I stopped in to visit a friend today whom I haven't seen in a while. I was psyched to see that he was heating with wood and was using a soapstone stove. What a magnificent beast that was to see in person. Anyway, we got on the subject of wood and he tells me he goes on his property, cuts some oak in the spring and burns it in the fall. I told him I didn't think that was enough time to season it and he said "You're right but........." He went on to explain that after he cuts and splits the oak, he piles it loosely on a big section of his black asphalt driveway for the spring and summer into early fall. Since that section sees direct sun from sunrise to sunset, and the asphalt gets stupidly hot, it cooks all the water out of the wood. He says the smell is not all that pleasant when you get near it on a hot day but he showed me some wood and it seemed dry and the ends were cracking. He tossed a piece in the stove and it lit off like cardboard. Anyone ever hear of this? Seems like a good idea if your property is set up to allow it.
