Pseudotsuga menziesii. Douglas Fir is a softwood that produces a moderate amount of heat and is easy to light. Douglas Fir is one of the better softwoods for firewood and is even better than some hardwoods as far as total heat content. Douglas fir that is straight grained and knot free splits nicely into kindling size pieces. We burn small hot fires because it is a very sappy wood. We can easily overheat if we put in to much. The pockets of sap we find while splitting we turn into fire starting sticks … super convenient.
I stay away from fir, because of all the branches. Getting a winters worth of firewood is enough work without having to delimb and then dispose of high density branches. I really enjoy burning Doug fir. I would certainly go out of my way for doug fir as it ranks high on my list of firewood types. Douglas fir is my second favorite firewood. On a fir tree, the needles attach to the branches individually, while on a pine , they attach in clusters. On a Douglas fir, the needles protrude from all directions like the needles on a bottle brush.
They are soft and have cones that dangle straight down rather than being positioned upright on a branch. Douglas firs are medium-sized to very large trees that have flat, soft leaves with needles resembling those of firs.
As the Douglas fir grows taller, it often loses its lower branches, with foliage only starting a hundred or so feet off the ground. The tree sets deep taproots and is quite the sight to behold. It has a lot of ornamental value so it is frequently used in large gardens and parks.
Its native range extends from central British Columbia along the Pacific Coast into central California. It can also be found in the Rocky Mountains. Named after Scottish botanist David Douglas the trees are commonly called Doug-fir. The name of course is misleading, since Douglas fir is not a real fir. Plywood, lumber, railroad ties, flooring, fence posts and even furniture are common uses for the wood. In addition to being used for firewood, Douglas fir is often used for flooring, lumber, railroad ties, plywood, fence posts, and even some types of furniture.
Since some trees growing out in the open often have several branches, removing all the branches prior to processing the wood can be time and labor intensive. However, if you're lucky enough to find the trees going inside a dense forest they often have straight trunks with only a small section of branches and needles at the top resulting in perfect firewood. Cedar makes better kindling than firewood.
High density hardwoods like Oak or Hickory will give you the best heat for home heating. You get more BTUs over a long period of time. One complaint people have is that Douglas fir creates creosote buildup in your chimney. The fact is that all firewood creates some amount of creosote. Best practice is to make sure you are using seasoned firewood and clean your chimney at least once a year.
Dirty chimneys can cause chimney fires, which can damage structures. Indications of a chimney fire have been described as creating a loud cracking and popping noise and a lot of smoke. You can sweep your chimney yourself or hire a certified chimney sweep to maintain it for you. Plywood, lumber, railroad ties, flooring, fence posts and even furniture are a common use of Douglas fir. Douglas fir has been commonly used as a Christmas tree since the s because it is typically less expensive than other species.
There are many different firewood species to choose from. However, not all of the options will be available to you since some trees only grow in certain parts of the country. In my opinion, Fir, especially Douglas fir, make a great firewood for your home because they burn well and split easily.
I have always liked using a combination of Oak and Douglas Fir. There is a shortage of Oak this year so we are going with strictly Douglas Fir. So far it is working nicely.
I like the fact that there is less ash after burning. It also puts out ample amount of heat. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email. We are the Johnsons and we are building our off-grid homestead in North Idaho from scratch.
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