What trees should you not burn?

11 Kinds of Wood Not to Burn in Your Fireplace Green Wood or Unseasoned Wood. Wood that makes the best firewood for a fireplace is seasoned wood not green wood. ... Non-Local Wood. ... Christmas Trees. ... Driftwood. ... Poisonous wood. ... Oleander. ... Endangered Species. ... Plywood, particle board, or chipboard. More items...

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11 Kinds of Wood that Should Not be Burned in a Fireplace + BONUS MATERIAL I know it’s tempting to burn anything that will produce heat, but as you will read below it’s important to understand that burning some types of wood can put your health at risk. Here is a list of 11 kinds of wood that should not be burned in a fireplace. Some of these varieties shouldn’t be burned because they produce harmful toxins which are very dangerous for you to breath. Others are very flammable and can put your at risk for a chimney fire. Take a look at the 11 wood types below to find out more and then check out the 7 other common household items that you should avoid burning.

11 Kinds of Wood Not to Burn in Your Fireplace

1. Green Wood or Unseasoned Wood

Wood that makes the best firewood for a fireplace is seasoned wood not green wood. Depending on the species of wood, needs to season for about 12 months. Green wood if burned in a fireplace will typically result in a lot of smoke and creosote build up in your chimney. All firewood will create some amounts of creosote, but green wood will produce the most. Creosote is nothing more than a condensation of small, unburned particles contained in the smoke that coats the chimney surface as it exits. The creosote will stick to the sides of the chimney and can ignite, causing a chimney fire. It’s best not to burn green wood in your fireplace if you can avoid it.

2. Non-Local Wood

If you are buying firewood, be sure to only buy local wood. Ask the seller where he got the wood from and don’t buy it if the wood came from more than a few miles away. This is especially important if you live in an area that is currently being invaded by an invasive wood pest, such as the emerald ash borer, the Asian long-horned beetle, or the gold-spotted oak borer. These pests move slowly on their own, but with our help they can put new forests at risk. Buying non-local wood and stacking and storing it on your property, can give these insects just the right opportunity to damage more forests and the trees on your own property. By buying local wood you can feel fairly confident that nothing foreign or destructive will be introduced to your trees.

3. Christmas Trees

This might seem like a funny one to put on the list, but you would be surprised at how many people burn their old Christmas trees in their fireplace. So what is the real danger? Well, Christmas trees have an abundance of dry needles that can catch on fire super quickly and the tree has a ton of sap, which is super flammable and full of creosote that can clog up your chimney. Because Christmas trees are loaded with sap that burns quickly and pops, embers may rise quickly through your chimney and can start a chimney fire. It’s best to avoid burning this tempting firewood in your indoor fireplace.

4. Driftwood

While you will get beautiful blue and lavender flames burning driftwood, it is not recommended to burn in your fireplace. When burned it is a big source of dioxin, which is a toxin to humans. Instead of burning driftwood in your fireplace use it as a decoration piece in your home as a memory of your trip to the coast.

5. Poisonous wood

6. Oleander

I think it goes without saying that you do not want to burn any woods in your fireplace that have the word “poison” in their name. Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Poison Sumac, etc. They release an irritant oil into the smoke and can cause big problems to you especially if you are allergic to them. Breathing in the smoke can cause lung irritation, and severe allergic respiratory problems. Oleander trees are beautiful to look at but toxic in all its parts. You will also see it grown as a shrub and is one of the most poisonous commonly grown garden plants. It also goes by the name Nerium. They typically grow along rivers and streams and have beautiful flowers either white, pink, or red. Humans and animals are sensitive to its toxicity. Ingestion of the plant can affect your gastrointestinal system, your heart, and the central nervous system. Don’t burn your food over it, don’t toast marshmallows on a stick from it, and don’t breath in its smoke.

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7. Endangered Species

Just as there are endangered animals in our world there are also trees that are at risk of extinction. It’s best to avoid burning them if you have any other options available to you. The Maple-Leaf Oak, Florida Yew and Fraser Fir are just a few to mention. The decline in some populations of tree species is due to logging combined with a lack of fire. Some trees, like the Longleaf Pine, must experience a forest fire for its seeds to germinate. Longleaf Pine are listed as endangered, but some say they should be qualified as critically endangered if a thorough assessment was done. Other trees, such as Red Oak, fall prey to attacks from funguses. It spreads overland and through root grafts between trees. It doesn’t take very long, just a few months, for the tree to die. The Fraser Fir is in danger because of an insect called the balsam woolly Adelgid. Once the tree is infected with the insect it basically starves to death.

