A compendium of news and commentary about wood burning collected (mostly) from around North America. If you see a relevant item that doesn't appear here, please post it in the comments section below.

Heating With Wood – Cutting Your Own Firewood

In our part of Southeast Alaska, the forests are overwhelmingly hemlock and spruce. We have a scattering of cedar, lots of birch, willow and cottonwood, and alder around the fringes. Birch is our first choice for firewood. It grows very fast, and very tall, but then it dies within a short time. It’s prone to rot, because the bark is so watertight it holds in moisture. Since we harvest only dead trees, we watch the birches carefully, so we can fell them as soon as they’re dead.

Wood Fires Can Harm the Youngest Lungs
That picturesque wood-burning stove ranks alongside auto traffic as a risk factor for bronchiolitis, the respiratory condition that is the leading cause of hospitalization in the first year of life, a new study finds.

"Those infants who had more exposure to wood-burning appliances were more likely to show up in doctors' offices or be hospitalized for bronchiolitis," said Dr. Catherine Karr, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington, and lead author of a report in the Nov. 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

San Jose: Winter Spare the Air 2009-2010

The times they are a-changin’. It used to be give the chimney a thorough cleaning and order a cord of wood. Nowadays it’s check the website or e-mail alerts before thinking about sitting around a cozy fire.

Report wood smoke concerns (snitch on the neighbors) call 1-877-4NO-BURN (1-877-466-2876).

Stop burning garbage in fireplace, councillor says
Charlottetown residents are burning more than wood in their stoves and fireplaces and a Charlottetown city councillor wants to put a halt to the practice. Mitchell Tweel says residents in his downtown ward say the aroma from the smoke billowing out of some flues is enough to make them sick. He wants Prince Edward Island’s capital city to review bylaws in other cities to see what, if anything, city hall can do.

Two steps to make Concord greener
Concord goes into the carbon challenge with some big advantages. It has, for now, enlightened political leadership. It also has, through Concord Steam, one of the few wood-fired district heating plants in the world. Though the plant occasionally has to use natural gas or processed waste oil as a supplemental fuel, its boilers are consume more than 800,000 tons of locally-produced wood chips from logging slash - no trash or construction debris. That's the energy equivalent of 36 million gallons of imported oil. And wood heat is carbon neutral. The carbon released by burning is offset by the carbon dioxide new trees absorb.

New phone line to advise on evening wood burning in the Yolo and Solano county area
In addition to Enviroflash, an electronic notification for air quality advisories during "Don't Light Tonight" season, the Yolo Solano Air Quality Management District has added a dedicated phone line, 530-757-3787, for residents who prefer to call in for the daily status on the voluntary program. "If someone is considering lighting a fire this winter, we encourage them to call first to see if an advisory has been issued," said Executive Director Mat Ehrhardt. "With two methods of getting the word out, we hope everyone will cooperate and adhere to these advisories."

Residents still have chance at new stoves

Behind door No. 1: an old, less efficient wood stove, the kind that is sending a significant amount of pollution into the air above Keene.

Behind door No. 2: a new, more efficient wood stove, pellet stove or gas heater, discounted by $1,000, a 30 percent federal tax credit on the remaining cost of the wood stove, and 2,000 pounds of free wood pellets. Some 55 city homeowners have taken the deal behind door No. 2. And for those still dealing with what’s behind door No. 1, another 45 rebates remain.

Boy walking to school alerts Windsor resident: Your house is on fire

A boy walking to school early Monday spotted smoke at a Windsor home, knocked on the front door and told residents their home was on fire, a Windsor fire official said.

Discarded ashes from the fireplace placed Sunday in a plastic garbage can started the fire. By Monday morning it had melted the can and begun burning up the outside of the Harvest Court home, Battalion Chief Joe Giordani said.