I’ve burned wood most of my life. Grew up in Northern New York with myriad hardwoods to choose from. In 1981 I moved to eastern Washington and found they burned mostly larch and red fir. Neither would have been considered firewood in northern NY. But they both do well as firewood. In Alaska I burned mostly birch as it was readily available and good firewood. Not as good as some of the varieties I grew up with but better than spruce or cottonwood, the other common woods in south central Alaska. But, they all make heat. Having a sawmill and cutting all three into lumber always left me with piles of slabs and smaller wood that wouldn’t make saw logs. So I burned a lot of each, always using birch for a night fire.

Here in my area of Idaho I’m back to red fir and larch and both do well. This year, because of my wife’s health issues, I hit the easy button. Well the semi easy button. We have a post and pole outfit here in town and a local guy who would bring a five yard dump truck of shorts from the post and pole place. I had him bring four loads. Ended up being a little over 5 cord. They are everything, red fir, white fir, lodgepole, larch and ponderosa pine. The shorts are anywhere from a couple inches to six feet in length. I set up my 15 inch miter saw and cut all the longer stuff to 16 inches and made two piles, one of 16” and one of shorts. The stuff too big for the miter saw I cut with the chain saw. I started burning the first of November and just used up the last of the shorts this past Monday. While not ideal firewood, it has kept the house plenty warm and I didn’t have to juggle caring for my wife with getting to the woods to cut it.

Literally my entire life. My folks heated with wood. Wife and I have heated with wood for 40 years. Inside stoves, outside forced air, and currently outside wood boiler.
I love my wood heat. I have to admit, come spring, I’m tired of feeding that sucker wood lol.

Grew up burning wood. Put an old Shenandoah wood stove that my father-in-law found at the landfill in my basement to supplement our electric heat, about 30 years ago. Used it for quite a while, then switched to a more fuel efficient stove for 4 years. That thing was junk, so pulled the Shenandoah back out (glad I didn't scrap it), brought it to a welding pro and had it refurbished. Still going strong. Burn about 10 cord a year, starting at Halloween until March, sometimes early April. Keeps the house 72-76*. I usually manage to get my wood for free from friends, side of the road, and some off my own property. Just have to do all the work.

A cord heats my place for a year.
Same steal saw for decades.
Am an expert chain filer and saw mech.
Only use canned fuel so no break downs.
Drain oil is free, it won't hurt saws.
Haul all the wood with the garden tractor.
Only take rounds, ne splitting.
The wife loads stove, stacks and reloads.
I'm saving money with wood.

This snow n cold needs redacted.

Main winter pile that I haven’t touched yet don’t plan to. I worked off of the smaller pile all winter so this larger one will be ready for next year should burn perfectly dry.Have not touched it this winter it’s been so nice this year so I’ll be ahead for next year.



Secondary pile I add to that until I can’t get around with the trailer from the landing piles. I have been burning off or this all winter, as long as I can get around with the trailer and burn off of this pile I’m ahead for next year that way.




Biggest pain with elm is the loose bark once it dries the stuff falls off moving the rounds it adds up waiting for a good snowfall or rain to burn that pile along with the rotten rounds with no value.

The nice thing about wood heat is that it doesn't just heat the air, it heats "things" like walls, floors, etc, and it's that bone warming dry radiant heat that is superior to all other heat sources, IMO.

We burn red/white oak, hickory, and black locust...Takes about 3-4 cords here in Kentucky burning full time as the only heat source, from Nov-March.

Heat my house with a Heat n Glo North Star and the farm cabin with a Jotul F3. Forced air feels pathetic after spending time around wood heat.

Now If someone can let my wife know that wood doesn't split and stack itself that would be great. It's a contest to her to see how fast she can burn it. You can probably cook biscuits in just about any room in our house. Lol

Ol dad

Same here but just when I left home 50 years ago

Hard to regulate...yes

But better heat wise than anything else

If you find someone, maybe they can talk to my wife too. Every time I remind her that we don't have to keep it at 80 degrees or more see responds with,"What are you worried about, it's free." LOL

I burn about five cords between mid-October and mid-April. I don't like rebuilding the fire so we usually just start it in October and keep it going until March.

Grew up feeding a Jøtul wood stove...nice dry heat thats hard to beat. Run geothermal now, appreciate the efficiency and the independence from having to feed a stove. Especially going to appreciate it as retirement quickly approaches and extended trips would impede feeding a stove or boiler.