WOOD BURNING TECHNOLOGY
There is nothing more relaxing than gathering around a cosy fire and enjoying its warm radiant heat. Wood burning is a renewable, low technology method of providing heat to a building.
Complete combustion of wood produces light, heat, carbon dioxide and water vapour. However, complete combustion rarely occurs in a typical wood stove or fireplace. Therefore, wood burning also produces wood smoke, which contains carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter and toxic compounds (i.e. benzene, formaldehyde, benzo-a-pyrene).
Wood burning has three distinct impacts on the environment:
- Smoke pollution outdoors
- Indoor air pollution
- Potential impacts if wood is improperly harvested
Responsible wood heating is so straightforward that its main requirements can be stated in a single sentence:
Burn sustainably harvested, properly processed and seasoned fuel in an advanced combustion stove or fireplace that is vented through a chimney that runs straight up through the building.
Do not burn garbage, rubber, plastics, particleboard, plywood, glossy paper, coloured paper, solvents, oil, coal or painted/treated wood. Burning these materials can produce noxious, corrosive smoke and fumes that may be toxic.
Resources
EPA's website for clean wood burning stoves and fireplaces