I need usable firewood for THIS season?

If you can find standing dead ash, black cherry, or even a dead pine on your property you might be able to use in a couple months if you get it split small right away. I cut a standing dead black cherry this year and most of the tree was below 20%. You also may want to start looking for pressed bricks to supplement. Sometimes you can get factory 2nds at discount. Otherwise start stocking up for next year now.

Oh man, if it was a normal precip year I would say look for dead standing ash and maple, but this year has been brutal with the rain around our parts. Take the money and buy compressed wood bricks, start cutting in the woods now for next year.

You may also look for dead standing elm. It drys pretty good standing. Burns good to but tough to split by hand


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in my experience even the standing dead oak needs some time to 'season' to get optimal burning. my wood has been cut split stacked since Jan. and top covered since like june or july. with all this rain and humidity this year it's far from perfect. I am about 1 hour east of state college. I might be able to hook you up with some wood contacts depending on where you are at in PA

A neighbor goes through 6 cords a winter. Usually delivered and stacked around March. I noticed that he had no wood last month. I asked his wife, and she said that his wood guy never called him back early this year. Ignored all his calls. Said her husband really is really ticked.

I saw that they had a cord or so delivered a couple of weeks ago, and they were stacking it. Looked like fresh wood.

Compressed bricks sounds like it may be the best option. Some members, Woodsplitter67 and poindexter I believe, have threads about constructing a solar kiln; although I don’t know if it’s a bit late in the season for that


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How deep in PA are you? If you're close to another state like W.Virginia or Ohio you can hit their craigslist for wood. There are several sellers. Wish you were closer. I'm overstocked this season.

dead standing - the upper 1/2 would likely be good to go but below that they tend to wick moisture up so no go for this season. Compressed blocks and upper 1/2 of dead standing are you best bet. been brutal here rain wise also wise also. rain dang near every other day for the last month and then the bottom dropped out so it's all frozen . I have plenty of wood just soaked with rain and now snow. wind is brutal by me anything put on top ends up about a county or 2 over in short order. take awhile but I will get it sorted out. It's going to be drag it over to bilko doors and toss into basement with a fan blowing on it. dehumidifier may or may not help as they tend to freeze up below about 65 degs. Might have to make an old school version just a straight timed on and off deal at full tilt, all the new stuff are too fancy and will not work with a timer cutting the power in and out.

Look for blow downs in your woods, may be some dry. Check craigslist might get lucky. Get compressed bricks. I scrambled one year and found a guy who switched to pellets and had 10 cords of seasoned oak. I took 4 off his hands, would have taken it all but didn't have time.

Start with trees on the ground first. Then standing dead. Do you have any neighbors who burn? I will always give up a cord for someone in need.

As others have said you can find dead standing ash, cherry and elm. Dead elm with lots of missing bark will have the most dry wood due to the way they die. But ive survived all winter before with dead standing cherry/ash. Once felled i start checking for 20% or less and that goes to the burn now stack, the rest for next year. I will have to get at least a cord this way this year if its a cold winter, which is looking likely. If your not sure i have heard good things about some of the compressed bricks mentioned. Good luck.

Cut an oak out back this weekend. Top half around 20-22% even with all the rain. burned my first load tonight. Few more that need to come down before snow comes. It's my first year. I'll probably have to burn some wet wood in 2 months but should be good here on out. Started my stacks once I bought the house.

Ive got a huge ash thats been stone dead for a couple years and the same in a large cherry. Both tops will get me enough. The rest will get stacked. Ive cut so much oak past couple years i forgot to get enough 1yr stuff. If the OP has enough area it can be done.

At this point I would recommend carefully watching Facebook/Craigslist postings to see if anyone is giving away or selling seasoned wood due to moving . . . or go with compressed logs.

