You ordered seasoned firewood. It arrived, you stacked it, you built a fire — and then spent the evening watching it hiss, smoke, and barely catch. Sound familiar? You’re not alone, and it’s not your fireplace.
The problem, more often than not, is the wood itself. “Seasoned” is one of the most misused words in the firewood business. It doesn’t have a legal definition, there’s no testing requirement behind it, and any supplier can slap it on a delivery regardless of what’s actually in the wood.
What does have a clear definition is moisture content. That’s the number that tells you whether firewood will actually burn — and it’s the number most buyers never think to ask about.
What Is Firewood Moisture Content and Why Does It Matter?
Moisture content is simply the percentage of water in a piece of wood relative to its dry weight. A freshly cut log — what the industry calls “green” wood — can have a moisture content anywhere from 60% to over 100%. That’s not a typo. When there’s more water in the wood than actual dry wood fiber, the number climbs past 100%.
When you light a fire, the wood has to boil off all that water before it can actually combust. Every bit of energy that goes toward evaporating moisture is energy that isn’t heating your home. That’s why wet wood is frustrating to light, burns cool, and fills the room with smoke. It’s not a kindling problem. It’s a water problem.
The EPA recommends burning firewood at a moisture content of less than 20%. That’s the threshold where wood transitions from “fighting to burn” to actually burning well.
What Moisture Content Should Seasoned Firewood Actually Have?
Here’s where the gap between marketing and reality gets wide. When seasoning is done right — wood split and stacked with good airflow for a full year or more — it can reach a moisture content below 20%, sometimes settling around 15% to 20%. That’s the range the EPA and Cornell Cooperative Extension both point to as optimal for burning.
The problem is that seasoning is a process that takes time, and time is the one thing a lot of firewood suppliers aren’t willing to give it. A University of Tennessee study found that typical bags of wood sold as “seasoned” had moisture content values ranging from 50% to 90%. Not 20%. Fifty to ninety. That’s wood that was cut, maybe left to sit for a few weeks, and then sold to someone who trusted the label.
At 50% moisture content, you’re not really burning wood. You’re boiling water with a flame underneath it. The fire stays low, the smoke is heavy, and the creosote — that sticky, flammable residue — starts building up inside your flue. The National Fire Protection Association has linked creosote buildup to a significant share of residential chimney fires. Wet wood isn’t just a performance issue. It’s a safety issue.
So when someone asks what moisture content seasoned firewood should have, the honest answer is: under 20%, ideally between 15% and 20%. But the more important follow-up question is — how do you know what you’re actually getting?
The quickest way to check is with a moisture meter. They run about $20 to $30 at most hardware stores, and the method is straightforward: split a log open and press the meter’s pins into the freshly exposed face. The surface of wood dries out faster than the core, so testing the exterior will give you a falsely low reading. The interior is what matters. If the reading comes back under 20%, you’re in good shape. If it’s pushing 30%, 40%, or higher, you’re looking at a long, smoky night.
You can also do a quick visual and auditory check. Properly seasoned wood tends to have visible cracks or “checks” at the ends of the log where the wood has dried and contracted. The bark pulls away more easily. When you knock two pieces together, dry wood makes a sharp, hollow crack. Wet wood makes a dull thud. These aren’t as precise as a meter, but they’ll tell you something.
Why Nassau County’s Coastal Climate Makes Moisture Content Harder to Get Right
This is something no national firewood guide is going to tell you, because it’s specific to where you live. Nassau County, NY sits between the Atlantic Ocean to the south and Long Island Sound to the north. That geography keeps the air humid year-round — and humidity is the enemy of properly dried firewood.
Wood is not a sealed container. It absorbs and releases moisture based on the air around it. In a dry inland climate, a cord of wood stacked in spring can reach a good moisture level by fall. On Long Island, the same wood is fighting against coastal humidity the entire time. The summer months that should be doing the heavy drying work are also some of the most humid months of the year. That slows the process down considerably.
What this means practically: wood that might be fully seasoned after six months in a drier part of the country may still be sitting at 30% or higher after the same period here. The one-year minimum that Cornell Cooperative Extension recommends for hardwoods becomes even more important in a coastal environment like Nassau County’s.
It also means that how you store firewood matters more here than it might elsewhere. The common mistake is throwing a tarp over the whole pile. That traps moisture underneath and can actually make things worse. The right approach is to cover only the top of the stack and leave the sides open so air can move through. Stacking on a raised surface — off the ground and away from structures — helps too. If you’re buying seasoned wood in October and stacking it outside in a humid Nassau County fall, you may want to give it extra time before you start burning.
One of our customers put it well in a review: they recommended ordering a delivery of seasoned wood a few months early, even if you don’t plan to burn it right away, just to let it continue drying in your own stack before the season starts. That’s genuinely good advice for this area.
