Wet Oak log

[firefighterjake]

If you torch both ends of the log (apply heat to ends) water will not significantly boil out the sides of the split.
A theory, and speculation, not a fact.
Just guessing. Based on what I know about plants.

Incidentally, I believe you might be on to something here. A few years ago I had several large, white pine rounds that I attempted to burn up in a bon fire. This was in my pre-wood burning days and the result of burning these overly large rounds were several rounds that I left as is for several years until I started burning wood and bought a splitter.

When I split this wood, stacked it and then started burning it in my fire pit and camp fire the pine burned like nothing I had ever seen before . . . it burned long, intense and with a very black smoke. In fact, I had a friend calling it my "diesel wood." I kinda wonder if I ended up sealing in the resins and moisture and if the result was a very slow seasoning of the wood which allowed the resins to stay vs. evaporate. Again, just a theory or guess on my part.

 

[Applesister]

So what does this have to do with folks on ATVs, snowmobiles and tractors . . . still not following you . . . but again . . . I'm getting quite sleepy since I am usually in bed by this hour.

Oh, Im talking about damaging bark, removing bark. That bark protects a tree from water evaporation. Cork cells float, not really absorbing water. That bark acts as a skin that protects the tree from elements, frost, fire, (mechanical damage) from machinery, logging, etc. And bark most definitely holds water in the tree or the tree would die.
Bark removal will help season wood.
I think the argument is where water evaporates from wood in the drying process.
Applying heat (fire) is rapid oxidation, right?

 

[Applesister]

So what does this have to do with folks on ATVs, snowmobiles and tractors . . . still not following you . . . but again . . . I'm getting quite sleepy since I am usually in bed by this hour.

Oh, Im talking about damaging bark, removing bark. That bark protects a tree from water evaporation. Cork cells float, not really absorbing water. That bark acts as a skin that protects the tree from elements, frost, fire, (mechanical damage) from machinery, logging, etc. And bark most definitely holds water in the tree or the tree would die.
Bark removal will help season wood.
I think the argument is where water evaporates from wood in the drying process.
Applying heat (fire) is rapid oxidation, right?

 

[Applesister]

So what does this have to do with folks on ATVs, snowmobiles and tractors . . . still not following you . . . but again . . . I'm getting quite sleepy since I am usually in bed by this hour.

Oh, Im talking about damaging bark, removing bark. That bark protects a tree from water evaporation. Cork cells float, not really absorbing water. That bark acts as a skin that protects the tree from elements, frost, fire, (mechanical damage) from machinery, logging, etc. And bark most definitely holds water in the tree or the tree would die.
Bark removal will help season wood.
I think the argument is where water evaporates from wood in the drying process.
Applying heat (fire) is rapid oxidation, right?

 

[Applesister]

Splitting a round or log is way easier than trying to debark it.

 

[Applesister]

I was making a private joke about some old fat State Trooper guy who was instructing me on how to ride a quad properly. And like 20 minutes later he runs right smack into a tree out in the woods.
A private joke about mechanical damage to tree bark. Sorry.
Also when Im bushhogging the fields I have a tendancy to run over sapling trees, debarking them. Lol
Hense a slow painful death of evaporation.

 

[D9H]

When I split this wood, stacked it and then started burning it in my fire pit and camp fire the pine burned like nothing I had ever seen before . . . it burned long, intense and with a very black smoke. In fact, I had a friend calling it my "diesel wood." I kinda wonder if I ended up sealing in the resins and moisture and if the result was a very slow seasoning of the wood which allowed the resins to stay vs. evaporate. Again, just a theory or guess on my part.

I've seen this too. Cutting ponderosa pine firewood that came out of a forest fire. The wood was seasoned well inside the charred bark, but it burned like dry pinon pine.

 

[firefighterjake]

Oh, Im talking about damaging bark, removing bark. That bark protects a tree from water evaporation. Cork cells float, not really absorbing water. That bark acts as a skin that protects the tree from elements, frost, fire, (mechanical damage) from machinery, logging, etc. And bark most definitely holds water in the tree or the tree would die.
Bark removal will help season wood.
I think the argument is where water evaporates from wood in the drying process.
Applying heat (fire) is rapid oxidation, right?

OK, I see where you are going here . . . although I am not sure there are a lot of folks with ATVs, sleds and tractors ramming their machines into trees . . . well maybe except for a certain state trooper that you mentioned.

 

[Knots]

My experience this year has been that beech was the only wood that dried well in-the-round. I'm burning some right now that are foot in diameter and they're doing great.

The white birch - forget it. The red maple didn't do too hot either.

 

[claydogg84]

If it dried from the ends maily it would not matter at all if it was split. But as we all know wood does not dry well when left in the round

Come on, this is fairly easy to understand. Of course it matters if it's split - Every split you take from the round increases its surface area. While the majority of the moisture is extracted from the ends (very clearly demonstrated by the oak stick in the fire), the surface moisture on each of those splits can then be dried on the outside instead of it being forced out of the ends.

 

[Applesister]

Claydogg is staying on target. I have ADD.

 

[bholler]

Come on, this is fairly easy to understand. Of course it matters if it's split - Every split you take from the round increases its surface area. While the majority of the moisture is extracted from the ends (very clearly demonstrated by the oak stick in the fire), the surface moisture on each of those splits can then be dried on the outside instead of it being forced out of the ends.

But if your theory was correct then wood would dry unsplit which many species will not many will rot before drying in the round. I do agree that more moisture is lost through the end grain but not that much more