In my experience, standing dead trees can be a crap shoot in terms of moisture. I got by in my first year of burning with standing dead elm (no bark) and tree tops from a cutting operation -- but I still had cut, split and stacked them for a few months previously -- and even then the wood was not optimal.

kennyp2339 said:

Oh man, if it was a normal precip year I would say look for dead standing ash and maple, but this year has been brutal with the rain around our parts. Take the money and buy compressed wood bricks, start cutting in the woods now for next year.

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By the time you buy enough compressed bricks to heat your home, you might as well just use the central heat, and take one for the team. It always pays to have two suppliers, just for this reason.

Like others have said you might find some standing dead trees that are dry towards the tops. Get a moisture meter and make very small splits.

I’ve heard of people burning pallet wood. I’ve never done it. But if you have some companies nearby they might be willing to sell you pallets real cheap. Possibly give them to you. Obviously you need to take them apart and remove nails etc but the wood should burn its dry.

You say you have a cord of dry wood. If you get some standing dead that’s “ close “ to 20percent moisture you could always mix it together. Wait until you have a hot fire and good coal bed and supplement a split here and there from the less than ideal wood. Just keep an eye on your stove temp and chimney to make sure your burning hot enough and not getting creosote build up. Again not ideal.

There’s always the option of building a kiln to kiln dry. You say you live in the forest? So access to free trees ? Well if you really need 9 full cords a season to heat ( that’s a lot ) and if you have access to free trees no way would I pay for wood. Especially 9 full cords. That’s expensive. Unless you can’t physically do the cutting and processing I say do your own. And for what you would have paid for those 9 full cords you could probably engineer and build your own kiln. That means you could cut a tree today, kiln dry it today, and burn it tonight.

Just some ideas.

Maybe you can find someone who has several years piled up and trade them a little over a cord of green wood for a cord of dry. You want to offer more because wood shrinks when it dries and they are doing you a favor.

woodhog73 said:

There’s always the option of building a kiln to kiln dry...And for what you would have paid for those 9 full cords you could probably engineer and build your own kiln. That means you could cut a tree today, kiln dry it today, and burn it tonight..

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Solar kilns take about a month or more to dry greenish wood. Putting in for a day wouldn't do anything besides get any surface moisture dry. Making a heated kiln seems like it would be counter productive since that heat might be better put into the house.

Jotel me this said:

the guy who was supposed to deliver me 9 full cords of wood (which order i placed in June) didnt show up on friday with the delivery. i called, texted. he doesnt answer. i drove to the business and he said he doesnt have the wood and 'hes sorry'. he completely screwed me over and could care less about it.

so, allowing the anger to subside.... this year i only have 1 full cord of usable ~20% moisture firewood and will have to use propane for the winter (UGH.. the expense.. the expense)

in my area, its nearly impossible to find anyone who has actual seasoned wood at this point in the year. is there any possible way or finding a dead (or something) tree that might be ready to burn?

i live in the forest and am now deciding on processing my own wood. i have hundreds of trees of all sizes. is there even such a thing as a tree that was just cut down and didnt have to season? or at least.. is there a trick/possibility of finding a tree that i can cut now, split into firewood, let it season this winter until january... and have it be 20% moisture ready by February 2019?

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Where are you in PA? I'm just north of Corning NY not far from Wellsboro and Mansfield and my neighbor sells "Seasoned" wood. Not sure of the moisture content but has quite a bit.

Go get dead standing and burn it now. Accept the fact you will likely not get <25% and watch your chimney buildup.

Northern PA but 1 year seasoned.
https://elmira.craigslist.org/for/d/firewood-for-sale/6739664211.html

Know of any logging that has taken place close. The tops that are left make a ton of good firewood and if you can find an area that was logged last year or the year befor there would be plenty of wood up to 12” to cut that will burn.

If you live in the forest, go look for deadfall or dead standing pine, and deadfall should ideally not be lying directly on the ground.

I haven't touched my woodpiles yet this year and I've been burning 24/7 since October.

If you light new fires regularly, you can mix dry wood and suboptimal wood. If the stove never gets cold, you can use all suboptimal wood.

Burn hot, inspect and sweep a lot more than usual!