Wood stack

[Burnbaby]

Hey everyone just a quick ?. It may seem like second nature to some of you but, I'm now just starting to scrounge up wood. Does anyone have a method of stacking when you are scrounging up wood at different stages of being seasoned. What types of wood needs one year of seasoning, compared to wood that needs two years. Some stacks I've come across are cut a year ago but not split, how long does that need. Bottom line could you tell just by seeing or touching if it's seasoned. It seems it would be a lot easier if I could just have two stacks green and seasoned. I know this post is all over the place just looking for some pointers.

 

[jeff_t]

If you're scrounging up wood for this winter, you'd best find some standing dead stuff, or maybe some ash and locust. Those seem to have a lower moisture content starting out. You might get by okay. Stack it loosely in single rows, with as much sun and wind as possible. A full year is good for most, two years is better. Add a year to that for oak.

Wood doesn't dry much until it is split. I split some soft maple that was piled in my back yard the other day, and water squished out the end when the wedge started to bite.

In an ideal world, it's best to get 2-3 years ahead. Then you don't have to worry about what's what. Like you said, a green stack and a dry stack.

 

[Kenster]

First of all, there's no need to post the same question twice within a few seconds of each other, but I will assume that was an accident. You can go back in and hit the Edit button and I believe you can remove the duplicate.

Anyway, to answer your question..... This is discussed almost daily so if you will read through a few pages you will see this answered many times. And there will be varying opinions so you have to weigh through it all and see what works for you.

I don't think anyone stacks differently in regards to how dry the wood already is. You should stack where the wood is going to get as much sun, and especially wind, as possible. Try to orient your stacks so that the wind blows into the cut ends of the splits. In other words, if your prevailing wind is out of the west, run your stacks north/south so that the cut ends of the splits are pointing to the west. This will give you the best airflow over all the splits.
There is really no need to cover the stacks until you get into your snow season. Even then, only cover the tops. Do not lay tarps across the whole thing. you want the air to continue to flow through. Be sure to stack it up off the ground. Wooden pallets can often be had for free and should last a few years. Grab them wherever you can. We don't get enough snow to worry about down here. I never cover my wood at all. I keep about three days worth on the front porch so being wet from rain is never an issue.

Split your wood as soon as possible after you cut it. It can be stacked in rounds for years but will not really start to dry out until you split it.
Some wood might be ready to burn after one full year of seasoning. Oak of any kind will always need at least two full years. Maybe three. Hickory, at least the pignut hickory I have, can take three years.
Everyone here will suggest you do everything possible to get two or three years ahead but that will make it hard for your first year or two. When you're scrounging, wood from the tops (smaller limbs) will be dryer sooner. Also, you can split your rounds smaller than usual and that will help speed up the drying. The tops from standing dead may be dry but the trunk from standing dead can be very wet for many years.
For your first year you may have to resort to some wood that is not quite as pretty as you would like. Maybe slightly punky (spongy rot an inch or two thick all around the trunk.) Punky wood will burn just fine but keep it dry. The punk will act like a sponge in rain. Dead and down wood can be a bit rotten on the ground side but you can knock that off and find good, hard heartwood that will burn nicely.
Keep your eye out for stacks along the side of the road where utility companies have been clearing easements. Ask the owners of the property if you can get that wood out of their way. Tell them you heat your home with wood. That can make a difference. They may not be so generous to people who are reselling it.
Never hesitate to pick up a few limbs here and there. It can add up and help get you through your first couple of years while you're building up a good supply of good wood.
And, if you are pretty sure you won't have enough for the coming year, you may have to buy some but do that now and get it stacked out there, single row, in the sun and wind and hopefully you'll be ready to go this winter. Once you get your stash built up so that you are two or three years ahead then you can relax a bit and just add one year's worth each year.
Stick with us. Let us know how things are going. Read as much of this forum as possible. I've learned a great deal here and continue to learn!
And let your neighbors know you're looking for wood. I have so much available to me now that I couldn't burn it all in a dozen lifetimes!

