The best firewood for your fireplace

Maple – Great for fireplaces, wood burning stoves and bonfires, maple burns very hot and evenly. Best when seasoned for at least one year.

Oak – Perfect for indoor and outdoor burning. It is abundant and moderately priced. Burns hot and slow when seasoned for at least one year.

Cherry – This is a popular choice due to its pleasant, non-smoky aroma and ease of splitting, but typically costs a little more.

Birch – With its paper-like bark, it is best as a fire starter, burned along with other slow burning hardwoods.

Pine – Inexpensive, readily available and seasons quickly, however it burns quickly and does not produce the heat of hardwoods. It can be dangerous due to its sap pockets that explode while burning.

Elm – A very dense wood with a medium heating temperature. Inexpensive, but hard to split and leaves a strong aroma.

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Chestnut – Mainly considered an outdoor wood due to the amount of smoke it produces and its tendency to spark.

Walnut – This excellent firewood burns a long time and puts out very little smoke. It is easy to start, and has a pleasant aroma.

Western Red Cedar – Burns at low heat and is a great starter wood, but not an exclusive firewood choice. Pockets of cedar oils will cause sparks.

The overall winner is oak wood. It burns hot and slow, produces less smoke, can be used indoors and out and is affordable.

Remember to burn safely and make sure you have the proper homeowners coverage, just in case the unexpected happens.

Your local Shelter® agent is here to help:

Scott Comiskey, Bella Vista, 479-855-7774; Matthew Hillis, Bentonville, 479-273-7793; Chris Taylor, Gravette 479-787-5421; Sean Garrison, Rogers, 479-621-0555; Derek Wardlow, Rogers, 479-631-0899