Hardwood vs softwood
Density, heat output and how each behaves in a stove or fireplace through a long heating season.
Wood Heating Reference
Firewood and dry storage for Canadian winters
Notes on the practical differences between hardwood and softwood, how long split wood needs to season, and how to keep a winter supply dry through freeze-thaw cycles and heavy snow.
Reference Topics
Three notes for households that burn wood
Seasoning times
Why moisture content matters, typical drying windows by species, and how to check wood with a moisture meter.
Dry storage methods
Stacking, covering and siting a woodpile so it stays dry through snow, rain and spring melt.
Why It Matters
Dry wood burns cleaner and warmer
Wood that has not dried enough carries water that must boil off before the wood can reach combustion temperature. That wasted energy lowers heat output, leaves more creosote in the chimney and produces more smoke. Across much of Canada the heating season is long and cold, so the gap between green and seasoned wood is felt directly in how much wood a household goes through.
Public guidance from agencies such as Natural Resources Canada and the US EPA Burn Wise program consistently points to the same basics: burn wood that has been split and dried, store it off the ground and under cover, and check moisture rather than guessing. The articles here expand on each of those points with practical detail.
Contact
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- Reference focus
- Firewood selection, seasoning and dry storage
- Region
- Canada, with sources from North American agencies
- Last updated
- May 29, 2026