Whether you absolutely need firewood to keep your home warm or you just prefer the homely feel of a wood fire, you need to make sure you are buying sustainable firewood. Sustainability in firewood is important because it keeps prices low and keeps the planet healthier. There are two types of wood, how they are sourced and how they are used is important.
Sustainable Softwoods
Softwoods can actually be just as hard as hardwoods, but they are much less dense, meaning there is much more space for air inside of a softwood log. The extra air means that softwoods fire up more quickly and burn hotter than hardwoods, but also extinguish faster. Softwood is great for starting a fire, a shorter campfire, or even for cooking.
Peat fuel often works similarly. It is easy to light and it burns hot, however, it tends to burn a little bit longer than some softwoods. It also needs to be reliably sourced.
Unlike wood, peat fuel is not considered a renewable resource because the rate of renewal is much lower than the extraction rates of industrialised nations. You need to make sure your logs, firewood, and peat fuel in Devon are reliably sourced. If companies are not responsible, they can extract more peat than is sustainable, and peat will be endangered.
Reliable Hardwoods
Hardwoods are denser than softwoods, meaning they take longer to light but burn for longer. If you need to have a fire overnight when you cannot constantly add more wood, you should consider sourcing hardwood. Hardwoods tend to also grow slower than softwoods, so it is imperative that they be sustainably sourced. They need to be removed in a responsible manner that gives a forest time to recover from the logging.
When it comes to firewoods and peat fuels, each one has advantages. They all need to be carefully sourced so that they are not endangered in your area.