians or vegans, somehow they are fine with the idea of animals hunting each other and ripping each other apart in the wild but when humans are involved somehow in their mind hunting bad thing. In the case with most human hunters, great care is taken to make quick kills with as little suffering as possible. This is not the case when animals eat each other.

Hunting is an important tool for wildlife management. In many areas of the world the large predators are no longer around. These predators kept many animal populations in check. Without them animals populations overpopulate and die slow painful deaths from starvation and disease. Hunting solves this serious problem and bypasses the starvation and disease by humanely thinning the populations to healthy levels. Not only is this good for wildlife populations, it also provides high quality food for people.