4 Types of Firewood For Burning

Quick answer: for heating, burn dense, seasoned hardwood — oak and hickory lead; maple and cherry are solid all-rounders; pine belongs in the kindling pile and the outdoor fire, not the overnight stove; and green or treated wood should never be burned at all. The single number that matters most isn't the species — it's moisture: properly seasoned firewood is below about 20%, the threshold the University of Tennessee Extension uses for wood that lights easily and burns clean.

• Type 1 — dense hardwoods (oak, hickory): the overnight heat, longest burn, best coals.
• Type 2 — medium hardwoods (maple, cherry): easier to light, great everyday fires, cherry smells wonderful.
• Type 3 — softwoods (pine): fast, hot, short — ideal kindling and fire-pit wood, dried properly.
• Type 4 — the never-burn list: green wood, painted or treated lumber, plywood, driftwood.
• A cord of dense hardwood delivers far more heat than the same cord of light softwood — density is stored energy.

Type 1: Dense hardwoods — oak and hickory

The heavyweights. Oak and hickory pack the most wood fiber per cord, which means the most heat and the longest, steadiest burn — extension fuelwood guides consistently rank them at the top of the heat-per-cord tables (see Utah State University Extension's wood-heating tables). Hickory is the classic barbecue and overnight-stove wood; white oak coals hold heat till morning. The trade-off is patience: dense hardwoods are the slowest to season — oak wants 12 months minimum, and it rewards 18–24.

Type 2: Medium hardwoods — maple, cherry, sweetgum

Easier to split, quicker to season, easier to light — and still real heat. Cherry burns with a fragrance people request by name; maple is a dependable everyday fire. In North Georgia loads these often ride along with oak, and a mixed rack is genuinely the practical setup: medium wood to start and run the fire, dense wood to bank it.

Type 3: Softwoods — pine, cedar, and the kindling question

Pine lights fast, burns hot, and finishes quickly — which makes it the best kindling there is and a fine outdoor fire-pit wood. The old "pine causes chimney fires" scare deserves an honest edit: creosote comes mainly from burning wet wood of any species in a smoldering fire. Well-dried pine burned hot is fine as a starter; the reason it's not a heating wood is simply that it's light — the heat is gone in an hour.

Type 4: The wood you should never burn

Green wood wastes its heat boiling off its own water and smokes heavily — that's the creosote factory. Painted, stained, or pressure-treated lumber releases genuinely hazardous compounds. Plywood and OSB burn glue. And moving firewood long distances spreads invasive pests — buy it near where you burn it.

How can you tell wood is actually seasoned?

Identifying types of firewood matters less than identifying dry firewood — the firewood properties that decide a good burn are density and moisture. Pick a piece up: seasoned wood is surprisingly light, gray-faded, cracked at the end grain, with bark that's loosening — and two pieces knocked together ring hollow instead of thudding. Under 20% moisture is the standard; UNH Extension explains the drying timeline. Wood that hisses in the fire failed the test.

How should firewood be stored?

Off the ground, top covered, sides open. Rails or pallets underneath, the split faces exposed to wind, and the tarp on the roof of the stack only — wrap the whole stack and you've built a humidor. Stack it a step away from the house wall; woodpiles are insect habitat, and that's fine 20 feet from the door.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between seasoned and green firewood prices?

Seasoned costs more because someone else spent the year drying it. Green wood is the budget play if you can stack it and wait — we sell both and say plainly which is which.

How much wood is a cord?

A stacked 4 × 4 × 8 feet — 128 cubic feet. Be wary of "truckloads" with no measurements; an honest seller talks in cords and face cords with dimensions.

Is pine firewood safe in a fireplace?

Dry pine as kindling and starter, yes. As the main overnight fuel, choose hardwood — not for safety mythology but because pine burns out fast. Whatever you burn, keep it dry and the flue clean.

How long does oak take to season in Georgia?

Split and properly stacked through a Georgia summer, count on 12 months as the floor and 18–24 for its best. Our humid air is why the top-covered, sides-open stack matters.

Warm wood, delivered stacked-ready

Tell us your setup — indoor stove, fireplace, or fire pit — and we'll match the load: seasoned and ready tonight, or green at a better price for next year's rack. Firewood delivery across North Georgia from R & R Tree Service — the wood comes from our own local tree work. (678) 482-9994.