First year on wood heat, prepping for winter in the northeast

Ideally in full sun with a breeze with no move than two logs deep. Ideally swap the tarps with solid covers. If tarps are all you have put pallets on top of the stack and put the tarps over the top of the pallets without covering the sides of the pallets so damp air can readily flow out from the top of the stacks.

Unless the wood has been drying for at last a year and you have stacked perfectly you have a tough winter trying to burn less than dry wood. I hope its a very small cabin used on weekends as the amount of wood looks marginal for 24/7 burning.

I read a lot of posts here and other sites every night. I have set my wood up on a 5 year rotation, a lot of people do 3 year rotation. What I cut this year will not see the stove till the start of 2023 with hardwoods, softwoods on a 3 year rotation. All mine are in racks , 16 long - 4 foot wide - 6 foot tall , that are top covered with metal roof. Now the soft woods for me are pine, soft maple, cotton wood, walnut, poplar and a couple more, these will be in racks for 3 years but can be burned in I year AFTER it is split and stacked IF stacked in a single row with air going through them. ALL my hardwoods oak, hickory, ash, hedge, hard maple , any fruit tree and a few more will be in racks for 5 years AFTER it has been split. Ash and hedge will be ready in one year after it has been split and stacked ,2 is better.

Now with what wood you have and the way it is stacked to me will be to wet to use the way it is stacked now. One way to tell if you wood is ready is get a moisture meter and test a FRESH split with the inside running with the grain , not on the end of the wood. 20% and down is what you want. Get ahead 3-5 years and you will not need to test wood. Even dead wood will still be to wet to use, some of the top limbs will be ok ,but trunk and large limbs will not. Some people top cover and some do not.

3 cords? I know the PH is a small/medium sub 3cf stove but I would expect to need much more wood to heat your home all winter. I personally have at least 10 cords in the stacks before winter and usually use 5.

I stacked on pallets and top covered with plastic for many years. Trouble is that the water runs off the top and onto the sides. Wind blows rain onto the sides too. The taller the stacks, the more of a problem this is so I built a woodshed last year and it was totally worth it for convenience when retrieving wood and actual prevention of rain soaked wood.

Also, that location in the photos looks very shady and damp. I don't know if wood will ever dry deep in the forest like that. Do you have any clear area?

I've gone through one season with my stove and am ahead with wood fortunately. I've got a few cords in normal stacks in the woods and some have partially fallen over (only after a year or so has passed). I have very hilly land so my spots for stacks in the woods is limited. I've started a holz hausen since it has to be visible and not tucked away in the woods. Looks nice, seems great so far. Used a 4' rope to make a nice clean 8' diameter. Look up some youtube videos for tips.

What I can see is the piles are up against the woods. But can't see the exposure to the all day summer sun. That's what you need. Due to all the humidity I top cover all year. You will be burning this next winter, because it's all you have. It will blacken the glass, and will be better in a year or two. But nice looking stacks.

Like others have said stack it off the ground single row and cover the top, leave the sides open, but you have to get it out of those Holzhousen piles and spread it out to expose it to sun and wind; if you get years ahead then stacking it in the round would be okay but it is like a pile of wet clothes, it won't dry properly unless you take the clothes out and hang them one piece at a time on a line to dry lol!

I would stack it so the first woods that you use are the standing dead and then the Cherry, the Oak will take the longest to dry and the other stuff in between. But depending on how much dead and Cherry you have you might be okay for this Winter IF you find a spot where the sun hits it most of the day as well as the wind. And if you can scrounge some Silver Maple and get that split that dries fast too, good luck and keep us informed on how it is going but break those piles down now into single rows in the sun and wind as that will give you your best chance at drying in time (except for the Oak).

Good luck!!

PA. Woodsman said:

it is like a pile of wet clothes, it won't dry properly unless you take the clothes out and hang them one piece at a time on a line to dry

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Nice line!

Highbeam said:

Nice line!

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Yeah, once and awhile I come off with a good one lol!

This reminds me so much of me about 5 years ago. This forum has helped quite a bit with my wood stuff, and I still look for insights all the time. If you can swing it, I would purchase a cord of seasoned wood now in late spring, split the splits even further and stack it, along with the wood you already have, I the fashion recommended in the above comments. This will give th3 stuff you have that much more time to season.

I agree with EPS above. Buying a dry cord if you can to have to mix in with this likely still unseasoned wood over the winter will be a good idea. But welcome to the forums and good work so far.

I’m a PH owner. My stacks are set up in 3 parallel lines about 12” apart with great exposure to wind and sun and top covered with tin. My first year felt great, but after my 3 year supply became truly seasoned, my understanding of ‘great’ has changed dramatically. Dry wood really makes a difference in running a PH. I’m guessing you will end up feeling somewhere between unimpressed and very frustrated with your wood this season based on your drying set up.

Others have commented on the forum that a three year plan to get a three year supply is in order. Stack enough softwood for this year now, along with starting some stacks of better woods for next year and the year after. Next year, repeat with less quick drying wood and more good stuff. In the third year, start stacking just the good stuff. If you have oak, consider setting it up for a four year drying time.

Other things: I’d suggest getting a stack of bio-bricks or eco-logs for the coming winter. They work wonders, mixed in with marginal wood that you’ll likely have this winter no matter what you do. Also, if you don’t have a moisture meter, get one and use it regularly for the next few years. You’ll learn your stove + wood performance really quickly this way! Finally, buy a backup catalyst. At some point, you’ll need to clean it and give it time to dry. It’s really convenient to have a second one to drop in/use while cleaning the first.

As for volume, I’m in zone 4b. I’m still burning a smaller fire once every day or two and go through roughly 3.5 cords a year. (We had a frost advisory on Sunday. Gag!) I started burning in late sept/early October. I have an 1800 sq ft, open floor plan, well insulated house. The PH has been able to keep up easily most of the time. Stretches where the temp is -20s to single digits require more attention. The stove was really pushed with a stretch that went from -30s to -single digits, but it still managed okay with an extra blanket at night. It’s been a great pleasure to raise an insulting finger to the propane guy for quite awhile now!

The farther you get the firewood stacks from the woods, the better. Sun and breeze, as other people said.

If you think you need three cords a year (which could be low), then you'd want to usually have about 9 cords stacked. That's because wood like oak can take 2-3 years to season, even in sunny, breezy conditions. I find it simpler to stack the wood by type. For one, then you'll know when a stack is seasoned. Cherry is ready in 8 months; oak takes 3 years, so a mixed stack is a little complicated.

I think it's good to have a mix, and not be a purist. Nothing wrong with pine, poplar, cherry, etc. But I do love oak, hickory, and red maple.