It might seem a little premature to start thinking about next winter, but now is the right time to start thinking about the logs you’ll be burning. After all, why invest in one of our best wood stoves and then not make the most of its performance? That means never using ‘green’ or unseasoned logs in your burner. This wood has a high moisture content and when it burns it emits smoke that’s filled with noxious gases and particulates. You’ll also end up with a chimney or flue that’s lined with bitumen, increasing the risk of fires.

Choosing the best logs for the best wood stoves

You’ll need wood that is well seasoned, and that process takes about a year if you intend to buy young wood and season it yourself. The Forestry Commission have some useful information on drying your own logs. Once they’re well seasoned, your logs will have radial cracks and the bark will come away from the timber.

The very best woods for burning in your wood burner will be hardwoods with a moisture content under 15%. Look for kiln dried and seasoned logs when buying, and reject any that have the bark firmly attached with no cracking. Here are our 5 of the best logs for your fire:

• Ash: this is the best wood you can get hold of as it burns with a steady flame and produces a high heat output
• Oak: this is an extremely dense wood so it burns for a long time, which is useful if you rely on one of our best wood stoves for off-grid heating
• Chestnut: best used in a stove as it can spit, but produces a good heat output with a strong flame
• Beech: has a similar calorific value to Ash but must be thoroughly dried before use
• Hawthorn: a very traditional wood with a slow burn and good heat output.

Getting the best out of our best wood stoves

Tip 1: When you’re burning the right wood, you’ll see only light smoke and steam from your chimney. Black smoke is a sure sign your burner is not working optimally.

Tip 2: Clean your stove and flue once a year to maximise efficiency.

Tip 3: If your fire won’t catch, open the stove door and then open a window because air turbulence circulates oxygen.

Tip 4: Always use more than one log and make sure they’re well seasoned!

Tip 5: Light your fire from the top down as our best wood stoves will then reach their operating temperature more quickly and the wood will burn more efficiently.