When it comes to firewood, Wyoming residents can't afford to be too picky.
While people in other parts of the country might debate the merits of oak, hickory or maple, Wyoming wood burners are largely limited to what's growing in their own backyard.
And more often than not, that means pine.
“We don’t have the options they do in the Midwest or far east for firewood,” said Andy Ward, owner of Bear Claw Services LLC in Sheridan. “We’re kind of limited at what our options are. It’s not like you can go up on the mountain and cut down an ash tree.”
But that doesn't mean Wyoming's firewood is inferior. Depending on whom you ask, lodgepole pine, Douglas fir, spruce and even the much-maligned cottonwood all have their place in keeping Wyoming homes warm through the winter.
And the best wood for the job might not be the one that burns the hottest, smells the sweetest or produces the longest-lasting coals.
It might simply be the driest.
Great Wyoming Firewood Debate
According to Wyoming State Forester Kelly Norris, pine and spruce are the most abundant and commonly used firewood species in Wyoming, although what's available depends largely on where a person lives.
In northeastern Wyoming, particularly Crook, Weston and Niobrara counties, ponderosa pine is king.
Elsewhere, lodgepole pine dominates, particularly in Wyoming's mountainous regions.
“Lodgepole pine is actually the most common tree species in Wyoming, but it is not necessarily easily accessible to everyone in the state,” Norris said.
In western Wyoming, residents frequently burn a mixture of lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce and Douglas fir, Norris said.
“Most people know we don’t have a lot of options,” Ward said.
That makes the question of which firewood is best a little more complicated.
For Norris, lodgepole pine and Douglas fir are excellent choices for heating a home, but each has different advantages.
Lodgepole pine burns hot and relatively fast, making it useful for quickly warming a cold house. Douglas fir, being denser, generally provides more heat per cord and burns longer, making it a better choice for maintaining warmth overnight.
Engelmann spruce produces less heat but can be useful as an easy-lighting addition to the woodpile when properly seasoned.
Norris suggests combining the three: Lodgepole pine to get the house warmed up, Douglas fir for longer-lasting coals and Engelmann spruce to help keep the fire going.
In other words, the best Wyoming woodpile might contain a little of everything.
And The Winner Is ...
Ward has his own favorite.
When it comes to the best all-around firewood available in Wyoming, he gives the nod to fir.
Fir is denser than many of the other commonly available softwoods, he said, allowing it to produce strong heat and burn longer.
It's also his choice for cleaner burning.
But there's a catch.
Finding enough of one particular species to fill a customer's order isn't always practical when the wood is being harvested from Wyoming's forests.
“Out here in Wyoming, we’re kind of limited to what we can get our hands on,” Ward said.
One type that’s relatively easy to come by is cottonwood.
Wyoming has plenty of it, particularly along rivers and streams, but it doesn't enjoy the same reputation as pine or fir.
Cottonwood is relatively lightweight, burns quickly and can produce a considerable amount of ash.
Norris ranks it among the least desirable firewoods because of the ash it leaves behind.
Ward isn't particularly fond of the smell, either.
“In my opinion, it’s got a pungent odor,” he said.
Still, cottonwood has its defenders.
Ward said he has a customer who deliberately mixes cottonwood with pine in his wood stove.
“He swears by it,” Ward said. “His opinion is that it makes his fire last longer at night.”
Whether that combination actually improves overnight heating is another question, but it illustrates how particular people can be about what goes into their wood stoves.
One person's junk wood might be another person's secret ingredient.
What About The Smell?
Not everyone burns wood strictly for heat.
There's something to be said for the crackle of a fireplace on a cold Wyoming evening, particularly when the wood gives off a pleasant aroma.
For that, Ward recommends pine.
“If you bring it in your house it will have that nice Christmasy smell,” he said.
Other species have their own distinctive characteristics.
John Ball, a forestry specialist with South Dakota State University Extension, has studied the differences among firewood species, including heat output, fragrance, flame color and the tendency to throw sparks.
According to Ball, apple and crabapple produce particularly colorful flames, walnut is known for its fragrance and bur oak produces relatively few sparks.
Pine, meanwhile, tends to produce more sparks and less heat per cord than many denser hardwoods.
Those distinctions may play into whether someone is heating a house, enjoying an open fireplace or building a campfire.
A wood that throws sparks might be less desirable in an open fireplace, while a fast-burning wood could be perfectly suitable for a short evening fire.
The Utah State University Forestry Extension program has also compared firewood species based on heat, smoke, sparks, ease of splitting and overall value.
Its ratings give Douglas fir a “good” overall ranking, while lodgepole pine and cottonwood earn “fair” ratings.
Cottonwood is relatively easy to split and produces few sparks, while lodgepole pine is also easy to split but tends to throw more sparks.
Douglas fir produces relatively few sparks, although it can generate considerable smoke under some burning conditions.
But there's one factor that can make even a highly rated firewood perform poorly: Moisture.
How Dry Is Dry Enough?
Ask three people about the best firewood, and they might give three different answers.
Ask them about burning wet wood, however, and there's considerably more agreement.
Wood that hasn't dried sufficiently is harder to ignite, produces less usable heat and generates more smoke.
That's because some of the fire's energy is spent evaporating water instead of warming the house.
Norris recommends burning properly seasoned or kiln-dried wood with a moisture content below 20%.
When trees are alive, they continually draw moisture from the ground. Once they die, that process stops, and the wood begins drying.
