Ok its me again and Im getting real nervious about my wood being seasoned for mid October. The bark actually just about falling off. I could take it off with no effort. Problem is its wet under the bark. We have had pretty bad rains with the hurricane that swept NJ. I usually cover it as soon as I split it, but I didnt this year. I c/s/s all in the first week of March. You guys think Im keeping my heat on this year, or will I be ok to burn this stuff. Should I cover it or hold off til October? I have about 6 cords of this stuff. I also have a ton of kiln dried oak strips from the cabinet shop that could keep me going at least til mid November. This stuff is 3inch wide by 2 inch thick, by 10 ft. long. I can just chain saw it up. What should I do?
bark falling off hickory (NEED ADVISE)
- Thread starter tumm21
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red oak
Minister of Fire
Tumm - I would leave it out for the rest of September, maybe a little into October and I would cover it if it rained if I could. Once October got here I would cover it on the top only so air can still circulate through it. I would use the dried oak strips as firestarter and then throw the hickory on. If it sizzles I would consider bringing in a bit beside your stove for a few days for a bit of final drying. I really wouldn't worry though I think you'll be fine. Good luck!
smokinj
Minister of Fire
wood-fan-atic
Minister of Fire
xman23
Minister of Fire
I'm a cover guy myself. But many times my splits and rounds are in a pile uncovered for the summer. Enough to loosen the bark. Loose bark in the rain will trap water. I pull off any loose bark as I stack. Once stacked and covered my wood will dry out.
Ya don't confuse surface moisture with internal moisture. Use that loose bark to make a nice mulch pile around or between your wood piles so you don't have to mow/weed whack
Go to Lowes- they have a good moisture meter for around $30 that I checked against a big buck one a home inspector had and its accurate, then take 6 or so of your pieces of wood and cut them in half and measure in the middle and you'll get a real measure on your woods moisture by taking the average and you can take it from there. How long has it been split and stacked?
As someone here has said (probably many times your wood is not a sponge- I'm new to this stuff in the past year but have been spending my time verifying all this stuff the old timers say After a soaking rain on my uncovered wood pile I can go take 6 pieces of wood, cut them in half and measure and the internal moisture does not rise when soaked with rain. Even the apple I split and stacked in March/April of this year that had 36-40% moisture internal is now sitting at 18-22% after now sitting in the sun uncovered this summer with its rains which is even way more drying than I expected for apple after reading that it would take it 2-3 years to dry.
As I am about to enter shoulder season I'm about to move my 2 yr old mixed wood into my covered winter shed for this seasons burning (it holds about 1 cord) and I will also top cover the rest of the wood I will use this year and move it as the season progresses.
Good luck and enjoy
Go to Lowes- they have a good moisture meter for around $30 that I checked against a big buck one a home inspector had and its accurate, then take 6 or so of your pieces of wood and cut them in half and measure in the middle and you'll get a real measure on your woods moisture by taking the average and you can take it from there. How long has it been split and stacked?
As someone here has said (probably many times
your wood is not a sponge- I'm new to this stuff in the past year but have been spending my time verifying all this stuff the old timers say After a soaking rain on my uncovered wood pile I can go take 6 pieces of wood, cut them in half and measure and the internal moisture does not rise when soaked with rain. Even the apple I split and stacked in March/April of this year that had 36-40% moisture internal is now sitting at 18-22% after now sitting in the sun uncovered this summer with its rains which is even way more drying than I expected for apple after reading that it would take it 2-3 years to dry. As I am about to enter shoulder season I'm about to move my 2 yr old mixed wood into my covered winter shed for this seasons burning (it holds about 1 cord) and I will also top cover the rest of the wood I will use this year and move it as the season progresses.
Good luck and enjoy
If you are a stickler, then when you move your hickory into the house or garage for burning simply remove the bark at that time. Bark traps a ton of surface moisture, but it dries quickly and makes good kindling in my experience. Then also, the surface of your hickory will be drier when it goes in the fire.
But I wouldn't sweat it now. And if it's 25% MC or below, it'll burn just fine. Honestly, the difference between fully seasoned and partially seasoned is mainly in how long it burns, how hot it burns, and how easily it burns.
But regardless - it STILL BURNS. So you'll be fine one way or another. It just might not be perfect
But I wouldn't sweat it now. And if it's 25% MC or below, it'll burn just fine. Honestly, the difference between fully seasoned and partially seasoned is mainly in how long it burns, how hot it burns, and how easily it burns.
