Tree Surgery in Epsom | How to Choose, Store and Burn Firewood

Up to 45% of timber derived from our tree felling and tree surgery operations consists of free and molecular water so, if using it as a fuel inside your Epsom home prior to seasoning, it produces more steam than heat. At W.J. Kent Tree Surgeons Ltd, we season logs, firewood and woodchip to reduce moisture content to below the recommended 20% threshold. The lower the moisture content, the better the timber eventually burns.

Seasoned logs, and seasoned firewood and woodchip, produce more heat and contribute to a fire that burns cleanly, with less smoke, and without leaving tar deposits in the chimney flue. Always buy from suppliers or tree surgeons in the Epsom area who cut, season and stack their materials correctly.

We season timber harvested through our tree felling and tree surgery work and supply it either split or unsplit.

Storage

After purchasing logs and firewood from W.J. Kent Tree Surgeons Ltd, keep everything stacked, off the ground, and in an area with good air circulation. Do not cover seasoned firewood or woodchip with a tarpaulin because they will rot and spread mould. This can have a negative effect on those living inside your Epsom home when you eventually come to burn them. Mould spores have detrimental impact on human health.

It is possible to store kiln-dried timber derived from tree felling operations, and woodchip sourced through formative tree surgery work, under a cover. Just remember to keep materials off the ground if you plan to store kiln-dried logs and firewood outside.

Burning

Logs and firewood, and woodchip when used as a biomass fuel, all burn cleanly, but poor seasoning can cause pollutants to generate. High moisture levels impact the efficiency of wood burning and multifuel stoves, and they can cause problems with the chimney too. Worse still, as most Epsom homeowners will already know, higher levels of carbon monoxide from unseasoned timber present a major health hazard.

W.J. Kent Tree Surgeons Ltd strongly advises that you only use seasoned materials and burn them on stoves fitted by a trusted and professional installer.

Only burn materials derived from tree felling, tree surgery and timber harvesting operations, and never use domestic waste, glossed paper, plastic or polystyrene as a heat source. Also, avoid treated or painted timber. Use logs and firewood with a minimum diameter of 4 inches for better air circulation, and to expose more surface area to the flame.

Safety

Fit your Epsom property with a carbon monoxide detector, and have the chimney cleaned professionally once a year. If you have a source of woodchip and don’t feel confident enough to use it as a heat source, put it to one side and use it as a mulch or a landscaping material instead. Our tree surgeons can offer practical advice on keeping your home safe when burning seasoned logs and firewood.

Tree felling, and most other types of tree surgery, generate timber waste. Using W.J. Kent Tree Surgeons Ltd as your main supplier of firewood and woodchip helps the environment and, in turn, reduces the impact of our own carbon footprint.

We can make deliveries to Epsom and to all areas within a wide radius of our home in Coulsdon.