All About Firewood

Quality Firewood vs Cheap Firewood

Quality of Wood. Getting the right quality firewood is important. Firewood needs to be dry and seasoned properly to burn correctly and with the most efficiency. When we say "dry" that means the wood should be from 0% - 12%. This is the range where firewood burns very well. However, too dry ( 0-6%) means it will burn up faster.

Firewood moisture content above 18-20% means that the wood burns very poorly. Between 12% and 18%, wood burns progressively poorer.

Raven only uses standing dead trees for our pine firewood, this is the best wood to burn as it is often been drying for 5-10 years or more and because it is still standing, it is off the ground and does not retain moisture in our dry Alberta climate. We do not cut or use viable living trees or use green wood for our firewood.

Birch can be a serious problem if it is not dried and seasoned properly. Birch has a high sap content and requires seasoning for a least a year or more before it is good for burning. Raven strives to obtain only dry birch for our clients so it is ready to use as soon as you buy it.

There are many people in the firewood business whom scavenge fallen trees from the forest floor, use mill waste and other lower quality species of wood such as poplar and black spruce to mix in with their product. Often much of this wood is "punky" (dry rot) or riddled with insects and has very little BTUs left for providing heat.The same problem occurs if the wood is too moist.

If it's too dry like lumber waste it can burn up too fast. This type of wood may be OK for some people, but Raven only uses high quality wood as our market demands the wood be ready to burn right out of the bag.

Our bulk firewood is the same quality as the bagged product and our prices reflect that, we are not a "bargain" or so called economy firewood provider, our prices are fair when compared to other operations.

Our Raven Brand selected and properly aged firewood provides good economy for both heating and firepit enjoyment as the better quality provides long and hotter fires.

Birch vs Pine Firewood

Please note that birch firewood should not be used for campfires or backyard fire pits if you intent to cook marshmallows or meat over it. Birch smoke is mildly toxic and can contaminate your food. Pine is the best choice for campfires when cooking is involved. Pine also provides that wonderful crackling sound and birch doesn't, this makes pine the firewood of choice for outdoor use.

Birch is a good choice for fireplaces as it tends to burn longer with more BTUs. Birch also does not contribute to the creosote build-up in your chimney. Many people also enjoy using pine in their fireplaces as well, for the same reason as campfires, that wonderful crackling sound. Most people still use pine as the firewood of choice due to the lower price and good availability in Alberta

Why a Mesh Bag ?

The Mesh bags Raven Firewood uses are the best bags in the business. Nylon mesh is strong and easy to carry. The UV stable mesh keeps the wood open to the air to preserve the burning quality.

Plastic bags and feed sacks are considerably cheaper and that is why many wood distributors use them.

The main reason plastic bags and white feed sacks are inferior is that they are known to trap condensation within the bag causing the wood to go moldy in as little as 6-7 days. Bagged wood stacked in the open is exposed to sunlight and heated during the day at night it then cools off causing the wood to form a layer of condensation. in a plastic bag or feed sack this condensation (which is always present even if the wood looks dry) is drawn from the wood and trapped on the bag surface and can't escape. In the heat and humidity mold will grow quickly , The wood is then difficult to burn cleanly and many molds are quite toxic.

Dry seasoned wood needs to be exposed to the air. It will resist getting wet in light rain or showers due to
the fact that the seasoning process causes the wood fibres to shrink and harden. the surface may get wet, but it will not soak in. In a short time the wood is dry again in a mesh bag.

Your clients will quickly complain when they open a soggy, smelly and visibly moldy bag of wood. Your entire stock of possibly hundreds of bags can go moldy and leave you stuck on a busy weekend with an unsellable product. At the prices being charged for firewood at retail operations your clients will expect a good product.

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Benefits of Burning Wood
Burning wood facilitates the environment. The best way to assist the environment
is to reduce the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, oil & gas.

Wood differs from fossil fuels because it is regenerative. Trees and plants absorb carbon dioxide and store it in the wood as carbon. When the wood is burned the carbon dioxide is then released into the atmosphere much the same as if the tree or plant died naturally. Our forests provide a never-ending fuel supply if they are managed and processed properly.

Wood ashes are great for your plants and gardens. The ashes help neutralize soil acidity. You may also use ashes as traction for icy sidewalks and driveways.

How do you know you're getting the correct amount ? - All of our cord measures are tight packed and are as close to the actual amount as is possible with such a variably sized product as split wood can be. We stack our cord measurments in a specific sized jig (1/3 cord, 1/2 cord, full cord ) by hand then load the firewood for each specific order onto the trucks as a seperate unit for deliviery to insure consistency.

Tight stacking is NOTa common practice in the firewood industry, most resellers will sell you "loose packed" cord measures dumped from a loader or tossed in from a pile, you can't be sure how much you're getting when the wood is sold this way. Many of our customers make the comment,"that cord looks like a lot more wood than I bought last time" (from another company) .

We've built our business on good value, service, quality firewood and accurate measurements.

What is a cord of firewood ? - A 'full' cord measures 4 ft. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. and is the official, standard firewood measure. This equals a volume of about 128 cubic feet. But four foot pieces are never used for home heating, and dealers rarely sell four foot pieces. So firewood is not offered for sale in the form of its official unit measurement. This is why buying firewood can be confusing. The most common firewood piece length is 16 in

What is a face cord ? - Face cords also know as stove cords or furnace cords are an ideal amount of firewood for most homeowners where storage space is an issue . The volume is about one third of a full cord or 42.67 cubic feet. (128 cu ft divided by 3 = 42.67) or a stack with the dimensions of 4' wide x 8' long x 16" deep.

The term face cord is not a officially recognized measurement in Canada, however many people are familiar with term as it has been in use for well over a 100 years, a face cord or rick of wood is an old term of measurement four feet high by eight feet long and is as wide as the individual firewood pieces, but averages 16 inches deep, A 16-inch wide face cord is equal to about one-third of a full cord. You would fill the back of most extended cab full size pick up trucks ( 6 foot box) with a face cord.

For most people having a few fires each week during cold weather this amount of firewood will last most of the winter. If you feel you require more we can supply in full or half cords as well. Our regular delivieries make it easy to keep a fresh supply available without having to keep an entire years supply in your yard or garage. Any where on this web site you see the term "face cord" it represents about a third of a cord of firewood.

One Third of cord also know as Rick, Face or Stove cord is 4' high x 8' long x 16" deep or about 42.5 cubic feet	A full Cord is 4' deep x 4' high x 8' long or 128 cubic feet

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Delivery Area
We offer regular weekly delivery service to our regular clients and arrangements can be made for home deliveries by request for the following areas

Calgary, High River, Okotoks, Cochrane, Airdrie, Didsbury, Crossfield, Carstairs, Strathmore, Canmore, Banff, and Bragg Creek .

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