Growing Your Own Firewood The Right Way

For those with a fire ring in the backyard, a fireplace in the house, or maybe a pizza oven on the patio, having some firewood around is a must. Forget going to a big box store or gas station to get it. Seven or eight dollars for a bundle that barely lasts a night is no way to go about this.

Furthermore, who knows where that expensive firewood is coming from? Is it the result of deforestation? Is it sustainably harvested? For that matter, how much would a sustainably harvested bundle of firewood cost? It’s got to be pricey, right?

Growing firewood at home—even a suburban home—is something that can be done, and it can be done sustainably. It’s just a matter of choosing the right trees, having the right expectations, and knowing the right way to do it.

The Right Trees

The best trees for growing firewood at home are those that with decent density and grow quickly. The denser the wood is, the longer the logs will burn, so hardwoods like oak and hickory make great firewood whereas softwood evergreens like pine and cypress are no good.

In essence, a good firewood stock will have fast-growing hardwood trees.

• For the absolute best firewood, oak, maple, and black locust are hard to beat, but they grow slower than other choices. They also burn longer and hotter.
• Willow, poplar, and alder are faster growing and very adequate firewood though they do need to be kept out of the weather after being cut.
• Some alternative considerations are eucalyptus trees and bamboo. Eucalyptus is fast-growing and denser than softer hardwood like poplar. Bamboo is very fast-growing as well as fast-burning, but it will replenish annually. That said, it needs to be split before being burned so that it doesn’t explode. And, osage orange is the hottest burning wood around.

The Right Expectations

It’s important to realize getting into firewood production that takes a few years to get going. However, once things get going, replenishing the firewood supply will get quicker. All that said, it’ll take quite a few trees to provide a face cord of firewood, i.e. a stack that is four feet tall and eight feet long and 15 inches wide.

For folks looking to run of wood-burning cookstove all winter, growing your own firewood might require a couple of acres of managed forest. But, for those who want an occasional fire, a backyard might suffice or, at least, provide a chunk of what’s needed. Plus, it’s a great conversation piece while watching the flames.

In other words, it’s important to realize that growing firewood in a backyard might not heat a house for months, but it’ll provide some campfires and an occasional romantic night near the fireplace.

The Right Way to Do It

The cool part, or sustainable twist, to this whole cultivating firewood endeavor, is the practice of coppicing. This is when choosing the right tree makes a huge difference. Coppicing is cutting certain types of trees down to just above the ground so that they’ll regrow to produce more firewood, or pollarding is cutting them a few feet above the ground. This can be done for centuries without killing the tree.

The beauty of a coppiced tree is that it already has an established root system, so the regrowth of the tree is much quicker than the original growth. That means that the firewood is replenished faster. Create a coppicing cycle with a few trees, and firewood will be available every year. Even better, the trees are dying in the process. Sometimes, they are getting stronger.

After that, it’s extremely important to give the wood time to season, i.e. dry out. Wet, sappy wood wastes a lot of energy drying out when it is burning. Dry wood will burn easier, longer, and cleaner. It’s best to wait at least six months before burning wood.

Some Other Semi-Sustainable Options

For those with higher wood demands or a shortage of space, it’s possible to get firewood without adding to the deforestation. It’s easy to find people online—Marketplace, Craigslist, etc.—looking for folks to come and cut up fallen trees in exchange for free firewood. It’s also possible to contact tree cutters who are often looking for places to dispose of tree biomass they’ve created on the job. This helps to utilize the resources that are already in play rather than creating more demand for cutting down trees.

Related Content:

• The 10 Easiest, Fastest Trees for Your Backyard Orchard
• A Beginner’s Look at Growing Hazelnuts in Your Backyard Orchard
• 10 Unconventional Fruit Trees for the Backyard Orchard
• DIY: How to Season Firewood for Better Burning
• How to Make Good Use of Old Firewood

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