How long does wood stay good?

depends... type of wood, exposure to elements, climate,etc. I would think hard maple seasoned a year out in the sun then moved into a shed with some airflow would last for years, unless it gets bug infested

So you're thinking about stockpiling a few more years, huh?

If it's clean wood, not punky, I would expect it to last many years. Some here have burned wood more than ten years old. Heck, I've found Oak limbs lying in the woods that were probably down ten years and were still pretty solid.
I'm going to top-cover my stacks this fall; Got at least five years' worth out there so it had better last a while! But I've never been even a year ahead until I found this site, so I have no first-hand experience.

Most important thing is to keep it off the ground. Get a 4 inch gap and top cover, should be good for decade. Stack location will help/hurt too. Sun and wind equals good wood.

In a shed where it stays dry and termites dont get into it it will stay good forever!! Think of your house or furnature, you dont worry about your house roting or your floors! Staying dry is the key.

Wooden beams in houses over here are often up to 500 years old (Westminster Hall in London has beams that were put in during the reign of Richard the Second).

This take the record as far as I know, just down the road in Poole museum. A 2000 year old log boat. So I'd say, if protected from the elements, pretty well forever....

I bet that would burn good woodchip, can you get any?

woodchip said:

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Should be well seasoned
Did you check the moisture content ?

etiger2007 said:

I have a question for you wood burners,

How long will wood stay good for burning once its cut,split, and stacked?

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That is an excellent question Tiger. Yet, nobody can say for definite. The big points have been touched on above; keep the wood off the ground and keep it top covered and it will last many years. I've burned 10 year old wood and we regularly burn 6-7 year old wood. Not that long ago a relative of ours burned wood that was somewhere between 15-20 years. It had been cut to length but not split and was all white ash. I must say it was excellent wood.

I was reminded recently that one time my father-in-law gave us some wood. He decided to not burn wood anymore and said if we'd empty his basement he would be very happy and we could have the wood. Seems that was around 10 years old and burned just fine.


One nice thing is that you don't have to have a big wood shed or do anything particularly fussy with the wood. The stack below was from the winter of 2008-2009 and all that is under the wood are some soft maple poles I cut in the woods. They are maybe 4" diameter maximum. The top is covered with old galvanized roofing. By the way, that wood is still stacked right in the very same spot. We probably won't burn that wood until the winter of 2013-2014. It is a combination of ash, elm and soft maple. It will be excellent when we get around to burning it.

etiger2007 said:

I have a question for you wood burners,

How long will wood stay good for burning once its cut,split, and stacked?

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Once split and under cover - a life time. Just think in terms of a wood frame house.
These are some pictures of some Yellow Cedar railway ties that I had used as part of a small retaining wall for 30 years and previous to that, many years on the railway bed.

After a couple of years you better cover the top and have it up off the ground or you will get rot, at least with many species. I had some bad luck with red oak leaving it uncovered for a few years. Wood like black locust there is no problem.

etiger2007 said:

I need to find some of that roofing, I tried the ol tarp method last year and I was always messing with it. Thanks Savage.

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If you can find a local company that builds pole buildings , ask them for their " cover " sheets . You may be able to get them for free.

Pine tends to get punky if not kept dry. Moisture also attracts termites to most any wood.

etiger2007 said:

I need to find some of that roofing, I tried the ol tarp method last year and I was always messing with it. Thanks Savage.

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Many here know & agree with you about the tarps. A constant battle & only good for 1 (maybe 2 years).

Keeping wood dry is key to longevity. Uncovered wood stacks over time , the bottom splits seem to deteriorate first. Wood type & climate are big factors.
Primary (1st) for long term storage: Off the ground on pallets or poles is a must
2nd would be in a area where it gets wind (a sunny area helps also) so after rain it can dry out reasonably fast
3rd : top cover, I know " wood is not a sponge", but rain does make the outside layer wet & allow bacteria to break it down over time.
After your wood is seasoned 2 to 3 years, inside dry storage in a woodshed can allow it to last many decades.

Like said, wood will last many years with little effort or expense, just a few basics.

