The Ecology of Firewood

There’s something magical about a cozy fire in a fireplace or fire pit outdoors. They invite either a cozy night in or a gathering with friends. They can give life to a room or an additional sense of peace at home. And a fireplace or fire pit fueled by real wood is a real delight; there’s no replacing the aroma or feel of a hardwood fire.

Most of us buy our firewood now (or scavenge it when a neighborhood tree comes down. That’s a fine thing to do, but it also detaches us from the fact that firewood is an agricultural product and like our gardens plays a role in local ecology and our local environment. So for today’s blog let’s dig in and learn a bit about the ecology of firewood and how it interacts with the natural world around us!

Firewood as an Agricultural Product

Firewood is a natural product, and in many places it is a farmed product. Many tree farms have a sideline in producing firewood along with timber for construction, and the types and quality of firewood produced varies from region to region and season to season. Smaller producers—folks who own some wooded property—may also sell firewood as a sideline or part-time job.

Purchased firewood is most often the product of local agriculture, due to both the logistical difficulty of shipping firewood long distances and the legal restrictions on doing so. In the US there are both state and federal regulations in place to limit the transportation of firewood. It’s against the rules to move firewood across state lines, and some states have internal restrictions. New York for example prohibits transporting untreated firewood more than 50 miles/80 km from the point of production.  There may be additional restrictions in place for endangered or otherwise protected trees that prevent them from being harvested and used for firewood.

So why limit the movement of firewood? Turns out, there are some ecological concerns about transporting firewood . . .

The Problem with Transporting Firewood

We’ll start with the guidance we encountered throughout our research for this blog: Don’t Move Firewood! As it turns out, untreated firewood—meaning wood that hasn’t been kiln-dried or heat treated to remove moisture—is a transportation vector for invasive insects and diseases that can wreck havoc on local trees.  Experienced gardeners know how much damage an insect invasion can do, and transported firewood can bring pests that can wipe out entire populations if left unchecked. On the scale of a forest, the results can be catastrophic. The American chestnut (Castanea dentata) was almost driven to extinction by chestnut blight, a tree disease that spread in part via transported wood. While much work is being done to save the surviving population and reestablish the American chestnut to some of its former range the near-loss of this tree is a cautionary tale for us all.

Environmentally Friendly Firewood

So now that we know a bit more about the ecology of firewood and how it can affect the environment around us, how do we get “safe” firewood for our fireplaces, fire pits, or camping trips? A good place to start is by contacting your local cooperative extension and asking about the rules and regulations about firewood in your area. They may also be able to connect you to reputable firewood dealers who can provide a quality, environmentally-safe product. When you do contact a firewood dealer, don’t be afraid to ask questions about how the wood was harvested and processed and where it came from. A legitimate firewood seller will have ready answers and be honest and transparent with you. Most folks who work in forestry and timber care about the environment too and want their trees to be healthy and happy for generations to come.

As with so many natural products, firewood is more complex than we thought at first and we’ve learned a lot over the course of researching and writing this blog. We hope this information helps you make better decisions about firewood purchases—and we really hope you’ll be able to enjoy some time around a fire this winter season!