Burn only dry wood

Wet wood is more difficult to light and keep alight, meaning more time spent tending your fire.

Burning dry wood is much more efficient and can be more cost effective because energy isn’t being wasted burning off the water as steam.

Much more heat is generated from each log of dry wood compared to wet, meaning you need to use less of it to stay warm.

Wet wood is more difficult to light in the first place and increases creosote buildup, meaning you need to get your chimney cleaned more often.

Creosote buildup from burning wet wood increases the risk of chimney fires. Smoggy conditions can also create risks on our roads by reducing visibility.

Wood smoke contains carcinogens (which increase cancer risk), and cause breathing and heart issues. The less smoke, the better.

The less smoke produced, the lower the quantities of greenhouse gasses released into the atmosphere.

Burning unseasoned or wet wood produces toxic smoke. It’s much harder to light and burns much less efficiently than dry wood. It also gives off less heat, which means you need to burn through more of your wood supply to stay warm.

Burning treated wood also releases toxic chemicals like arsenic, chromium and copper into the air, causing serious health issues. Treated wood can have an artificial green tint, like fence panelling. Pallet wood is often treated too. Avoid pallets that are heavily stained, stamped “MB” (for Methyl Bromide) or unmarked.

Burning plastics is similarly harmful, releasing chemicals like dioxins and heavy metals. Smoke from plastics can lead to severe health issues, including cancer, respiratory and heart disease, and even birth defects.