 

[Burnbaby]

Sorry about double post(accident) . Thanks for reply

 

[snowleopard]

I stack wood by species and ages and by how long it's been split. I just put up few small stacks of poplar--all dropped at the same time, but some has been split longer, some just got split--two piles. I have another tree that will going in its own pile when I split it, but then if my plan to move my laying-dead poplar in to the house works out, I'll be able to consolidate all that poplar because I won't be burning it until later--in other words, this is an evolving process. My firewood, for all practical purposes, is limited to birch, poplar, and spruce, and these vary not just by how they season, but also by how they burn. If I lived in the biodiverse NE, like you do, I would probably approach this a little different--not separate piles for each species, but for ones with similar drying/burning characteristics.

Birch that was split in March when it was cut goes in this stack; birch cut down at the same time but not split until later goes over here; the birch cut and split in May makes yet another stack. It no doubt looks a little funky to some, but these little squirrel stashes of mine all make sense to me. I'd do whatever I could to avoid sorting burnable wood from green next winter in the cold and dark and snow.

Another thing that I do is try to keep a mental inventory of how much of which wood is in these stacks--and may even write up an inventory, since there aren't orderly rank-and-file stacks. Making one-cord stacks when possible (not always) makes it easier to track firewood use this coming year, and it will help me plan firewood inventories for years to come.

 

[thewoodlands]

Hey everyone just a quick ?. It may seem like second nature to some of you but, I'm now just starting to scrounge up wood. Does anyone have a method of stacking when you are scrounging up wood at different stages of being seasoned. What types of wood needs one year of seasoning, compared to wood that needs two years. Some stacks I've come across are cut a year ago but not split, how long does that need. Bottom line could you tell just by seeing or touching if it's seasoned. It seems it would be a lot easier if I could just have two stacks green and seasoned. I know this post is all over the place just looking for some pointers.

Our prime hardwood (sugar maple & beech) are stacked in one area then our Cherry (which we burn the most) is in a seperate area with each area cut in a different year. We have four areas that will hold a years worth of wood with the 5th one being expanded so that it's a full year of prime hardwood if we choose on burning that.



Zap

 

[bogydave]

Lot of good advise in above posts.

I separate birch & spruce as it goes in the wood shed. (my 2 wood choices)
Spruce dries quicker & burns faster, so "shoulder season" wood.
Birch is the winter wood. Burns best in my stove 1-1/2 years+ seasoned.
I try to stay at least 1 year ahead, my wood for 2011/12 will be 2 yrs + & is in the shed. (but if I needed to get wood for this winter I'd be cutting spruce as it seasons faster.)
2012/13 , I have some CSS & some still somewhere in the woods. Working on it soon, plan to anyway.

Just get it split & stacked ASAP, in an area with a good breeze (& sun if possible) & space between rows. Burn the oldest you got.
Remember "oak" takes 2+ yrs to season well , (if I had oak, I'd separate it, since it take at least yr longer than most other woods)

Relax. If you have wood CSS & seasoning now, you should be OK for this coming winter, unless it's all oak.
If in doubt, burn the less dense woods first (lower BTU rating/cord), they typically dry faster. (smaller splits dry faster too)
As you burn, you'll learn your wood.
Can you tell if it's seasoned? Yeh, it fells different & sounds different, but takes some time to learn that with all the various wood choices you have.
Weight is sometimes a good way to tell, but it take a few years to learn that too. Best test is ; does it burn well?

You ain't going to get it all nailed down by reading all this, so relax. Burning wood has been done for thousands of years.
You are on the right track by just being on this site. Lots to learn, but:
"You burn what you got & learn as you burn."

 

[firefighterjake]

I stack all my wood together . . . softwood, hardwood, oak and white ash . . . all together. However, when moving the wood into my woodshed I tend to pull the little bit of oak I have to another stack for another year of seasoning.