From The "Who Would Have Thunk it?" Dept.

Wiki-

"Wood burning does not release any more carbon dioxide than the eventual biodegradation of the wood would if it was not burned.

Wood burning can therefore be considered "carbon neutral" - the CO₂ released to the atmosphere by combustion is recycled continuously into new plant growth as part of the carbon cycle, while the energy released during combustion is simply a form of stored solar energy."

"Rather than cutting fewer trees and using less wood, we should be growing more trees and using more wood." -Patrick Moore Co-Founder of Greenpeace