Firewood Information Centre
Source locally, buy locally, burn locally
EAB ALERT: The transport of ash wood and all firewood out of the City of Winnipeg has been banned, effective January 2018, following the discovery of the deadly Emerald Ash Borer beetle in the city. See FAQ EAB regulations for details.
The Wood-Wise Firewood Program is an easy-to-access guide to using firewood, with links that will take you to the experts with more detailed information on what you need to know about:
- how to buy good firewood
- how to build a clean, efficient fire
- and how to do it safely.
The warmth and light emitted by firewood is as much a pleasure and a practical heating source as it was when humans started building wood fires more than half a million years ago, but the technology of burning wood has most certainly changed. We now know how to use firewood wisely to burn clean, efficient fires that produce few emissions.
Reminder: Always check with your local building inspector for specific installation requirements.
A number of municipal governments in Canada are under pressure to ban wood-burning appliances (fireplaces, wood stoves, patio fireplaces, outdoor wood furnaces) due to concerns about air pollution. But if you buy good firewood, build clean fires, and use advanced technology appliances, you can significantly reduce emissions that contribute to pollution, have detrimental health effects, or simply annoy your neighbours.
Firewood is an abundant, renewable energy source with a zero net carbon contribution to green house gasses. It begins with buying good firewood and knowing how to build a clean fire.
Even though roughly 25 percent of Canadian households burn fuelwood (even more in cottage country), there’s always something more we can learn to improve our use of firewood, whether we are beginners or veterans who cut and season our own wood.
Editor’s note: If you should find an error or a broken link in the material presented here, please let us know by email at editor@woodlotmanitoba.com.
