An Abundance of Wood - What to do when offered more?

[davidmsem]

Hello, I live in CT and in spring of 2018 a tornado passed over the block I live on. I have been picking downed trees out of the woods and storing them as rounds or large chucks I can lift. I am assuming that storing as rounds will extend the storage life of the wood. I burn about 3 cords per year and have 4 cords in my woodshed seasoned 3+ years and about 8 cords split and stored on pallets in my yard uncovered. I have another ~9 cords from the tornado that I have on pallets in rounds and large chunk. So that's a total of approximately 21 cords, which is about 7 years of burning. My calculations are approximate, but I bet not too far off.

This weekend I offered to help a neighbor clear up his backyard from the storm. He does not burn wood and said I can take what I want. The first tree we cut up this past weekend was a HUGE OAK!

So my questions are:

1) Does storing as rounds extend the storage period? Seems like a no brainer but looking for justification to have 21 cords.
2) I should at least take the oak from my neighbor, right?
3) How much wood is too much wood, that is, should I take more than just the oak from my neighbor.

I have plenty of room for storage with 1.6 open acres, but my neighbors, who are friendly, think I have some issues.

Google view of my backyard provided.

Any thoughts?

Thanks

David

 

[Jags]

Storing in rounds isn’t really the best way. Some flavors will actually rot from inside out. Some do okay for quite awhile in rounds as long as there is no ground contact. By far the best way is to split them all. Store off of ground contact and the wood will last for many years in most cases.

 

[peakbagger]

Time to list some prime dried fire wood for sale for cash only they pick it up off the stack Might pay for a few toys.

Some may disagree but more than 5 years of inventory is probably obsessive

 

[Rob711]

Hey friend from across the sound! I’m curious what others say, I think you should at least quarter the rounds, might be likely to rot. I’m on half an acre with about 8 cords split and on pallets or single row racks. I KNOW my neighbors think I’m insane, if they only knew! I have a full sized pickup of rounds I’ve not yet split, but I think I’m ahead enough. I still peruse craigslist for logs, wife is starting to make faces when she sees what I’m doing. I think covered the wood could sit for quite some time. Can you have too much firewood? Good question.

 

[tadmaz]

If it's easy, grab it even if you are ahead by a bunch. I wouldn't be scrounging online at all for a while. Quartering is probably a good idea, I don't store as rounds for more than 2 or 3 months. If I had unlimited time, I wouldn't have as rounds for more than a few days.

 

[weatherguy]

You should probably get all you can and offer some to your nearby massachuetts friends

 

[Dataman]

Get Grinder and Pellet Machine. Go into Business. Or Sell some of it. I agree split it up so it can dry, instead of rot inside. If you keep it off the ground it should be ok. Go see food bank and see if they want some for people.

 

[maple1]

Um, ya, storing in rounds will shorten useful life. Maybe quite drastically depending on species and conditions.

 

[Rob711]

Go see food bank and see if they want some for people.

Good idea. Trade the wood for people, then sell the people. Haha. I kid

 

[davidmsem]

Um, ya, storing in rounds will shorten useful life. Maybe quite drastically depending on species and conditions.

Did not know that storing in rounds shortens life. I would've thought the opposite. Shows how little I know .

 

[davidmsem]

Storing in rounds isn’t really the best way. Some flavors will actually rot from inside out. Some do okay for quite awhile in rounds as long as there is no ground contact. By far the best way is to split them all. Store off of ground contact and the wood will last for many years in most cases.

Oh boy, I've had a bunch for about a year and half in rounds. Hope I did not screw them up. I'll get after them starting this weekend. Thank you!

 

[davidmsem]

If it's easy, grab it even if you are ahead by a bunch. I wouldn't be scrounging online at all for a while. Quartering is probably a good idea, I don't store as rounds for more than 2 or 3 months. If I had unlimited time, I wouldn't have as rounds for more than a few days.

Gulp. I've had some rounds now for a year and a few months. Thanks hope I didn't screw them up.

 

[weatherguy]

I've had some rounds for two years and they're fine, I stacked them on pallets so theyre not touching the ground.

 

[maple1]

Species plays a big part in how fast it can happen too. Along with other factors. White birch will rot really fast if unsplit. I cut up a windfall white maple a couple years ago, in the late fall. Due to time & timing, I just stacked the rounds where the tree had fallen, intending to get back to split it & bring it out before winter hit. Well, my world then went to sh@t, so I didn't get back there until late the next summer. It was past the point, had to leave it, no good. Not sure how long it had been wind fallen before I got to it, but it was still solid when I cut it up. But it can happen to any species, time varying.

 

[Grizzerbear]

If the wood is stacked and covered i cant see why splitting vs leaving in rounds makes any difference....it will last just as long. I would split and stack and season it. Then sell it at primo price. I believe having more than 5 years worth of wood is a lil ridiculous but just my opinion.

 

[maple1]

In my experience it definitely doesn't last as long if it is not split.

It won't truly dry out inside if not split. Bark is a moisture barrier. Rot feeds and lives on moisture.

 

[Bad LP]

Like the others wrote I would at least break the rounds in half.

 

[ct01r]

I usually keep savaging, but become a lot fussier. By barn is filled to the gills right now, and I have logs laying in the aisle with no place to go. I probably have 3 years worth that I can burn now, and more that'll be cured by then. I've turned down Norway Maple, but am planning to help a neighbor with his white oak in exchange for the wood. Good luck with your wood! Curt

 

[shortys7777]

I'll take whatever you want to send my way over in RI!

 

[robj80]

I'm local if you want to unload some. I have been striking out with wood lately.

 

[Woody5506]

I just split some ash that's been in rounds, stacked on the ground, for about 14 months or so. All it did was allow more of the bark to fall off while splitting, which actually is a good thing. But I agree not all species will cooperate like that. Oak, as far as I know, is one of the more resilient ones.

It's funny even with that quantity of wood you're probably second guessing selling it, if you're anything like me. It's too easy to get caught up in how much work it is vs the pay out from selling some...It's basically working for peanuts unless you do it on a large scale.

 

[billb3]

1) I've never found an advantage to leaving them in rounds beyond storing them off the ground so they stay dry to be split at a later date.
2) Absolutely
3) Take what you have time/ambition for. You can always sell some when it is dry.

my neighbors, who are friendly, think I have some issues.

Well that could be, but making firewood is harmless.

 

[firefighterjake]

Split. Stack. Cover.

In a few years from now when you're laid up from an unexpected injury or illness, "donations" of wood have dried up or you just don't have the time to process the wood one year you'll appreciate having the extra wood.

Barring that . . . save the wood until February or March and then advertise well seasoned wood for sale.

As Woody said though . . . I have a hard time parting with my wood after all of the work processing it. I did trade half a cord to a buddy for some work he did on a vent pipe on my roof though.

 

[davidmsem]

1) I've never found an advantage to leaving them in rounds beyond storing them off the ground so they stay dry to be split at a later date.
2) Absolutely
3) Take what you have time/ambition for. You can always sell some when it is dry.



Well that could be, but making firewood is harmless.

Thank you Bill. I'm understanding now that as rounds moisture is trapped in them. I thank you all for the education. Luckily some were too big to lift so I had to split them to large chunks which seems like it will help.

 

[davidmsem]

If the wood is stacked and covered i cant see why splitting vs leaving in rounds makes any difference....it will last just as long. I would split and stack and season it. Then sell it at primo price. I believe having more than 5 years worth of wood is a lil ridiculous but just my opinion.

I do not cover wood , But do keep it off the ground by stacking it on pallets.