Wood Storage Best Practices

 

Burning wood as a heat source is a significant contributing factor to winter PM2.5 in the Fairbanks North Star Borough. Furthermore, burning inadequately cured firewood is a contributing factor that can be curbed by changes in the way borough residents store firewood.  Burning dry wood provides immediate benefit for homeowners, however, ensuring an adequate supply of dry firewood requires preparation, planning, and knowledge of appropriate storage methods.

Recent CCHRC and Borough research has confirmed that cutting, splitting, stacking and protecting wood for a few months during the summer, increases the chances the wood will be safe to burn in the coming winter.

The research found that when properly prepared and stored under optimal conditions during the summer months, the wood took only six weeks to dry enough to burn safely.

The key words are “properly prepared and stored.”  Wood that is left unsplit, uncovered, and lying on the ground results in wet wood that may rot. Burning wet wood produces excessive smoke and PM2.5-sized particles, which disperse into the surrounding air, and then into the lungs and bloodstream, causing or making worse many kinds of health problems, from asthma to heart conditions.

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