The best wood for burning

Alison Patel writes: Gardeners with a green conscience should not be concerned about the environmental impact of burning wood.

That is according to the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT), which explained that wood is a biomass fuel.

'What does this mean?' I hear you ask. Well, in the words of CAT, as quoted in the Telegraph, it means "when burned, these fuels release only the amount of carbon dioxide that they absorbed when growing.

"Wood from a sustainable source, where replanting matches harvesting, will not cause a net increase of CO2 in the atmosphere, so won't contribute to climate change."

The Telegraph suggests that those who have the time, space and enthusiasm for it could make the effort to grow their own or could plant a coppice.

It warns though that some woods are better for burning than others. So, while dense timbers like beech and oak are great burners conifers are not.

Piers Warren, author of British Native Trees - Their Past and Present Uses explains that polar is the worst wood as it does not burn quickly and provides minimal heat.

In contrast, Ash gives lots of heat as does willow which he suggests are ideal for coppicing.

The BBC reported recently that the Lake District National Park Authority provided funds to Cumbria Woodlands to promote wood burning heating.

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