ProgressOhio

Those wbfp's, as the Realtors call them, are getting a workout now that the temperature has dropped below freezing. I can smell the smoke.

Fireplaces in homes built in the sixties like ours were designed for aesthetics and stocking-hanging, not energy efficiency.  Probably more BTUs go up the chimney than into the room. We don't use our fireplace, but we finally got a chimney cap installed to keep out the birds.

Firewood is another issue. You have to be careful about measurements, moisture content and specific laws about firewood transport which are a result of ash tree insect infestation. The Ohio Ag Dept. offers these firewood consumer tips.

From personal experience, I've learned that wolf spiders like to lurk in wood stacks, and wood left indoors is likely to lead to ants getting into your house. Frequent wood-burning in a fireplace is not only inefficient, but also messy.

Wood stoves, of course, are an altogether different story, and today's models are more efficient than ever. For many people, a wood stove can be a cheaper alternative to gas or heating oil.

My eco-conscious friends who live near Logan in a large modern home have composting toilets and a wood stove as their primary heat source (an electric heat pump supplements when necessary). It seems to work for them -- a renewable heat source literally from their backyard.

But there is an environmental caveat to wood burning, as the Green Lantern column of Slate points out:

[A] "burn local" movement won't do much to help the environment if your stove starts spitting out toxic fumes. In some communities, wood smoke accounts for as much as 82 percent of particulate matter—tiny particles that can cause serious respiratory problems—emitted during the winter. Moreover, because that smoke is being produced right in (or outside) your house, the probability of exposure is greater—and that can have significant health effects....

My friends in the sparsely populated Hocking Hills don't seem to have a problem with wood smoke, but if you've ever flown over Aspen, you've probably seen the brown haze that collects over the valley. Even here in suburbia, fumes from wood burning can be strong, especially if the wood is unseasoned.

The main eco-friendly aspect of heating with wood is that, unlike oil and gas, wood is a renewable resource. But that's only true if you actually plant more trees. (And in the case of my southern Ohio friends, they do.)

I wouldn't discourage anyone from gathering around the hearth. Just try to be considerate of your neighbors and the earth at large.