With the new year just around the corner, the time for resolutions is nigh. While everyone has their own ambitions for 2023, we want to make a case for resolving to buy eco-friendly firewood as the new year rolls in and explain why such a decision is now a legal requirement in the UK.
Why you need to think about the firewood you burn at home
The climate crisis is the biggest threat to life on earth as we know it, and we all have to do our part to decelerate global warming. Something that we can all do is consider the firewood that we burn at home. Burning wet firewood is extremely bad for the environment, as it emits more smoke and releases harmful pollutants into the air. In fact, the UK government announced a ban on the burning of wet wood in domestic settings, meaning you’re now legally required to consider the fuel that you burn at home.
Can burning firewood be eco-friendly?
When sustainably sourced, firewood is a carbon-neutral resource. What this means is that burning sustainable firewood doesn’t release any more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than if you were to leave it to decompose naturally. But all wood is different, so it’s incredibly important to choose the right type of firewood to burn at home.
For instance, burning wet, toxic, or poisonous wood is harmful to the environment, as it emits more smoke and releases harmful particles into the atmosphere. If you were to inadvertently burn wood covered in poison ivy or poison oak vines, it would release a substance known as urushiol into the atmosphere, which can lead to skin rashes and lung irritation, among other afflictions. Driftwood is another type of firewood to avoid, as it traps toxic chemicals as it floats through the sea, which are then released when the wood is burned.
Therefore, it’s imperative that you choose the right firewood when stocking up for your home fire in the New Year, as we explain below.
Which type of firewood is eco-friendly?
There are three main things you should look out for when buying firewood to ensure you select an eco-friendly option:
- The wood should be hard and dry - ideally with a moisture content of less than 20%.
- It should have been sustainably and responsibly sourced.
- It should be clean, natural, and free from toxins and additives.
At Homefire, we take our environmental responsibility seriously. We source our firewood from sustainable forests in Latvia and are extremely proud of our involvement in an innovative regeneration project there. What’s more, we ensure all of our firewood is ultra-dry to reduce smoke emissions and enable your fire to burn long and bright. For example, our most popular fuel sources include our kiln-dried firewood and Shimada heat logs, which have both been dried to a moisture content of less than 20%. They are both completely natural fuel sources and perfectly safe for all home fires.
The key thing to remember is that there’s absolutely no reason why you can’t enjoy a roaring fire at home responsibly. But you need to take responsibility for the fuel that you buy for your fire, which is why we’re committing to providing sustainable, natural, and ultra-dry firewood to all of our customers as 2023 rolls in.
