Whether or not you believe in global warming and the threat of carbon dioxide emissions, there has been a lot of talk about bio fuels in the past few years. The situations in the middle east and the rising cost of petroleum and other fossil fuels have also sparked an interest in bio fuels. Biodiesel and ethanol get most of the press but there is one biofuel that does not get much airtime. It is a fuel that grows naturally and is very abundant in many parts of the world. Enormous amounts of this fuel are thrown away as waste or left to rot on the ground every year. To utilize this fuel requires very little processing and energy and it is a source of energy that is practical for the consumer to use. The fuel I am talking about is firewood for home heating. Most homes in America are heated by burning fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil, propane or from electricity, a large amount of electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels. These fuels are in limited supply and release new carbon into the atmosphere that has been buried underground for millions of years. Firewood is different than fossil fuels because it is renewable and a part of the natural carbon cycle. When a tree is cut down and burned it does release carbon into the atmosphere, but with responsible sustainable forestry the trees that grow in it's place remove that CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow. After a century of fire suppression and past commercial timber harvest practices many of our forests are in desperate need of thinning and other treatments to restore them to a more natural state. In many of our commercially managed forests there are tree species that are not as desirable as others for the commercial viability and long term health of the forests. Foresters often cut down or kill these trees to make room for more desirable trees. In many cases the desirable trees are overcrowded so they are thinned and the excess trees are cut down to make room for the remaining trees. This allows the remaining trees to grow faster and larger and makes them more fire resistant and disease resistant. These practices are beneficial and help the long term health of the forests and enhance wildlife habitat. In many cases the trees that are removed to promote forest health are not suitable for producing commercial products such as lumber. However many of these trees could be used to make excellent firewood. Instead most of these trees are just left on the ground to rot away. As they decay the CO2 is released into the atmosphere the same as if you burned it in your fireplace but the energy is not utilized. Instead of utilizing this energy most people burn fossil fuels which releases a new source of carbon into the atmosphere while at the same time the wood is still laying on the forest floor decaying and releasing CO2. One problem with heating with wood can be particle emissions in wood smoke. Modern wood stoves have come a long way in solving this problem. Modern stoves are designed to be energy efficient and produce very few particulates. A modern wood stove combined with seasoned dry firewood will produce no visible smoke when burning at it's optimum. There are also other products available to utilize wood heat such as wood fired cook stoves, wood fired water heaters and wood fired hot tubs. If you are concerned about climate chance, would like to become less dependent on fossil fuels or just like the comfort of a warm crackling fire start burning wood and using this resource that would normally go to waste. Support the health of our forests and your local economy and find a woodcutter near you. www.firewoodresource.com
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