wood stoves factsheet - ebook

CO2 is the most important greenhouse gas; wood is a carbon-neutral fuel in that burning releases CO2 (the same amount as if the trees died and rotted) but new trees absorb it. Growing trees absorb more CO2 than mature trees, so as we harvest mature trees, from a climate change perspective, it is essential that we replace them with new ones. Wood is a renewable resource that provides a habitat for wildlife. It also has a good energy balance, i.e. can be locally produced, requiring very little processing or transport energy (logs more so than pellets, although pellets release less of the pollutants that cause acid rain).