How do you mark your stacks?

Yeah, I really should do that too. I've got different stacks all over the place. If I marked and tested mc periodically I would have a better idea of drying rates for different species, split sizes, etc. All I know for sure is that the stuff I'll be burning this season is at least 4 yrs. stacked. The other stacks, "Uh, I think that's been stacked a couple summers or so" or "I stacked that last fall" or "Those rounds have been there a couple years...I think."
I like the staple idea...permanent Sharpie on a small square of plastic milk carton?

7acres said:

That's what I was thinking too. I was wondering if Sharpie would get sun-bleached after 3+ years of exposure. So maybe get out the hammer and alphanumeric punch set and permanently deform the plastic (aluminum flashing even better)? Overkill?

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I like the aluminum tag idea ... overkill? Maybe but you would have a definite system of dating.

After stacking a cord of wood I nail a cedar shingle to the end and use a Sharpie to mark the month and year it was stacked.

Every once in a while I wander through the stacks and admire the various vintages . . .

Sharpie.

Memory. I've often thought about labeling different stacks though.

When I used a sharpie on popsicle sticks in my garden in the past the sun and rain faded the marks completely. Now I use a lead pencil, and the marks never fade.

blacktail said:

Sharpie.

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Permanent Marker
Sharpie Trade name

I go by weight of split. If it feels right I know it's seasoned.

I was thinking to just try a grease pencil on the end of a stack to mark the year. Figured the tiny amount of grease wouldn't do anything terrible to the wood stove.
Anybody try this? Was curious if it would stay legible in the sun/heat

I nail an aluminum can lid(veggies, dog or cat food can, etc) marked with a sharpie showing date of c/s/s and species. These get nailed on the north side of any stack and I retrace the info on an annual basis to keep it easy to read.

Spray paint a dot on the end. Yellow 2 years ago, purple last year, black this year.


fv

7acres said:

Ultimately I do the same test. As I'm quickly loading up the trailer with a face cord for a front porch re-load; if a split is obviously too heavy I toss it back on the stack further down. If it's too heavy when I'm loading up the leather wood carrier on the front porch it gets tossed it to the back corner to avoid for the season.

But increasingly I'm finding that I have more help re-loading the front porch from the stacks. That means I don't handle every split. Not a bad problem to have! Anyway, it will be nice to pull the trailer up to a part of the stack that is labeled as seasoned and let the helpers sling away.

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I was transferring some splits to my patio deck rack, from the shed today. Problem is, some splits put away at the same time, same wood, are not drying at the same rate for some reason. I don't think you can just assume every split coded a certain way will be seasoned the same-- splits can't read.

All my stacks are in 8, 10, or 12 foot racks. I take a plastic coffee can lid and write the month and year of CSS and type of wood on it. I staple the coffee can lid to the end of one of the splits. I've got 4 years worth of wood and have never had the sun bleach out the sharpie. Also, I have a drawing (map) of all my racks and I note which are dry for this winter, which are empty, etc... It works well for me. CW

exif data date

Never thought of this - I have different stacks - each a year's worth, and just go in a rotation. I know from memory that the wood in this year's stack was cut in 2013, the wood in next year's stack in 2014, and so on. I just started a new stack that I should not have to burn until 2021.

I wanted to be able to fill the shed by the house with whatever the season was calling for. So I try to organize my stacks by btu's. I have three long runs, each categorized by btu/dry time: shoulder/fast dry, medium heat/1-2 yrs and the hot stuff/2-4 yrs. Each year I use what I need from each stack and then try to replace it within the same year. I also try to take and replace in vertical chunks as best I can so I can track the ages of each section. Sounds complicated, but it's really not and a quick mm check helps recall what sections are ready. It doesn't always work out the way I want it to, but it allows me to match btu's with temps which is most important to me.

I honestly have never thought to "mark" my stacks. I just know what is what. If I did, I would probably use a hatchet to imprint the end of a split.

Good reminder. I have some older stacks that I have no idea which is oldest. I was toying with the idea of a soldering iron and a piece of wood.

As little as we are able to burn with multi-county burn restrictions in place and as little space as I have to store firewood, I only need to keep track of +/- 3 cords. I'll forget to put on shorts before I forget how old any of our wood is. Besides, in this climate any split wood on my lot is dry in no time.