Is it OK to burn storm-fall or dead trees from my own property?
Out in Mills River, where a lot of homes run on delivered propane, free wood off your own acreage is a real offset — and yes, storm-fall makes some of the best firewood there is. With the farmland and forest around here you likely have the supply already down; the discipline is seasoning it dry before it ever heats the house.
Free fuel in propane country
Much of rural Henderson County out here is off the natural-gas main and on propane, so every seasoned cord you burn is propane you don't have to buy that season. But green wood burned to save money backfires — it smokes, wastes most of its heat, and cakes the chimney with creosote, so you spend on a sweep what you thought you saved on fuel. The upside is that the open Mills River valley gives you sunny, breezy space most properties in tighter towns don't have, which is exactly what dries wood well.
Stack it in the open valley
Split freshly downed trees and crib the wood up off the ground with the top covered and the sides open to that valley airflow. Green oak takes six to twelve months; standing-dead may be closer to ready, but prove it with a moisture meter under 20 percent rather than trusting how it looks. The same open valley that dries wood well is also why gas fire pits and outdoor fireplaces earn their keep here in the cool evenings.
What not to burn — and the flue
Stick to natural, untreated wood only — never painted, stained, or pressure-treated lumber, which releases toxic fumes. Keep up the yearly sweep with heavy home-cut wood. And if you're burning in an open masonry box, an EPA insert captures far more of that free heat — we permit inserts with Henderson County. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Mills River
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mills River and the rest of Henderson County — just 25 minutes south from our Asheville-area showroom.