Kiln Dried vs. Seasoned Firewood: What the Difference Actually Is
Once you understand moisture content, the kiln dried vs. seasoned firewood question becomes a lot easier to answer. Both methods aim at the same target — getting wood dry enough to burn well — but they get there in very different ways, with very different levels of consistency.
Seasoning is time and air. You split the wood, stack it, and wait. Done properly, it works. The challenge is that “done properly” requires a full year or more, the right storage conditions, and a supplier who isn’t cutting corners. When any of those variables slip, you end up with wood that’s labeled seasoned but isn’t.
Kiln drying removes the variable. Wood goes into a commercial kiln at high heat — typically between 200°F and 265°F — and comes out with a guaranteed moisture content, usually in the 10% to 18% range. There’s no guessing, no waiting to see if it dried enough, and no hoping the supplier was honest about the timeline.
Is Kiln Dried Firewood Worth It Compared to Seasoned?
The honest answer is: it depends on what you’re burning it in and how much certainty you want.
Kiln dried firewood lights faster, burns hotter, and produces significantly less smoke than wood that’s sitting at 25% or 30% moisture. Research suggests green or improperly dried wood can produce up to 50% less heat output than properly dried wood — meaning you’re burning through more of your cord for less warmth. Kiln dried wood also carries a much lower risk of bringing insects or mold into your home, since the heat treatment kills off pests and larvae that can survive in air-dried wood.
If you have a newer wood stove — particularly one with a catalytic combustor — kiln dried isn’t just a preference, it’s close to a requirement. Burning high-moisture wood in a catalytic stove can damage the combustor, which is an expensive component to replace. The stove is designed to operate at high temperatures, and wet wood keeps it running too cool to function properly.
That said, fully seasoned firewood — wood that has genuinely been dried to under 20% — is a legitimate option. The issue isn’t the method. The issue is verification. With kiln dried wood, the moisture content is built into the process. With seasoned wood, you’re relying on the supplier’s honesty and their drying timeline. A moisture meter gives you a way to check either one.
We offer Fully Seasoned and Kiln Dried firewood, along with Semi-Seasoned, Bundles, and Pallets, so you can choose based on your setup and how quickly you need wood that’s ready to burn. If you’re stocking up in spring or early summer and have time to let the wood continue drying in your own stack, Fully Seasoned is a solid choice. If you’re ordering in October and want to be burning this weekend, Kiln Dried takes the guesswork out of it entirely.
Which Firewood Types Burn Best — and Does Species Matter as Much as Moisture?
Species matters — but not as much as moisture content. This is one of the most common misconceptions in the firewood world. Buyers spend a lot of time comparing oak versus maple versus cherry, when the bigger variable sitting underneath all of it is whether the wood is actually dry.
A cord of wet oak burns worse than a cord of properly dried mixed hardwood. Moisture content is the floor. Once you’re confident the wood is dry, then species becomes a meaningful conversation.
Among hardwoods, oak is widely considered the benchmark. Red oak and white oak both offer high heat output — around 7,000 BTUs per pound — and they’re dense enough to hold a long, steady burn. Hard maple and hickory are in the same tier. Hickory burns hot and long, with a slightly aromatic quality that makes it popular for fireplaces. White ash is a reliable, consistent burner that’s a little easier to split than oak. Sugar maple is another strong choice for sustained heat.
What these species have in common is density. Dense hardwoods hold more energy per log, which means you’re loading the firebox less often and getting more consistent heat. Softwoods like pine burn faster and at lower temperatures — they’re fine for kindling but not ideal as your primary fuel for a Long Island winter.
The practical takeaway: if you’re buying firewood in Nassau County, NY, prioritize hardwood and prioritize dryness. In that order. A reputable supplier should be able to tell you what species you’re getting and how the wood was dried. If the answer to either question is vague, that’s worth paying attention to.
We screen all our wood before loading — removing dirt, debris, and substandard pieces — so what arrives at your door is clean, uniform hardwood, not a mix of whatever was at the bottom of the pile. That’s a step a lot of suppliers skip, and it’s one of the reasons our customers tend to come back.
How to Buy Firewood in Nassau County Without Getting Burned
The single most useful thing you can take from this page is a number: 20%. That’s the moisture content threshold the EPA uses to define wood that’s ready to burn. Below it, your fire works. Above it, you’re fighting it all night.
“Seasoned” is a word. Under 20% is a fact. When you’re evaluating a supplier — or when a delivery arrives and something feels off — that’s the standard to measure against. A $25 moisture meter from a hardware store gives you the ability to check any load before you stack it.
If you’re in Nassau County, NY and want firewood delivered without the guesswork, LI Firewood and Mulch offers same-day delivery, wood that’s screened before it’s loaded, and multiple dryness tiers so you can choose what fits your situation. Reach out through the online chat, place an order by text, or browse online — and if you have questions about which option is right for your fireplace or stove, someone will give you a straight answer.