Final answer:
Wood that has a moisture content of less than 20% burns hotter and cleaner than freshly cut wood.
Step-by-step explanation:
Wood that has a moisture content of less than 20% burns hotter and cleaner than freshly cut wood. When wood is freshly cut, it has a high moisture content, which means that a significant amount of energy is used to evaporate the moisture rather than generate heat. Dry wood with a low moisture content ignites more easily, produces more heat, and creates less smoke.
In normal use the moisture content of wood varies between 8% and 25% by weight, depending on the relative humidity of the air. The equilibrium moisture content of wood is a state corresponding to the air temperature and relative moisture, in which the moisture content of the wood remains steady.
These devices use two or more electrodes to measure a wood sample's moisture content using electrical resistance. Since wood is a natural insulator, and water is a conductor, the more resistance there is to the electrical current, the drier the wood, and vice versa.