wood heat

We heat our house with a wood burning stove. Right out of a Laura and Mary book, sorta.

Our house is better insulated (by miles) then theirs was and our stove is a LOT more efficient, but we still heat our house by burning wood.

The interesting thing is that each fall I fill, or nearly fill, my smallish wood shed and then trust it will be enough to take us through the winter. The shed holds about 3 cords and we can get by with half that amount if we are careful and have good wood.

Lately I have been burning wood that others have donated, plus the trimmings from the many trees on our place. Odd sized palettes, remodel debris and such, with an occasional boughten cord.

This winter we had “enough” but a lot of it was small wood we got from others remodeling. Small wood burns hot, but does not burn long. Right now we are getting close to being out. We will make it alright, but there won't be a lot left over – maybe a couple wheelbarrows worth.

But that is how it works.

This summer I want to make a wood getting forage into the mountains. I can get a wood cutting permit, and we can take the pickup and the teardrop trailer and spend whatever it takes to get a pickup load of good wood.

Our definition of good wood is ours! We don't have hardwood forests out here. We have pine and fir and spruce, but no oak or maple or beech. If I am lucky I might get some good Douglas Fir, but probably I'll get lodge pole pine.

But, in the middle of the winter, when the wind blows and it is cold, what kind of wood I am burning is less important to me than the fact that I (and my Miriam) are reasonably warm.