If the destruction of tropical rain forests causes global warming and if planting trees in Canada is a good strategy to control greenhouse gas concentrations, then how can using wood for home heating be justified? Good question. The answer lies in the natural cycle of growth, maturity, decay and re-growth of trees and forests. A healthy forest is not a museum, but a living community of plants and animals.

When trees are used for energy, a part of the forest's carbon "bank" is diverted from the natural decay and forest fire cycle into our homes to heat them.
The key to ecologically sound and sustainable wood energy is to ensure that the forest remains healthy, maintains a stable level of variously aged trees and provides a good habitat for a diversity of other species, both plants and animals. You can do your part by insisting on firewood that is harvested using sustainable forestry practices. Ask your fuel wood supplier about the origins of the firewood and make it clear that you are concerned about the sustainability of our forest resources. And finally, don't demand a load of perfectly uniform pieces; there are better uses for long, straight logs than burning them.
Getting the most from your firewood
One of the great things about wood heating is that you are in control. There are steps you can take to conserve fuel and produce less smoke. For example, by buying your firewood early in the season and storing it under cover to dry for the summer, you’ll get more heat for every dollar you spend. Also, make sure the wood is sized correctly for your stove, fireplace or furnace – both the length and diameter influence the quality of burn and ease of use. If you have access to them, burn softer woods like poplar, aspen and birch in the fall and spring and save the more valuable fuels like maple and oak for the coldest part of the winter. If your woodburning appliance is more than ten years old, you might want to take a look at the new generation of wood heaters.
The stoves and fireplaces that are certified as having low smoke emissions (usually by EPA; ask your dealer) are also about 25% more efficient than the older models. By choosing your firewood carefully, by storing it to dry properly, and by burning it in an up-to-date stove or fireplace, you can reduce by about half the amount of wood needed to heat your house. And you’ll be doing the environment a favor at the same time.
The Wood Heat Organization Inc.
(call it woodheat for short)
The Wood Heat Organization was formed to support the public in the responsible use of wood energy in the home. woodheat fulfills its mandate by providing reliable information, by conducting research into wood heating-related issues and by representing the public interest in discussions of policies that affect woodburning. The specifics of woodheat’s mandate are found in its mission statement.
Scope of activities
Although woodheat is federally incorporated in Canada, and its government relations efforts are necessarily concentrated there, its mandate and activities are not confined to one country. Our objective is to provide useful information to anyone who uses wood for home heating, wherever in the world they live. In practical terms, however, we admit that this web site is largely North American-centric. In time, we hope to have content contributors from other parts of the world.