8. Plywood, particle board, or chipboard

A lot of inexpensive furniture is made with particle board, also called chipboard, and held together with high-strength adhesive. It’s a bad idea to burn adhesives because you will be breathing in smoke that is filled with toxins. If you are bent on getting rid of your unwanted furniture, best to set it on the curb with a free or for sale sign. Hopefully, someone will pick it up quickly! Similarly, plywood should not be burned in your fireplace. Don’t burn it at all inside or outside. The layers of sheet material is glued together. This glue when burned creates toxic smoke that is harmful to your body. If you have a building project, best to calculate as accurately as possible how much plywood you need so you don’t have extra lying around. If you just really need to get rid of it take it to a land-fill. That is much better than burning it.

9. Painted or stained wood

It might be tempting to burn whatever wood you can get your hands on, but think twice before burning painted or stained wood in your fireplace. Painted or stained wood can contain toxic chemicals that are released when burned and are dangerous for you to breathe. Often times you will find people wondering what to do with their painted or stained wood after a remodel or a building has been torn down.

10. Pressure Treated Lumber

Pressure treated wood contains wood preservatives that are intended to extend the life of the wood and prevent it from rotting, weathering and being eaten by insects. Often times people use pressure treated wood for building decks of other outdoor structures that they want to be beautiful and last for years to come. You should never burn it though. When you burn it in your fireplace it releases all of those toxic chemicals into the air for you to breathe. It’s best to repurpose pressure treated lumber or dispose of it in a landfill.

11. Wood Pallets

I know it’s tempting to want to burn any kind of wood you can get your hands on, but please don’t burn wood pallets in your fireplace. Some pallets are treated with chemicals, which you don’t want to breathe and have fill your home. Nowadays there are tons of things you can do with old wooden pallets to repurpose the wood. If you aren’t a crafty person, consider giving them to someone who is. They can make bookshelves, coffee tables, swings, shoe organizers, and all kinds of things out of old pallets.

7 BONUS MATERIALS

1. Cardboard

Fireplaces are designed to burn wood but sometimes we treat them like a trash can and throw whatever we have lying around into them. What about cardboard? Is it ok to burn cardboard in your fireplace? Well, actually, its not a good idea. For one, cardboard contains man-made chemicals, which when burned can release hazardous fumes into the air that are harmful for us to breath. Also, there is the danger that the cardboard can float into the air as it is burning and leave the fireplace if a screen is not in place. You may also cause an outside fire if the cardboard pieces travel up the flue and out the chimney. It’s best to avoid burning cardboard in your fireplace.

2. Trash

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Just like burning cardboard in your fireplace, burning trash in your fireplace is not a good idea. Trash will give off chemical emissions that are not healthy for us to breath and depending on what kind of trash it can produce a very unpleasant smell in your house. I know it’s tempting to treat your fireplace like an incinerator, but don’t. This includes table scraps, cereal boxes, egg crates, wrappers, etc.

3. Plastic

4. Paper

Should you burn plastic in your fireplace? No, no you should not burn plastic in your fireplace. For one, it creates hazardous fumes that you should not breath and black yucky smoke. Plastic will not burn up completely, which will leave you with a mess in your fireplace. Not a good idea to burn it in your fireplace. Many types of plastic can be recycled. Just check with your local recycling center. You might try making something out of your plastic milk jugs or coke bottles or just throwing them away to end up in the landfill. I’m sure you can picture lighting a piece of paper and then watching it catch a draft and go airborne. This will happen to you if you burn paper without a screen on your fireplace. The danger with paper is that it can also go up and out your chimney and cause an outdoor fire. Be very careful if you choose to burn paper in your fireplace. One way to help minimize flying fire balls is to tightly twist your paper tightly before igniting them.

5. Magazines

While burning paper in your fireplace isn’t the best idea, as noted above, the main concern with burning magazines is the ink printed on the paper. When burned the ink releases harmful chemicals into your home. Best to find some other was to dispose of your unwanted magazines than to burn them in your fireplace. Rather than burning all of those unwanted magazines you might try donating them to bless someone else’s life. Some places that would benefit from your second-hand magazines would be your local library, nursing home or retirement community, or doctors and dentist offices.

6. Styrofoam

You probably have an excess of styrofoam lying around your house. It’s everywhere and commonly used as padding for packaging items, even food items. A lot of vegetables come on a styrofoam tray that you are left to dispose of. If you burn it you will be releasing a gas that can effect the nervous system. It doesn’t burn well, but rather burns with a black sooty flame. Best to keep it as packing material for a future package or find some other way to dispose of it like donating it to a craft shop in town.

7. Coal

Conclusion

Coal burns much hotter than wood, so you can really get into a lot of trouble if you try to burn coal in your fireplace. Coal, when burned, gives off carbon monoxide, which can be poisonous. If you want to burn coal for a heat source you need to invest in a coal fireplace. So be a little bit picky when you choose what to burn in your fireplace. You don’t want to cause a chimney fire or release harmful toxins into the air for you and your family to breath. Just because it’s free wood doesn’t make it a great and healthy source of heat. When in doubt, it’s best to do a little research before stoking your fire with toxic wood.

Have I missed anything? Please let me know down in the comments!

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