combustion (firewood)

Before firewood burns it has to heat up. The wood begins to break down and gasify (the gases burning to give flames) at about 300oC, and about half the heat energy in the wood is released in this way between 300oC and 600oC. The red-hot embers that remain gradually release the rest of the heat, with little if any flame, at still higher temperatures (around 1000oC). The end product is ash.

This definition is abridged from A – Z of tree terms: A companion to British arboriculture.
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