Shedding moisture and absorbing moisture-softwood vs hardwood.

[RedRanger]

Mentioned this briefly on another thread but perhaps a seperate thread is warranted.

My douglas fir that has been stacked in rows in the sun and wind since March has been burning just fine. When split and inside tested it is mostly around 20%. So, only havng softwood to burn is an advantage vis-a-vis quick drying time. Well, I have stopped burning the stuff stacked in rows with only the tops covered because it has been raining heavily here for the past week and this wood does seem to have gained moisture. Have now turned to the 7 1/2 cords in the sheds.

Would I be correct in assuming that because the fibers are looser (wood is not as dense) then it will absorb moisture quicker than seasoned hardwood? I`m curious because most of you that burn hardwood don`t mention a re-absorption of moisture. And it seems that a lot of you just pick from the rows outside.

And No- the tarps ain`t leaking. And they have an overhang of about a foot on each side of the rows.

Not a big deal, just that I enjoyed using the rows of wood because they are closer to the house than the woodsheds. In case anyone is wondering? The wife insisted I build the sheds far away and out of sight. Says something about my carpentry skills :red:

 

[billb3]

Many many moons ago I burned primarily pine and cedar. It's what I had.

I did find that when I went to start a fire the pine I had in the shed ignited more readily. My shed was small, so I couldn't continue to burn from the shed but that wood wwas certainly drier along its perimeter surfaces.

I didn't cover then either, so a night's worth of wood came in and dried out on the cellar floor. It wasn't uncommon to go out to the wood pile in February with a snow shovel and a maul. Doesn't take too many days of that to find <<something to cover at least part of the stack.