white pine IS a sponge

[onetracker]

my wife threw a couple of white pine splits on top of a tarp covering our shoulder season wood during the last rain storm we had and it got SOAKED - water logged - and weighed 3x what the splits under the tarp weighed. i dunno about hardwoods but i'm gonna be diligently keeping that pine covered till it's time to burn it.

 

[bogydave]

Was it punky?
But I agree. rain makes wood wet. Especially if it stays wet & rains for several days.
At least she used pine & the tarp stayed on & the wood under it stayed fairly dry

 

[onetracker]

no!
not punky at all. just sweet seasoned pine.
if i had left that uncovered i would have been SCR%$ED

 

[Waulie]

All wood actually is a sponge, just a very, very, slow acting sponge. It will (and does) absorb moisture vapor from the air and liquid water from rain. Usually, rain isn't a big problem because only so much water can sit on a split and that water usually dries off before the wood can absorb very much. If it keeps raining enough that the water on the wood never dries off, then yes the wood will absorb quite a bit especially softer wood.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Perhaps I'll have to experiment a bit. I've not known white pine to do that.

Was this log split or a whole log?

 

[onetracker]

backwoods it was a bone dry split. its my experimental 1st-year-burning-pine shoulder season wood.

i'm guessing it picked up so much water cuz it was so dry.

 

[midwestcoast]

I've thrown a couple pieces of whatever wood on top of tarps before. From what I see the wood makes a low spot in the tarp & water sits there slowly soaking the wood, never really drying out. How long were they on the tarp?

 

[onetracker]

2 days

 

[midwestcoast]

Wow.
Thats all I have.

 

[ScotO]

Yet another reason to go ahead and cover the stacks if you have the means. I'm going to throw some rubber roofing on the 2 year wood i have also (I have the rubber, might as well use it), just to experiment over the winter. See how it looks in the spring.

 

[TMonter]

White pine, Lodgepole, Hemlock and White Fir are all very hydroscopic species that you need to keep covered. Red Fir and Tamarack you don't have to cover as much but it's always a good idea.

 

[onetracker]

White pine, Lodgepole, Hemlock and White Fir are all very hydroscopic species that you need to keep covered. Red Fir and Tamarack you don't have to cover as much but it's always a good idea.

thanks i'm realizing that. this is my first year burning pine and i'm glad that i had the pile covered whenever it rained this summer (which wasn't much). i really don't mind throwing a tarp over it when rain is forecast.

 

[tim1]

I got some pondarosa pine and it got rained on pretty good. You talk about a sponge, never again. Dried it out in sun and covered it, dried quick,though. Do not like much. Splits terrible. Fir,fir,fir. Tim