Burning Wood & the Environment

A wood heating system is the right choice if you are concerned about our environment.
Unlike systems that rely on fossil fuels, wood is a totally renewable resource, which, when
burned cleanly, results in no net carbon dioxide increase. Carbon dioxide is part of the natural
plant-growth cycle and occurs naturally when trees are allowed to rot on the forest floor. On
the other hand, fossil fuels, when burned, release carbon dioxide which otherwise would stay
trapped in the earth. This causes a net increase in carbon dioxide, which is responsible for the
heat-trapping "greenhouse effect." In addition, harvesting firewood has a pruning effect on
forests, which allows new growth to flourish. And the wood you burn most likely comes from
your local area it's not imported, as is the case with oil.

Fuels Emission of Carbon Dioxide - CO₂

"Conservation is the foresighted utilization, preservation and/or renewal of forests, waters,
lands and minerals, for the greatest good of the greatest number for the longest time."
Gifford Pinchot

Ashes from burning wood:
If the ashes are from bio-fuel pellets, grain or wood, they make an excellent addition for
gardens because they are high in potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, and phosphorus.
In areas where there is high rainfall, the soils there are typically high in acid. Wood ash can
actually help decrease that acid level. Dry areas, however, tend to be more alkaline in nature.
Wood ash in dry areas can exacerbate that problem. Since regions will vary, it's best to have
your soil tested through a local extension agent or garden center to see if wood ash can be
helpful to your soil prior to applying.

Smoke:
Smoke is essentially water vapor and unburned fuel,
caused by an incomplete burn and the qualit of the fuel supply.
In order for the fuel to burn completely, the right environment must exist.
This includes the proper mix of fuel, oxygen and heat, which is what theseforced draft outdoor
hot water furnaces are designed to do when they are burning!

Hence why you will create smoke when an appliance is "throttled down" or idles (if it is
automatic controlled and has no demand or manually choked down). This is why you should
load your appliance more often with less fuel, as a smaller fire is a hotter fire that will burn
more efficiently with less ash and smoke. If your appliance has a glass door you should
always be able to see the fire through it! It should never creosote up to the point that you cannot
see the fire, if the glass creosotes up think about what the inside of your chimney looks like.