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Wood burning awareness

© Van Waffle

In the new energy crisis, we must reconsider alternative sources. For people seeking a simpler, back-to-the-earth lifestyle, wood heat has been a traditional favourite. But there's some argument as to whether using wood fuel is harmful or beneficial to the environment.

There's no question it offers many benefits over fossil fuels. It's practically the cheapest way to heat your home, and costs next to nothing if you own a woodlot that can be harvested. Of course this doesn't count the labour in cutting wood and keeping the stove filled. But for those who want to reduce costs or follow a more self-sufficient lifestyle, it's an attractive option.

Family focus

The labour is not necessarily a deterrent. Maintaining the wood pile can become a pleasant ritual for the entire family. And few household features are as magnetic as a wood stove. On chilly mornings at the cottage, my daughters always insist on having a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fire. My own notion of a romantic winter evening definitely includes a bottle of wine and a hearth.

Environmentally, wood has a big advantage, too, because it is a renewable resource. Fossil fuels will someday run out, but trees can be replaced. At least that's the usual rationale.

In favour of wood

Canada's Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) online offers A Guide to Residential Wood Heating. An article on "Wood burning and the environment," states that "because trees recycle carbon dioxide, wood burning does not contribute to the global warming problem." Woodheat.org has an article, "The forest, the atmosphere and the public awareness," arguing that expanded use of wood fuel "is compatible with maintaining forest biodiversity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions."

This gives the impression that wood heat is good for the environment. This isn't exactly true, neither is the statement that it doesn't contribute to global warming. They seem to be arguing that a fuel which depends on keeping our forests healthy must be beneficial. But this same argument could be made for the pulp and paper industry. Wood heat is only as responsible as the people who use it, and the industries that supply it.

In favour of trees

What's true is that forests reduce greenhouse gases, though we don't exactly know by what mechanism, or how big their role is. The U.S Government argued last year that the carbon dioxide absorbed by its forests should count toward pollution reduction targets set in global warming talks, but the assumptions behind this position have been proven fallacious. An article in Nature explains that the supposed ability of forests to act as a carbon dioxide sink is not as strong as suspected. One researcher hypothesized that mature forests may make a greater contribution than reforestation projects.

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