Good afternoon, MuseumLers - You want to avoid anything that could be
considered 'bug food' or could become 'bug food'. So even if you treat real
wood some way that wouldn't off-gas into your environment, it still remains
a food source to mould/mildew spores, as well as multi-legged critters that
like cellulose.  

Same deal with those very cute toy firewood logs: make sure the firewood
logs are NOT made out of any type of wool-containing felt (felt is readily
available made out of 100% acrylic, or polyester) and are not stuffed with
cotton batting (batting is readily available made out of thermal bonded
polyester). If you have someone on staff or a volunteer who is handy with a
sewing machine, these would be very easy and inexpensive to make.

Please feel free to contact me off-line if you need further clarification or
have additional questions.
Regards,  
Meg     
.   _  _  _  _  _  _  _   _ _   ___________     
Margaret E. Geiss-Mooney     
Textile/Costume Conservator &    
Collections Management Consultant       
Professional Associate - AIC     
707-763-8694     
[log in to unmask]    

..here's another idea instead of real wood...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/72339147/felt-kids-toy-firewood-logs 
...

..we would be filling several fireplaces, artificial logs 
would cost more than we can afford at this point.

Has anyone experimented with treating real logs in some way - heat, 
cold, chemicals, etc. - to make them safe for exhibition? ...

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