season in the woods?

Cut some yellow locust today that was dead on ground about 10 inches through and took a moisture reading from the inside when split and it read 19% consistantly,!? Is it already seasond surely? I cheacked the wet out side and read high 30s. Does meter need calibrated? There is more of this dead locust than ill burn in 10 years. Hope i really hit a gold mine! Strait out of the woods into the fire if needed. My yearold beech still reads high 20s w/meter.

If the outside is wet, then it still needs to be dried, but that should happen pretty quickly if the inside is dry.

yea, been a lot of rain here in Western NC

I don't have a meter but 19 is good from what I've read around here. To be safe. or to check for accuracy check some freshly cut wood that you know is green for a higher moisture content...and some of your older splits around the house.

You're fortunate to have a 10 years supply if that even burns half as good as black locust.

not to metion free!

Oh yeah...free is wicked excellent. Do you have the space around the house to store a couple of years stockpile? Once you get ahead everything becomes so easy...cause you're not behind the 8ball. Also you find that you're working safer too.

Wet or dry if you have a 10 year supply you most certainly have found a gold mine !

Yes, a goldmine. I also live in WNC and probably 90% of what I have burned for the last 15 years has been locust. I have burned tons of locust that has been dead on the ground not split or stacked that went from the woods in to my stove within days. I know I know. My chimey sweep tells me that I consistenly have one of the cleanest chimneys every year and I burn in a Fisher grandma bear to boot.

As soon as you can get that wood up off the ground, the better it will be. Get it off the ground even if you can't buck it up right away. On the ground it will rot much faster.

A gold mine indeed!