Collected Google Trends data for 17 firewood species across all 50 states over a 12-month period (March 2025–March 2026), using oak as a consistent anchor term across 4 batches to normalize relative scores.
Then cross-referenced each state’s top species against published BTU heat output ratings from Penn State Extension and USDA Forest Service.
Key findings:
- Oak dominates 35+ states — and it’s the right call at 26.4M BTU/cord
- Idaho and Montana search for pine above everything else — 35% less heat per cord than oak
- New Mexico’s piñon pine preference is actually thermally defensible at 24.7M BTU/cord
- Alaska leads with birch — smart given what’s harvestable there
Dataset fields: State, top species, relative search score, 2nd place species, 2nd place score, BTU output, heat efficiency rating
Downloads:
- CSV + full methodology: https://bestburnfirewood.com/studies/most-popular-firewood-by-state/ (disclaimer, it is my website)
- Zenodo DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19079241
License: CC BY 4.0 — free to use with attribution.
submitted by /u/Klutzy_Pressurez
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