kurty[B]

This winter I actually want to use the fireplace, and want to buy a decent amount of firewood so I can have a fire whenever (probably half a chord).

What type of wood should I get for this? I'd prefer something that put out a nice fragrance when burned, but am not looking to spend a large sum of money for something too fancy. Any opinions would be great!

numist_net

er.. I find that whatever wood I burn, it usually smells about the same (except hickory).

We usually cut down a tree or two in the yard (most of them are fire hazards anyway) and then cut 'em down with a chainsaw and chop them into quarters.

My g/f's family gets a chord of wood every winter, but I'm not sure form where.. I'll look that up and post again.

seizei

you want a nice smell, throw a cedar log in there every once in awhile. Burns fast though, so don't want that for your main wood.

We would always get pine when I lived up north I believe... don't know if that'd be available cheaply in Colorado... get whatever is cheap by the cord, with a little bit of cedar for aroma.

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ForgottenKnight

We heat our house in the winter with our wood stove. We chop down our own or we'll go to a rock and gravel place and get wood. They generally have two types of wood you can choose from at the rock places. We normally get the cheaper, lighter pine to get more for our money. The oak burns slower and longer...the downside is it's heavier and we pay by the pound.

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Hard8s

Oak or madrone burn well, need to make sure you get dried wood.

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clavus

Pine and cedar burn hot and fast. Oak burns slower and cooler.

Be sure to get your chimney swept, unless you want a visit from the fire department when you have a flu fire.

Growing up, our only source of heat was firewood. Believe me, the novelty of a fireplace wears off after a while.

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oberon

Where I come from, there's lots of trees so we just cut down a few every couple years. Used to farm the land for trees but that business doesn't pay well for the time investment.

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Apex Shok

Try and make sure that all the bark is off. It will coat your Chiminey faster. Try and get "seasoned fire wood" Dried for 1 year or more.

I have about 3 cords of seasoned wood. I get one cord a year and just let the new stuff sit for a year. It gets good and dry to split.

Also get a door mat or something to place in front of the fireplace that way when it pops you don't scorch holes in your carpet.

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MacGnG

go to the woods and chop up some dead trees on the ground. don't cut down live trees, you could be fined. but if you wanna BUY??? fire wood i have no idea, all my fires have been in the forest.

thought a bout a fire screen so no sparks get on your carpet or floor?

kurty[B]

Yeah, I have a fire screen in front of the fireplace, and there's tile in front of that. I'll probably buy a chord of pine, and some cedar to go with. Thanks for the help, anymore advice is welcome (won't have money to make purchase for a while). I could go to the woods and cut down dead trees, or go to the forest department and pay them to have access to their designated area, but that wood wouldn't be dry enough for a while. Thanks again.

splck

I've used a wood stove quit a bit over the years. My favorite wood was birch then maple. The hard woods burn much longer and hotter than pine, fir or spruce. Cedar is a flash in the pan and good only for fire starter IMO.
The liveliest wood as far as pops and crackles has always been Douglas fir.
Make sure your wood is seasoned, if it hisses, it isn’t dry.
I've never paid for the stuff, so i have no idea what it costs. If you do cut some yourself make sure it isn't sitting on the ground. A standing dead snag with it's bark off is the best.

As for fragrance, just shut your damper for a couple of seconds and you'll have enough smell for ten homes.

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twotimesadingo

Douglas firs are my favorite. They burn fairly quickly, and are good for heat. The reason I really like this particular wood, as splck noted above, is because it's very lively; it pops and crackles the entire time, so if you have an open fireplace, rather than a wood stove, it's very comforting.

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krwlz

Red oak smells decent. Make sure its dry. We burn wood as a main source of heat and go through about 3-4 chord in the winter (good ole northeast).

Apple smells great. Cherry as well. Oak makes probably the best bed of coals for whats available tho. If you want fragrance, get oak preferably, tho ash works. Then get a smaller amount of apple or cherry to throw on top.