Moisture at 20%

[Oldman47]

I took some moisture readings on a fresh split of some old dead wood and it reads right at 20%. I had been told this stuff would not be burnable because it had not seasoned properly after being split. It is about 2 year old green ash and the round I split was about 8 inches in diameter and 20 inches long and still had its bark on it. Does this mean I have gotten lucky and found usable wood to burn? If so I have about a face cord of it.
I will soon be installing my stove and want to at least get it burned in before summer rolls around. After that I want this wood for next winter as an emergency supply for my Napoleon 1100. The NS alignment in an 1100 is 12 inches so I would soon need to cut all of my splits that short or shorter. Does it make sense for me to do this and end up with an 8 inch and a 12 inch split or just cut my wood in half at around 10 inches? The EW box is only 18 inches on this stove so my present wood will not fit at all.
I obviously need to get to work soon laying in an appropriate supply for more than just emergencies for next year but I will breathe easier if I know I can survive a week long power loss in my new home. After all, who needs frozen pipes?

 

[begreen]

Ash is one of the quicker drying species of wood. Could be you lucked out.

The Firewood Poem

Beechwood fires are bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year,
Chestnut's only good they say,
If for logs 'tis laid away.
Make a fire of Elder tree,
Death within your house will be;
But ash new or ash old,
Is fit for a queen with crown of gold

Birch and fir logs burn too fast
Blaze up bright and do not last,
it is by the Irish said
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.
Elm wood burns like churchyard mould,
E'en the very flames are cold
But ash green or ash brown
Is fit for a queen with golden crown

Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your eyes and makes you choke,
Apple wood will scent your room
Pear wood smells like flowers in bloom
Oaken logs, if dry and old
keep away the winter's cold
But ash wet or ash dry
a king shall warm his slippers by.

 

[bobdog2o02]

Ash is one of the quicker drying species of wood. Could be you lucked out.

The Firewood Poem

Beechwood fires are bright and clear
If the logs are kept a year,
Chestnut's only good they say,
If for logs 'tis laid away.
Make a fire of Elder tree,
Death within your house will be;
But ash new or ash old,
Is fit for a queen with crown of gold

Birch and fir logs burn too fast
Blaze up bright and do not last,
it is by the Irish said
Hawthorn bakes the sweetest bread.
Elm wood burns like churchyard mould,
E'en the very flames are cold
But ash green or ash brown
Is fit for a queen with golden crown

Poplar gives a bitter smoke,
Fills your eyes and makes you choke,
Apple wood will scent your room
Pear wood smells like flowers in bloom
Oaken logs, if dry and old
keep away the winter's cold
But ash wet or ash dry
a king shall warm his slippers by.

But what about walnut and maple?

 

[Poindexter]

I think to minimize waste i would cut all that 20" stuff in half to two pieces 10" each, probably this fall after it has more seasoning time on it.

It will be tricky to stack and season further over this summer if you cut it down to 10" now...

I have no personal experience with your stove, but my from the hip plan would be to buy/run/ scrounge regular old 16" pieces and load them EW, at least a face cord of them to see how they do compared to loading the shorties N-S.

Long term I would have very little interest in running any kind of cord volume through a stove that requires 10-12" logs.