Sheena Patterson of Oxford Garden Design on her love of an open fire

Last week’s article extolled the virtues of planting trees. The logical successor to this is what to do at the end of the tree’s life.

My business’s green credentials are pretty good when it comes to populating Oxfordshire gardens with trees, but sadly, there comes a time when old ones have to be removed or at least reduced.

We are lucky enough to own two acres of land and have many fine trees in our garden.

However, they do require a certain amount of maintenance, which means we have a steady supply of wood for our log burner.

Central heating might be less work and more efficient, but in my opinion nothing beats the leaping flames, glowing sparks and strong, smoky aroma of a real log fire in the hearth.

And I’m ridiculously proud of our log store, all neatly stacked in rows but confess it’s about the only neat and tidy thing about our house. Since this winter began, I’ve become a bit of an ‘expert’ on the subject of firewood (sad but true). The quality of the blaze depends on the type of wood you use, as well as its age.

The wood that we are using in our house was felled last year and if you are buying to warm your home make sure that you are buying seasoned firewood. Freshly chopped wood has up to 50 per cent water content and won’t burn at all well.

So you have to be patient. I know this from bitter experience – when I tried to burn some fresh wood the glass on the wood burner quickly sooted up, completely obscuring the flames.

“Seasoned” means that the wood has been allowed to dry.

For how long for depends on the type of wood but should mean that it was cut and split at least a year ago and then stored so that air and sun could dry it out.

Often you will find a firewood supplier will cut and chop a tree up on the day they sell it.

It may have been lying around for a year or two, but seasoned it is not.

A good sign to look out for are cracks on the end grain of the logs. Or just ask your supplier when it was cut. It’s also important to find out what type of wood you are buying.

Some trees definitely burn better than others and there are many country rhymes which sing the praises of some and warn against many.

“Apple wood will scent your room, with an incense-like perfume”; “Beech wood fires are bright and clear, if the logs are kept a year” and ‘Birch and fir logs burn too fast, blaze up bright and do not last” are a few examples.

In these old country sayings one wood stands supreme – the ash. A firewood which “a king shall warm his slippers by”. So, if you have an ash that is suffering from Ash die-back disease and needs to be felled, take heart.

On a crisp, freezing cold December night there is nothing more welcoming than a real wood fire burning in the grate.

But please don’t be tempted to nick it from your local woods without permission or your winter warmth will also be hot property.

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