There are two types of firewood logs, hardwood and softwood. These names however do not refer to the properties of the wood, as some softwood logs can be hard and some hardwood logs can be soft!

Hardwoods logs come from broad-leaved, deciduous trees that lose their leaves in winter e.g. ash, beech, birch, sycamore and oak. They are slow growing (80 – 100 years to maturity) and as a result produce a dense timber.

Softwoods logs on the other hand, come from coniferous trees which are evergreen, have needles and bear cones e.g. Douglas fir, Scots pine, Larch and Spruce. These trees grow very fast compared to most hardwoods (25 – 30 years to maturity) resulting in a much lighter, less dense piece of wood.