Sheena Patterson of Oxford Garden Design gets a scare and issues a warning

You have to be brave to walk in woods after sunset if you have a vivid imagination, as I do.

It’s disorientating and not very sensible, but as far as I’m aware, sensible is not an adjective that has ever been used to describe me.

So, last weekend found me walking in Pinsley woods, in virtual pitch darkness, with only two cowardly dogs for company conjuring up thoughts of mad axe murderers. When a threatening figure clutching a long, pole-like object emerged from the gloom, my heart pounding I had to muster all my willpower to resist the urge to scream hysterically and run, reasoning I would only fall over in the dark. Of course, the axe murderer turned out to be a nice young guy collecting firewood. We exchanged ‘good evenings’ and walked our separate ways leaving me pondering the legality of taking wood for burning.

In last week’s article I 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 trees have to be removed or at least reduced. This means we have a steady supply of wood which we can burn on the fire at home.

Central heating might be less work and more efficient, but nothing beats the leaping flames, glowing sparks and strong, smoky aroma of a real log fire burning in the hearth. Some wood burns better than others. The quality of the blaze depends on the type of wood you use, and there are many country rhymes which sing the praises of some and warn against others. “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. Whatever type, the best firewood has to be both dead and dry. Freshly chopped wood has up to 50 per cent water content and won’t burn at all well. ‘Seasoned’ means that the wood has been allowed to dry – for how long for depends on the type of wood and, for deciduous trees, when it was felled. The sap moves to the roots in winter, so they have a lower moisture content and will be seasoned more quickly.

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. Apart from scaring dog walkers half to death – your winter warmth will also be hot property.