Wood that's been laying around

[brianbeech]

I'm about to get my first woodstove hooked up tomorrow (Jotul 118 - you can see it at http://www.brianbeech.com/woodstove/).

I've got some wood to burn that has been seasoned for a year, but I assume that will only last a couple of weeks. After this, I have some options.
1. Buy 'seasoned' wood
2. Cut wood myself.

Option 1 sounds easy enough, but I've heard that most of these people selling 'seasoned' wood are in fact selling fresh cut wood.

Option 2 involves a little more work, but I know what I'm getting. This wood is currently on the ground and a lot has been cut up and stacked but not split. The rest of this wood is in the form of downed trees from two years ago that has never been cut up or stacked.

My questions are: is getting the cut up wood that has been stacked for two years okay to burn once split, or does it really need to sit for another year; and... If a tree has been laying for a couple of years, how much moisture can I assume it still contains, since it has not been cut OR split.

These are hardwoods, I believe Oak and Maple - not sure what type of oak and maple.

Sorry if there is not enough info, I'm really really new to all of this.

Thanks for any help.

 

[firefighterjake]

I'm about to get my first woodstove hooked up tomorrow (Jotul 118 - you can see it at http://www.brianbeech.com/woodstove/).

I've got some wood to burn that has been seasoned for a year, but I assume that will only last a couple of weeks. After this, I have some options.
1. Buy 'seasoned' wood
2. Cut wood myself.

Option 1 sounds easy enough, but I've heard that most of these people selling 'seasoned' wood are in fact selling fresh cut wood.

Option 2 involves a little more work, but I know what I'm getting. This wood is currently on the ground and a lot has been cut up and stacked but not split. The rest of this wood is in the form of downed trees from two years ago that has never been cut up or stacked.

My questions are: is getting the cut up wood that has been stacked for two years okay to burn once split, or does it really need to sit for another year; Depends . . . depends on how long it has been down, species, size, etc. For example, when I first started out I cut some standing dead elm . . . some of the wood towards the top of the tree was good to go . . . wood at the base however was still too unseasoned to burn. and... If a tree has been laying for a couple of years, how much moisture can I assume it still contains, since it has not been cut OR split. Again it depends on the species, environment, etc. For example I've seen some trees in the woods that are on the ground and half rotten . . . other wood is halfway decent . . . some of it also depends on how the wood is laying on the ground. A tree lying directly on wet, loam-like ground usually is not as good as a tree partially lying on well drained soil. These are hardwoods, I believe Oak and Maple - not sure what type of oak and maple.

Sorry if there is not enough info, I'm really really new to all of this.

Thanks for any help.

Quite honestly it's not an easy choice . . . at this point I am guessing that ordering wood will really be a crap shoot in terms of whether it is good to go or not . . . then again the wood you are looking at around the house will also be a crap shoot . . .

 

[basswidow]

Finding good seasoned wood for sale is difficult. Most sellers will say seasoned - but the wood is usually suspect. If you find a good wood vendor - it's a good score.

For the most part, the seasoning clock doesn't start until the wood is split.

That being said, I have scrounged some dead wood that was cut and split and could be burned right away. If you walk in the woods, you'll see some of these. Usually they are not too big in diameter - maybe large branch size (coffee can size). Bigger stuff holds moisture longer. They look petrified and old. As long as it's not pulp or wrot (whack it with an axe) if it sounds like the crack of a baseball bat, it's good stuff. Cut it up, split once to see if it's dry inside and give it a try. If it sizzles - let it sit a year. If it burns good without a sizzle or getting your glass black, go get more.

I walked the woods with a friend who needed some wood to burn now and we filled his truck and mine with large dry branches and small fallen trees that were old and dry. One was so petrified I thought it was cedar. We cut into it and split it to find cherry and it was dry and good to go.

Oak will require almost 2 years once split, maple can be burned in a year once split.

If you have access to wood, I'd scrounge a good bit too, while seeking a wood vendor. You can cut up pallets too to mix in. Good luck

 

[Wood Duck]

I know I'd go cut my own wood given your choices. I think you'll find some of the wood pretty decent, some very wet. Even on a single down tree you'll prboably find a wide variety of wood. Branches, especially those up off the ground, might be pretty good. A trunk laying against the ground probably is pretty wet. Rounds stacked up off the ground could be pretty good. The ones on the bottom of the stack are probably pretty wet. Separate the wood as you cut. You should be able to guess which is wetter and which is drier, giving you a fair chance at reasonable firewood immediately, then save the rest for later.

 

[Redburn]

U might want to try buying some biobricks .. A friend of mine bought a pallet to mix in with his cord wood to try and stretch it out and told me its working.... even paying for it u will still be warmer for the $$$$$. People say to me all the time is it worth the work n I tell them if i kept my home this warm with oil heat my bill would be big money ! just a thought..... also if u look there is some dead stuff in the woods if u look I have burnt a lot of dead stuff i found this yr already on my travels...... good luck u sound excited like I was when I first started burning again ,I leaned a lot on this site and wouldn't be the wood burner I am today without it............. my friends jokingly laugh at me for being such a wood nut but when they come over n sit in my den buy the stove they think im a genius LOL!

 

[woodchip]

I know I'd go cut my own wood given your choices. I think you'll find some of the wood pretty decent, some very wet. Even on a single down tree you'll prboably find a wide variety of wood. Branches, especially those up off the ground, might be pretty good. A trunk laying against the ground probably is pretty wet. Rounds stacked up off the ground could be pretty good. The ones on the bottom of the stack are probably pretty wet. Separate the wood as you cut. You should be able to guess which is wetter and which is drier, giving you a fair chance at reasonable firewood immediately, then save the rest for later.

If you do cut your own deadwood, try and get hold of a moisture meter, then you will quickly know which you can bring indoors to dry a little to be suitable for the stove, and which you can leave stacked outdoors for next winter. It saves the guesswork if you're not too experienced. And if it were me, I would probably cut some splits slightly undersize, as they will dry out quicker. I've found deadwood here that has some stuff on the ground completely soaking wet, but the higher branches are 25% m/c, so they would dry out quite quickly.

Be aware of bringing too much indoors to dry, there might be some unwanted wildlife hiding away in the wood.........

 

[woodchip]

People say to me all the time is it worth the work!

The axe is the best bit of outdoor gym equipment ever made

 

[Thistle]

People say to me all the time is it worth the work!

The axe is the best bit of outdoor gym equipment ever made

Tell me about it. Its the main reason I still weigh the same now when I did at 20,despite eating like a horse & liking fairly large quantities of beer.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

People say to me all the time is it worth the work!

The axe is the best bit of outdoor gym equipment ever made

Tell me about it. Its the main reason I still weigh the same now when I did at 20,despite eating like a horse & liking fairly large quantities of beer.

So please tell us, how do those oats and hay go down? Do they cause gas at all? After all, we know how work horses fart a lot. Remember the old saying? A farting horse will never tire and a farting man is the man to hire.

 

[Thistle]

People say to me all the time is it worth the work!

The axe is the best bit of outdoor gym equipment ever made

Tell me about it. Its the main reason I still weigh the same now when I did at 20,despite eating like a horse & liking fairly large quantities of beer.

So please tell us, how do those oats and hay go down? Do they cause gas at all? After all, we know how work horses fart a lot. Remember the old saying? A farting horse will never tire and a farting man is the man to hire.

Oats are good,hay not so much.Its mostly wheat & brown rice instead.And as far as gas goes.....