A couple more things.... (1) I have been reading that the gasifiers (some/many?) do not require splitting the wood, and seem to take some pretty large diameter logs. Is this a reality, or hype? The trees here, mostly birch, some spruce, some cotton wood, do not often get much bigger than 16-18" at the base. Will I be splitting a lot, or just burn the logs, if properly dried? (2) Many people will not take "branches" smaller than about 4" diam when they harvest wood, and that seems pretty wasteful. What size is too small? My dad burns ANYTHING in his wood stove, including twigs. thanks again. j