Not all wood is created equal. If you're just starting to research the wood stove market, you might have the impression that once you choose a stove, you just grab whatever fuel is close to hand and toss it in. In reality, choosing high quality wood for your stove is the second most important factor in heating your home efficiently--right after choosing an appropriate model.

There are different types of wood, and they have varying heating yields. Some varieties work drastically better as fuel than others. This article is intended as a quick primer on choosing fuels that will help make your stove an efficient performer. Here's an overview of what to look for.

Generally speaking, wood that's heavy and hard will produce a lot more radiant heat than soft, light weight wood. Hardwood is also much better for "coaling"--the phenomenon of wood "burning down" to a bed of glowing, hot embers. This is important because coaling is a source of considerable heat, and improves a stove's efficiency. This is why you will pay more to buy a cord of hard wood like oak, beech, hickory, or maple than you will for the same amount of soft aspen or pine. If you come across wood for sale that seems dirt cheap, odds are that it's softwood.

Even more important, thought, is that your wood is seasoned. Newly cut wood is moist and green, with water content sometimes exceeding 50 percent. That means a lot of moisture needs to be evaporated before the fuel starts generating heat efficiently. Old, dry, seasoned wood, by contrast, is ready to produce heat immediately. It burns hot and clean, and you can identify it by the loose bark and white, cracked interior.

The value of older wood is essential to keep in mind when you buy a large lot of firewood. You can save money by purchasing newly cut wood, but in that case it will be green and extended air drying will be required. In order for the water to escape, at least six months of seasoning will be necessary, and often more. For example, oak requires over 12 months of seasoning before it's ready to burn. This makes it a better idea to buy last year's wood crop for immediate use in your stove--not this year's.

By purchasing seasoned, older wood, you will give your stove the fuel it needs to work at maximum levels of efficiency, which in turn will give you the most bang for your buck and cause the least pollution.