Like BackwoodS said, he burns antique wood all the time, nice to be that far ahead
Stacked off the ground & top covered ( not with tarps though ).

Im building a wood shed right now ,It is going up against a chainlink fence and i plan to put a metal roof on it with generous overhangs and all open sides. My older wood is inside a dry garage basement ,should last just about forever.

Backwoods Savage said:

That is an excellent question Tiger. Yet, nobody can say for definite. The big points have been touched on above; keep the wood off the ground and keep it top covered and it will last many years. I've burned 10 year old wood and we regularly burn 6-7 year old wood. Not that long ago a relative of ours burned wood that was somewhere between 15-20 years. It had been cut to length but not split and was all white ash. I must say it was excellent wood.

I was reminded recently that one time my father-in-law gave us some wood. He decided to not burn wood anymore and said if we'd empty his basement he would be very happy and we could have the wood. Seems that was around 10 years old and burned just fine.


One nice thing is that you don't have to have a big wood shed or do anything particularly fussy with the wood. The stack below was from the winter of 2008-2009 and all that is under the wood are some soft maple poles I cut in the woods. They are maybe 4" diameter maximum. The top is covered with old galvanized roofing. By the way, that wood is still stacked right in the very same spot. We probably won't burn that wood until the winter of 2013-2014. It is a combination of ash, elm and soft maple. It will be excellent when we get around to burning it.

View attachment 72271

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Dennis, when do you top cover, after a couple years or right after its stacked? Do you always keep the wood top covered year round? Im just wondering because I have some wood thats been exposed two years and I was going to top cover this fall during a dry spell, wonder if I should cover all 12 cords and keep the over on all the time or remove it after winter or should I leave the newer split stuff uncovered for another year or two.
Wish i could score some of the roofing material you have, Ive been looking but no luck, I suppose I coud but some new, would last a long time.

weatherguy said:

Dennis, when do you top cover, after a couple years or right after its stacked? Do you always keep the wood top covered year round? Im just wondering because I have some wood thats been exposed two years and I was going to top cover this fall during a dry spell, wonder if I should cover all 12 cords and keep the over on all the time or remove it after winter or should I leave the newer split stuff uncovered for another year or two.
Wish i could score some of the roofing material you have, Ive been looking but no luck, I suppose I coud but some new, would last a long time.

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We usually split and stack in March or April. The covering usually comes in November or December; before the snow flies much. We like to leave it uncovered that first summer as we feel it allows better evaporation of the moisture. The stacks (4 1/2' high) are usually 4' high come fall. Once the wood is covered, it stays covered....unless we have a severe wind storm, which does happen occasionally.

If I were you, I would top cover that wood (all of it) this fall. Good luck.

Hickorynut said:

After a couple of years you better cover the top and have it up off the ground or you will get rot, at least with many species. I had some bad luck with red oak leaving it uncovered for a few years. Wood like black locust there is no problem.

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Remember that red oak will turn punky on the very outside no matter if it is covered or not. Worry not though as it will burn just fine. That punk will only go an inch or so into the log. I've seen red oak stacked for 5 years, uncovered. Yes, there was punk on the outside of the log but the wood was wonderful. I still like to cover after that first summer though.

clemsonfor said:

In a shed where it stays dry and termites dont get into it it will stay good forever!! Think of your house or furnature, you dont worry about your house roting or your floors! Staying dry is the key.

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What he said!

Tiger, at $5 per sheet, I'd jump on that for sure.

It'll last good for burning right up until you burn it.
Right about then, it's toast.

I couple years ago I burned some elm from 1987, it was in my dads top covered wood rack and he was never able to split it by hand so it sat. When I bought a log splitter I took the few rounds and busted them up. The wood was solid as a rock and burned great.

Just to echo what the others have said, keep it off the ground and top covered and it'll last a long long time.

Stacked a cord of bugfree sugar maple in the basement when we built the house in 1976. Still have 2/3 cord left. Bring a piece up occasionally when I'm in the basement. Wood is in perfect shape. Burns very well. I treat this stack as my emergency backup. I have occasionally added a really beautiful ironwood round to the stack..makes me feel less guilty about the wood I burn from the stack when I have plenty outside...