If folks are going to steal it.....they are going to steal anything else you leave there as well! The only thing you can do is make them work for it and sometimes that will help, but it won't stop the more determined ones. People will steal anything. I sort of figured a wood stove was standard issue for a "cabin"..... I am sure there are other means as well, just sort of the rustic definition of a cabin as far as I am concerned I guess. We heated the house with wood as a kid. Not sure about the "fun" Nova speaks of but it's certainly a dry and dirty heat. Us boys would help dad cut the wood, stack the wood, split the wood (by hand), and bring the wood in the house. I don't remember any of it being "fun". Make sure you still have some means to distribute that heat. Electric blows and even a ceiling fan to push that rising heat down helps a ton. I don't miss heating with wood one bit.....I thought I would...be far less mess, far less work.