That makes standing dead trees and fallen dead timber desirable sources of firewood, although even dead wood can retain moisture and may require additional seasoning.
Splitting logs speeds up the drying process by exposing more of the wood to air, according to Ward.
He considers a moisture content of about 15% to 20% ideal.
“Most people think their firewood has to be bone dry to burn,” he said.
Wood that's drier tends to ignite and burn more readily, while moisture slows combustion. Too much moisture, however, means less heat and more smoke.
Ward has been conducting his own informal experiment, monitoring the moisture content of several pieces of split firewood.
At last check, the wood measured about 30% moisture.
He said he expects it to reach a suitable moisture level within several weeks.
For people who don't have a moisture meter, there are other clues.
As wood dries, it shrinks, often producing cracks and splits at the ends of logs. Those cracks can indicate seasoning, although they don't guarantee that the wood is dry enough to burn.
A moisture meter provides a more reliable answer.
And for one Wyoming chimney sweep, that little device might be more valuable than knowing exactly what kind of tree the firewood came from.
The Chimney Guy Weighs In
Kevin Coffman has spent about 12 years cleaning chimneys across northern Wyoming, including the past decade operating his own business in Banner.
He works from the Montana state line south to Kaycee and throughout the Big Horn Mountains.
In a typical year, he said he cleans about 200 chimneys.
That gives him a firsthand look at what happens when Wyoming residents burn wood — and what happens when they don't burn it properly.
Pine, he said, has gotten a bad reputation over the years.
It's often blamed for excessive creosote buildup, the combustible residue that accumulates inside chimneys and can contribute to chimney fires.
But Coffman said the type of wood isn't necessarily the biggest problem.
What matters more is how dry the wood is and how the fire is maintained.
A hot, efficient fire using properly seasoned wood generally produces less creosote than a cool, smoldering fire.
And that's where some people get into trouble.
Coffman said one of the biggest misconceptions among wood burners is that keeping a fire low and slow is somehow safer.
In reality, a smoldering fire can send more unburned gases and particles up the chimney, where they condense into creosote.
The trick is to burn wood efficiently without overfiring the stove or chimney.
When it comes to pine versus cottonwood, Coffman said neither is automatically better from a chimney-maintenance standpoint.
Burning habits and moisture content are more important, he said.
He does favor lodgepole pine over some other pine and spruce species because it tends to have fewer branches, making it easier to process and stack.
But when it comes to what makes the best firewood, his answer is straightforward.
Dry wood.
Coffman recommends buying an inexpensive moisture meter and testing freshly exposed wood inside a split log rather than relying on how dry the outside looks.
His other advice is equally practical: Don't assume a chimney is safe simply because nothing bad has happened yet.
Some homeowners tell him they've been burning wood for 30 years without ever having their chimney cleaned.
But chimneys age, houses age and years of buildup can create hazards.
It's one reason Coffman's busiest season runs from September through February.
This fall, he's been scheduling appointments about six weeks out, which he said is normal for this time of year.
What About Beetle-Killed Wood?
Wyoming's forests contain an enormous supply of dead timber, including trees killed by bark beetles.
For people who heat their homes with wood, those trees can be a valuable resource.
Wyoming Landscape Maintenance in Jackson, for example, sources much of its firewood from beetle-killed forests, an approach that can also contribute to reducing certain wildfire fuels.
“I am unaware of any disadvantages to burning beetle-killed wood,” Norris said. “It is a great resource for wood heat.”
Because beetle-killed trees are already dead, they contain less moisture than freshly cut green trees.
But that doesn't mean every beetle-killed tree is automatically ready for the stove. Moisture levels still need to be checked, particularly if the wood has been lying on the ground or exposed to wet conditions.
The Cost Of Staying Warm
Of course, even if Wyoming residents wanted to burn oak or hickory, getting it here would be another matter.
Ward said the cost of transporting hardwood from other regions makes it impractical for most customers.
With fuel prices driving up transportation and operating expenses, bringing in hardwood from hundreds of miles away would make an already expensive heating option even costlier.
“You’d have to charge an astronomical amount to get a cord of wood,” Ward said.
Bear Claw Services raised its firewood prices this year because of fuel costs.
That means availability and affordability play a significant role in what Wyoming residents choose to burn.
A cord of dense hardwood may provide more heat than a cord of pine, but if it costs considerably more to purchase and transport, the extra heat may not justify the expense.
And for people who cut their own wood, the best choice may simply be whatever suitable dead timber they can legally and safely harvest close to home.
So, What's The Best Firewood In Wyoming?
It depends.
For a quick, hot fire, lodgepole pine is a strong contender.
For longer-lasting heat, Douglas-fir gets the nod.
For a pleasant Christmas-like aroma, Ward recommends pine.
For easy splitting and a short fire, cottonwood and aspen have their uses, even if they aren't everyone's first choice.
And for someone looking to avoid excessive smoke and creosote, the most important consideration isn't necessarily the species.
It's whether the wood has been properly seasoned and is being burned efficiently.
In a state where winter temperatures can plunge well below zero and wood stoves remain an important source of heat, those distinctions are worth thinking about.
But perhaps the biggest lesson is that Wyoming residents just need to know how to make the most of what grows here.
And according to the man who spends much of his winter looking inside Wyoming chimneys, the best firewood isn't necessarily the fanciest, hardest or most expensive.
It's the dry stuff.
Kate Meadows can be reached at kate@cowboystatedaily.com.
