Dried or Seasoned Firewood – Does it Matter?

(TacticalNews.com) – Whether you’re out on a hunting trip, camping with the family or at home by the fireplace, having a fire is important. But how important is the wood you use to build the fire? What is the difference between dried wood and seasoned wood? Does it really matter?

The following video from Homesteading Off The Grid explores these questions:

In the video, we see three examples of firewood: green, dried and seasoned. Green wood is freshly cut and is made up of roughly 50 percent water. This will not burn well, and can actually be dangerous to burn. It will create a great deal of smoke, and is capable of creating a build-up of creosote in chimneys. This is dangerous because creosote itself is flammable.

Dried wood has been set out to let the moisture evaporate from the wood. As the moisture leaves, the edges of the wood will begin to crack. Dried wood looks yellow or gray, depending on where it was left to dry. This wood will still contain creosote, but not in the quantities found in green wood fires.

Seasoned wood is the best candidate for burning. The term “seasoned” means the wood has set out for multiple seasons, giving it time to dry thoroughly (down to roughly 20 percent water content). This process is done by stacking freshly cut wood in a dry location and leaving it there for a year or more. Burning seasoned wood comes with several benefits: it is easier to light, burns longer and burns cleaner than green or dried wood.

Since seasoned wood will burn longer, it will save you time cutting and splitting logs in the long run.

To determine if the wood you are seasoning is ready, here are a few characteristics to look for:

The wood has become lighter in color due to the loss of water content.
The bark has become loose or is falling off.
If you split the wood, it will be dry on the inside.
Seasoned wood tends to have a lot of cracks, not just around the edges but also extending from the center of the log.

In short, there is a difference between green, dried and seasoned wood, and it matters which wood you decide to burn. If you have ever wanted to know how to enjoy a fire without the smoke, check out our article here.