But regardless - it STILL BURNS. So you'll be fine one way or another. It just might not be perfect
certified106
Minister of Fire
In my experience hickory is usually ready within 12 months and takes no where near the time of oak to season.mywaynow said:
certified106 said:
Agreed.
As said above - surface moisture is not cellular moisture. Get a cheap moisture meter and test a few. That will give you WAY more info on where your at. Its pretty tough to guess moisture content from behind a keyboard.
jimbom
Combustion Analyzer
All I have is hickory and oak. It seems to me with my wood at my location, hickory cures about twice as fast as oak. YMMVmywaynow said:
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
tumm21 said:
With the bark falling off, there is a good chance that water just got in there from the big rains and wind. Have you considered re-stacking the wood and while doing that removing the bark? It very well might be worth the time and effort. With the bark off, that surface moisture will be gone in a few hours. Also, with the bark peeling off there is a good chance that wood will be ready to burn this winter. Having the dry oak strips will help you a lot and yes, you can cut those strips easy with chain saw or skill saw.
Do you guys out there with hickory feel that it is seasoned enough when the bark falls off easy? Just out of curiousity. IM still going to get a moisture meter.
Thistle
Minister of Fire
Usually by then it falls off from all the powderpost beetles living underneath it.Just riddled with holes.They love the stuff.I dropped a partly dead 13" diameter 40 ft tall Shagbark with the first 8 ft of trunk rotted away (was a twin trunk originally) first week of May.Within 3 weeks of bucking,splitting & stacking there was a good size pile of dust under those pieces.They normally come out in early Spring,Hickory & the sapwood of most Oaks,Cedar/Juniper,Honey Locust,Apple & other woods are like filet mignon to them.
Wood Duck
Minister of Fire
I am restacking a few stacks that fell over and removing loose bark in the process. I find that some of the wood had a good spot in the stack and is pretty dry, while other seemingly similar pieces must have had a poor spot and seem a lot heavier and wetter. It isn't as simple as top versus bottom, some pieces at the same level in the stack apparently were more protected from rain, more exposed to sun and wind, or somehow had other advantages. I hope by restacking I will give the disadvantaged wood a chance to experience better conditions for the next year or so. The stacks I am moving are one and two years old, I think, and will not burn this winter, but maybe next. The good news is most of the wood is of the dry type, only about 10% seems poorly seasoned. The wood is about 60% oak and the rest a mix of other species.
DavidV
New Member
I am in a very humid area in Virginia. Oak is my predominant wood supply. Oak, hickory, elm and whatever else I end up with, I c/s/s and cover with black plastic. Most of the stacks have only a foot or two of sides not covered. I usually am able to season oak a full year+ (cut this summer, burn next winter). But I have had a few stacks of wood that were trees blown down in late winter storms, cut split stacked red oak and white oak that I burn the following winter. I try to situate it so that I burn it at the end of the season, so it's had summer, fall and most of winter to dry,, but it does just fine.
I have a moisture meter but havn't even put batteries in it yet. As a rule of thumb, I smack two pieces of wood together and if it sounds like somebody just hit a home run, it's ready. if it's a thump it isn't.
I have a moisture meter but havn't even put batteries in it yet. As a rule of thumb, I smack two pieces of wood together and if it sounds like somebody just hit a home run, it's ready. if it's a thump it isn't.
Well I started my stove for my wife this morning and burned some hickory. I think I will be ok. I had no water coming out the sides. It did burn a little slower than I am used to but I never burned hickory before so maybe thats normal. I mixed it with my oak cabinet strips. Just a question. Is hickory supposed to be heavier in weight than other woods. It just feels so much heavier than lets say maple or ash.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
Yes. Hickory is dense and therefore quite heavy even when dried. I would expect slower than normal burning just because it has not had much drying time.
Well i decided to cover my wood today being i think its ok to burn. I feel i should try to keep it dry.
Woody Stover
Minister of Fire
You could stack half a cord in the house with fans on it, like I did last Winter. :lol:
If you couldn't hear any hissing when you burned it, it's getting pretty dry...you'll certainly be able to get by on it. Just check your chimney often.
If you couldn't hear any hissing when you burned it, it's getting pretty dry...you'll certainly be able to get by on it. Just check your chimney often.
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