A homeowner is making firewood from a storm-damaged tree that has been taken down by a tree service. Anza Valley Outlook/Diane Sieker photo
With autumn nights becoming cooler and winter rains hopefully in the forecast, Anza Valley residents’ thoughts are turning to preparing for the colder months ahead.Many people in the area heat with wood, a renewable biofuel readily available and affordable. Using firewood as a main heating fuel means becoming familiar with heating properties, storage, measurements and safety.The heating properties associated with different types and species of wood are calculated in British Thermal Units, which is a traditional unit of measurement. BTU is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. In wood burning, the BTU defines the amount of heat produced by a cord of a particular type of wood.A cord is the unit of measure
