Burning wood for heat can benefit your household in many ways, especially if you live outside the city. When petroleum and natural gas prices climb, the economic benefit of wood-burning is clear. Add to that independence from outside forces, and heating with wood can bring you genuine stress relief. If the electricity goes off, you stay warm. And you have that feeling of security as you look out the window at a neatly stacked pile of firewood, your "savings account," ready for a cold winter's night. Dirk Thomas, experienced woodburner and chimney sweep, is the perfect guide to the ins and outs of the many ways available to burn wood for heat. He discusses the fuel value of various woods, how to buy firewood and get the most heat from it, the environmental impact of woodburning and a variety of chimney and flue arrangements. Throughout, the emphasis is on woodburning safety. Even knowledgeable woodburners will gain from his detailed descriptions of woodburning installations, which are based on the latest codes and recommendations from the U.S. and Canada.

Dirk Thomas has been a logger, tree surgeon and commercial firewood cutter. He is currently an active professional chimney sweep who has written articles for The Chicago Tribune, Country Journal, Vermont Magazine and American Forests. He lives in Cuttingsville, Vermont