Fuel Properties

Proximate and Ultimate Analysis of Fuel
Biomass Energy Foundation

Understanding Wood Wastes as Fuel TECHNICAL PAPER #46
Jon Vogler, VITA, Volunteers in Technical Assistance, Arlington, Virginia 22209 USA 1986

Firewood Crops: Shrub and Tree Species for Energy Production
US National research Council, Washington D.C. for US Agency for International Develoment, 1980 PB81-150716 (NTIS)

Physical Properties of Common Woods

Guatemalan Conifers
Thomas T. Veblen, Facultad de Ingenieria Forestal, Universidad Austral de Chile, FAO, Unasylva

Characteristics and Availability of Commercially Important Woods in the US
Regis B. Miller, US Forest Service,
From Forest Products Laboratory. 1999. Wood handbook—Wood as an engineering material.

Properties of firewood

5.1 The Use of Tree Legumes for Fuelwood Production (FAO)
PA Ryan, FAO

Fuelwood is the cheapest fuel available per unit of heat in most developing countries. The annual use of fuelwood has been estimated at 1,200 million cubic metres worldwide (Arnold and Jongma 1978). Fuelwood can be harvested on demand and is easily stored and dried. It can be produced from most tree species and from a wide range of silvicultural systems. However, if fuelwood production is a primary management aim of tree planting, a variety of factors needs to be considered to optimise both the quantity and value of fuelwood produced. For example, a species with high volume production is of little fuelwood value if the wood is very light or if the burning wood produces toxic smoke.

Moisture Content

Moisture content in wood fuel is calculated as the percentage difference between the wet weight of the wood and the dry weight of the wood. If the percentage is calculated relative to the wet weight, it is called the wet basis moisture content.