Prepping for Spring

[EPS]

I realize that we're not even a full month into winter, but I'm already getting the itch to get going on my wood cutting, splitting and stacking. This will be my second full Spring and Summer that I will be working on building up my wood pile. Is there anything I can do now other than see other people's wood piles and get green with envy?

 

[Firefighter938]

I cut all winter long. Spring is too muddy sloppy messy here. When the ground is frozen it is much easier for me.

 

[English BoB]

Five years ahead...........I will cut when ever

bob

 

[trailrated]

I cut in the winter. Spring and Summer it gets to hot, bugs, ticks, chiggers are all out. Nope

 

[Berner]

I agree lots of wood can be processed during the winter. I try and save my splitting for when it's below 20F.

 

[Seanm]

I realize that we're not even a full month into winter, but I'm already getting the itch to get going on my wood cutting, splitting and stacking. This will be my second full Spring and Summer that I will be working on building up my wood pile. Is there anything I can do now other than see other people's wood piles and get green with envy?

Welcome to Hearth @EPS Do you need to wait until spring because of snow pack or you need space to be freed up that can only happen with you burning more wood this winter? Im locked out of the woods now due to deep snow so Im forced to wait it out until april or may and then june in the higher country. Not such a bad thing to put it off for awhile. This way I can concentrate on fishing! I get what youre saying though, when it becomes habit to go in the woods to process its hard to just turn the urge off.

 

[Kristen]

Is there anything I can do now

I cut, split and stack only during the winter. In spring I want my log pile (mine is in my barn) to be full, that gives me two years drying before this year's wood will be burnt. As I use a row [of split logs] in the boiler I cut & split another row to replace it in the barn.

I have logs (i.e. long ones!) delivered on a forestry vehicle in late Summer, when they are felled

The wood sits there until Winter when I CS&S it into the barn, and by Spring my aim is that it is all cut up ready for next Summer's forestry vehicle delivery.

Dunno if that is something you could be doing though?

(I am limited to "large" and "huge" deliveries, so about every 4th year I have to have a "huge" delivery, like this one, to catch up. Haulage works out cheaper the larger the delivery I have)

 

[EPS]

Welcome to Hearth @EPS Do you need to wait until spring because of snow pack or you need space to be freed up that can only happen with you burning more wood this winter? Im locked out of the woods now due to deep snow so Im forced to wait it out until april or may and then june in the higher country. Not such a bad thing to put it off for awhile. This way I can concentrate on fishing! I get what youre saying though, when it becomes habit to go in the woods to process its hard to just turn the urge off.

I should explain a little that my wooded back yard is dominated by a very steep ridge, so maneuvering up and down it through the ice and snow is difficult, let alone with hauling logs. That being said, I guess I could take a walk every couple of days and grab up semi-large pieces that can be processed. We've had a much less harsh winter than last year thus far here in New England, so I suppose I should take advantage of that as much as possible. Thanks for the insights!

 

[TheBigIron]

I cut all year, love cutting this time of year like @trailrated typed no bugs! It's always nice to be ahead..

 

[Poindexter]

I do all my processing in the winter. No bugs, no sweating, maximum drying time for the wood and maximum summertime play time for me.

 

[Hickorynut]

I have been working with the firewood all year long as time permits. The extremes of cold winter and hot summers are the worst but it can be enjoyable and doable at any time. For ex. I worked up a 30 inch black oak log last summer from mid June to mid July and did great. The hot weather is actually better for any backaches than the cold winter weather(keeps it supple I think). So I say barring extremes of snow and cold and scorchers in Aug. there is no excuse for wood processing all year long

 

[Hasufel]

CSSing is hot work so I do it almost exclusively in cold weather. The first crisp fall day we get--usually in mid- to late September--is like an alarm clock telling me it's time to pull out the saw and axes. It gives me a reason to be outside at dawn on a winter morning, watching the world wake up, when otherwise I'd be huddled up inside. And no bugs, as others have pointed out.

 

[Ashful]

Like most here, I do the majority of my wood processing in colder weather. Spring is too busy with yard and house work, summer is too hot and buggy, and fall always seems to be too busy again. That pretty much leaves winter! I also like getting any given year's processing done before the warm weather hits, since summer counts more than winter for drying. I try to get three summers on my CSS'd wood.

 

[kennyp2339]

We normally have snow on the ground by now, but since there's nothing I'm going to do some cutting today, smaller stuff, mainly 4" to 12" tree's along the back part of the property. Most of it is Norway Maple, with a few ash tree's.

 

[Bad LP]

I work on my wood pile in the spring and fall because it's when I have the time. If I lived here full time it would be fall only.

 

[D8Chumley]

I am heading out shortly also. I spied a downed ash along the creek bed earlier this week between my property and the neighbors. I want to see how I'm going to get it, might be a few pieces at a time, it's down a slope behind the guide rail. I'll get enough cut and piled up to where I can spend a few hours splitting and stacking, and like others I don't like to do this when its hot out if possible

 

[heavy hammer]

I agree with hickorynut wood processing all year long is not bad. The extremes of each are not quite as much fun but take the good with the bad. I like splitting in the warm dry months anymore no mud, wet wood to deal with plus you get worn out take a break. I'm one of those people that like 85 and sunny so swinging a maul for four or five hours in the heat feels great to me. It's the cold I hate the reason I burn wood.

 

[D8Chumley]

I agree with the above, except when I'm CSSing in the winter I'm never cold. Yesterday I was down to a long sleeve shirt just scrounging with the quad and saw in my woods

 

[Riff]

Scrounging I work on year round, get it while it's there.

Stuff off the property I prefer to work in during winter. We have a number of springs on the property here which makes for some soaked ground. During the winter it freezes and is easier to walk over. Also the aforementioned ticks and chiggers that are in areas the ducks don't currently roam.