| Common Name |
Botanical Name |
Comments |
Grade |
| Alder |
Alnus |
A low quality firewood |
Grade: 1 |
| Apple |
Malus |
Needs to be seasoned well. Burns well with a pleasant
smell and without sparking/spitting. |
Grade: 3 |
| Ash |
Fraxinus |
Considered to be one of the best woods for firewood.
It has a low water content (approx. 50%) and can
be split very easily with an axe. It can be burned
green but like all wood is best when seasoned. Burns
at a steady rate and not too fast. |
Grade: 4 |
| Beech |
Fagus |
Beech has a high water content (approx. 90%) so
only burns well when seasoned well. Not as good as
Oak. |
Grade: 3 |
| Birch |
Betula |
Birch is an excellent firewood and will burn unseasoned.
However, it does burn very fast so is best mixed
with slower burning wood such as Elm or Oak. |
Grade: 3-4 |
| Cedar |
Cedrus |
A good firewood which burns well with a pleasant
smell. Gives off a good, lasting heat. Doesn't spit
too much and small pieces can be burned unseasoned |
Grade: 2 |
| Cherry |
Prunus |
Needs to be seasoned well. Burns well with a pleasant
smell and without spitting. |
Grade: 2-3 |
| Elm |
Ulmus |
A good firewood but due to its high water content
of approximately 140% (more water than wood!) it
must be seasoned very well. It may need assistance
from another faster burning wood such as Birch to
keep it burning well. However it gives off a good,
lasting heat and burns very slowly. Dutch Elm Disease
is producing a constant & plentiful supply of
small dead hedgerow Elm trees of a small diameter.
Larger pieces of wood will prove difficult to split. |
Grade: 2-3 |
| Eucalyptus |
Eucalyptus |
Allow to season well since the wood is very wet
(sappy) when fresh. Can be difficult to split due
to stringy wood fibre. Best method is to slice into
rings and allow to season during the summer, the
rings will start to split themselves. Burns fast
with a pleasant smell and without spitting. |
Grade: 2-3 |
| Hawthorn |
Crataegus |
Good firewood. Burns well |
Grade: 3-4 |
| Hazel |
Corylus |
Excellent firewood. Allow to season. Burns fast
but without spitting |
Grade: 4 |
| Holly |
Ilex |
Can be burnt green. A good firewood |
Grade: 3 |
| Hornbeam |
Carpinus |
Good firewood. Burns well |
Grade: 3 |
| Horse Chestnut |
Aesculus |
A low quality firewood |
Grade: 2 |
| Larch |
Larix |
Needs to be seasoned well. Spits excessively while
it burns and forms an oily soot within chimney's. |
Grade: 1 |
| Lime |
Tilia |
A low quality firewood |
Grade: 2 |
| Oak |
Quercus |
One of the best firewood's. When seasoned well,
it gives off a good, lasting heat. Burns reasonably
slowly. |
Grade: 4 |
| Pear |
Pyrus |
Needs to be seasoned well. Burns well with a pleasant
smell and without spitting. |
Grade: 3 |
| Pine |
Pinus |
Needs to be seasoned well. Spits while it burns
and forms an oily soot within chimney's. |
Grade: 1 |
| Plane |
Platanus |
A usable firewood |
Grade: 3 |
| Poplar |
Populus |
Considered a poorer firewood (see comments below) |
Grade: 1 |
| Rowan |
Sorbus aucuparia |
Good firewood. Burns well |
Grade: 3 |
| Spruce |
Picea |
A low quality firewood |
Grade: 2 |
| Sweet Chestnut |
Castanea |
Burns when seasoned but spits continuously and
excessively. Not for use on an open fire and make
sure wood-burning stoves have a good door catch |
Gade: 1-2 |
| Sycamore (Maples) |
Acer pseudoplatanus |
Good firewood. Burns well |
Grade: 3 |
| Walnut |
Juglans |
A low quality firewood |
Grade: 2 |
| Wellingtonia |
Sequoiadendron |
Poor for use as a firewood. |
Grade: 1 |
| Willow |
Salix |
Willow has a high water content so only burns well
when seasoned well |
Grade: 2 |
| Yew |
Taxus |
A usable firewood |
Grade: 2-3 |
