what causes the hundreds of little sparks

It is much worse with certain woods. With maple I have to really be careful about the shower.

Termite turds catching on fire all at once?

I really don't know the real answer, but suspect it has something to do with the sudden unrestricted access to oxygen and the type of wood . . .

It happens to me once in a while, the sparks are many but so tiny you can catch them in your hand.

I find Maple and Gum are the worst for this. Not sure the cause of it.

I would expect its char which is unburnt carbon. Add some fresh air and disturb it and it will burn rapidly.

Thought this was an interesting answer, trapped water turns to steam creating pressure which shoots off sparks: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100530221403AAZIMxN

If you have multiple species in your wood pile, change to a different kind of wood and it will stop. Some wood does this a lot more than others.

I have never had this problem with maple, but gum is notorious for it.

Here is a list I downloaded years ago that may give some insight. Note that there several species that spark (spruce, tamarack, doug fir, gum, etc). It is from the log rack and can be found at http://www.thelograck.com/firewood_rating_chart.html

Hedge (Osage orange) does it the worst or best.

Yep, hedge puts on a great show. The stuff I had last year was many years old css so not too sure about moisture causing it.

I've not had too many sparks with hedge wood - just enough to be interesting viewing. Hedge coals, on the other hand, are a fireworks factory waiting to wreck your carpet and make your next reload one to remember. When the rush of air from an open door hits 'em, look out!

NextEndeavor said:

Yep, hedge puts on a great show. The stuff I had last year was many years old css so not too sure about moisture causing it.

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David.Ervin said:

coals, on the other hand, are a fireworks factory waiting to wreck your carpet and make your next reload one to remember. When the rush of air from an open door hits 'em, look out!

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begreen said:

Locust put on a good show too. If I move a hot split it's the sparkle plenty show for a few seconds.

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Haven't burned Hedge yet (haven't even split and stacked the 1/4 cord or so that I've got,) but haven't had a problem with either hard or soft Maple. Black Locust and Red Mulberry are the ones that shoot sparks off coaling wood in my stoves when the air hits 'em or I disturb them with a poker. The little sparks aren't too bad, it's the 'pops' that can really toss out a big ember. Soft Maple and Black Cherry will do this, but the worst I've seen is Sassafras.

Mulberry, hickory, and oak are the worst for me. It seems to be at the point where the wood is falling apart into coals. Later in the coaling stage, the sparks don't seem as bad.

Makes a cool pic, though

Black locust is what I find consistently exploding during reloads. Still my favorite wood to burn.

Happens when my wood has turned into coals and I break the big chunks into little chunks to even out the bed for reloading. I burn almost exclusively ash. It's fun with the top loading feature of my VC because they fountain out the top like a sparkler. Never actually been burned though.

Charles1981 said:

It's fun with the top loading feature of my VC because they fountain out the top like a sparkler.

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In case the local government is cash-strapped due to a busted plowing budget and can't put on a fireworks show this year, at least you've got a 'Plan B.'