A well-managed forest can be a sustainable, renewable source of energy that will help us reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of oil, gas, and coal that we burn for heat. Sound woodlot management yields firewood as a byproduct of thinning out non-lumber grade trees. If allowed, nature will replace what we use. This means that, with care, we will never run out of firewood. Using wood as a fuel is also good for the atmosphere because it helps to reduce the build-up in greenhouse gas emissions.
Trees go through a natural cycle of growth and decay.
And, whether they are burned or are slowly oxidized as they rot on the forest floor, there is a balance between the carbon taken from the atmosphere by trees as they grow and that which is released once they die. The modern woodstoves sold by Woodstock Soapstone Company are exceptionally clean burning. These stoves use catalytic combustors and emit between 1.3 and 3.5 grams of particulate matter per hour, depending on the model. This resulted in lower firebox temperatures, incomplete combustion and a great deal of smoke. Some of these stoves put out more than 60 grams of particulate matter per hour.