Some people can be very negative about log fires. They'll tell you how much dust they create, how much hard work is involved in hauling and splitting logs and so on. But there are so many advantages to burning firewood from a sustainable local source.
When you order your first load of logs, from your local tree surgeon or firewood supplier, they'll ask what length you want and supply the right size to fit your wood-burner. Most wood-burners operate more efficiently if they are kept well topped up with seasoned logs of uniform size.
It's much easier to load your log burner if all your logs are a similar size and you'll get a much more even, and therefore more efficient, burn rate. Which all adds up to more heat for your money, making seasoned firewood from a sustainable local source not only greener but more economical as a heat source.
Many log burners are designed to be left burning for long periods at a time, reducing the dust as they need little attention, and the firewood is very efficiently burnt away to a fine ash which accumulates slowly and is a good by-product for your garden, providing a valuable source of potassium and helping to improve the pH of acidic soil.
You may find some logs from hardwoods, broad-leaved trees such as oak, ash or beech, may be large diameter so don't fit into your log burner and will need splitting. Some firewood suppliers and tree surgeons will have a hydraulic log splitter and may sell their seasoned logs ready split. But if you need to do your own, don't worry, it's a matter of technique, rather than brute force!
Shorter logs are easier to split than long ones, but if they're too short for your log burner it's not as easy to load. One end needs to be flat, so hopefully your firewood supplier will have cut them that way for you. You'll need a chopping block, usually a log with a bigger diameter than the ones you need to split.
Choose the tool that suits you best, an best survival axe, a splitting maul (looks rather like an axe but with a thick wedge head) or a splitting wedge and sledge hammer. Stand the log you want to split on your chopping block, look carefully for any knots which indicate grain that isn't straight and will make your task much harder, so avoid hitting near them.
Stand with your feet slightly apart, not too close to the chopping block, in a safe place not near to anyone, and make sure you wear sensible footwear as you may well miss the log on your first couple of attempts! If you're using an axe or a maul, swing it over your head and try to aim for the centre of the log, allowing its own weight to bring it down with force.
If you've aimed correctly, the log may well split at the first go. If not, repeat the process. You'll soon get the hang of it and find you can split most logs on the first down-stroke.
Just a cautionary tale on where you store your daily supply of ready split firewood. One of my regular log customers told me a scary story. Like many people, she liked to store hers in the inglenook to keep it dry and handy. Her chimney wasn't all that efficient, being prone to draw too hard in windy weather. She always left the log burner lit at night, with the damper turned right down.
One night of very high wind, the log burner was drawing like a furnace, the sides became red hot and one log on the outside which had rolled and was touching the sides, actually started to burn.
Luckily she was alerted by the smoke detector going off. And if you're burning firewood or any other fuel, even in a closed stove, it's always a good idea to have a smoke detector.