Firewood - Old Folklore Poem

Beechwood fires burn bright & clear,
If the logs are kept a year,
Chestnut only good they say,
If for long, it’s laid away,
But Ash new or Ash old,
Is fit for Queen with crown of Gold,
Birch & Fir logs burn too fast,
Blaze up bright and do not last,
It is by the Irish said,
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread,
Elmwood burns like churchyard Mold,
E’en the very flames are cold,
But Ash green or Ash Brown,
Is fit for Queen with Golden Crown,
Poplar gives a bitter Smoke,
Fills your eyes and makes you choke,
Apple wood will scent your room,
With an incense like perfume,
Oaken logs if dry and old,
Will keep away the winter’s cold,
But Ash wet or Ash dry,
A king shall warm his slippers by.

Trees

ENGLISH OAK Quercus robur

Probably the best known tree in Britain and an important feature of the English landscape. They live for hundreds of years and have always been important for their timber. The wood has been used to build ships, houses and furniture, but is also renowned for its use in casks for maturing wines and spirits.