There’s no easy answer to the question of whether or not wood burners are bad for the environment. After all, the EPA announced that wood burning is carbon neutral, but it really depends on the type of wood you burn at home. Let’s take a look at some of the things you can do to ensure your wood burner does not have a negative impact on the environment. 

Dry wood vs. wet wood 

There’s no getting away from the fact that burning wood produces carbon dioxide, which is then released into the atmosphere. However, the fuel that you use in your wood burner dictates how bad the impact is likely to be on the environment. For instance, the burning of wet wood is responsible for 38% of PM2.5 pollution in the UK. To put that into context, it’s three times as much as the pollution from road transport. It’s for this reason that the UK government banned the burning of wet wood in domestic fireplaces in 2021. Dry wood, on the other hand, is a reasonable and legal fuel source to turn to for your wood burner. At Homefire, we dry our firewood in a kiln until it has a moisture content of 20% or less. What’s more, our Shimada Heat Logs are actually ultra-dry, with a moisture content of less than 15%. These dry products emit less smoke and burn for longer than wet wood and are a much more environmentally friendly option for your home wood burner. 

Sustainably sourced wood 

Something else you need to think about before burning firewood at home is where the product comes from. After all, unethical logging leads to deforestation, which is one of the biggest environmental threats of our time. In fact, logging for paper and wood accounts for approximately 13% of deforestation each year, highlighting the importance of identifying a sustainable source for your firewood. 
At Homefire, we source our wood from sustainable forests in Latvia. Our decades-old renewable initiative has seen forested areas increase in the country from 27% to 52%. You can rely on Homefire for sustainably sourced firewood products, and rest assured that your wood burner isn’t negatively contributing to climate change that is caused by illegal logging and deforestation in different parts of the world.

 

The verdict 

The truth is that wood burners can be good or bad for the environment, but it depends on how you use them. For instance, burning wet wood that has been irresponsibly sourced is really bad for the environment, as it emits significant amounts of carbon dioxide and contributes to deforestation in different parts of the world. 

However, if you burn dry wood in your wood burner and use products that have been sustainably sourced, you can rest assured that your use of a wood-burning stove isn’t having a significantly negative impact on the environment. Check out our kiln-dried firewood and smokeless coal options if you’re looking for a trusted, sustainable source for your home wood burner this season.