Beech

[Indianawood]

I am splitting and stacking some beech id like to burn next winter. What is more important for drying?
A sunny location or wind. The prevailing wind location has a roof
The sunny location doesn't.
I'd like to better understand how wood seasons

 

[peakbagger]

IMHO if you are in generally dry climate, its hard to beat sun. Single row stacks speed things up but they tend to fall over. Double rows with a gap at the base and slightly tapered up wards is lot less prone to falling over. Ideally if you can put some pallets over on top and put anything that might redirect water away from the stack will give you great benefits. After summer of sun, then its time to move it back under a roof. No matter what you need to split it small. If you have the room you can cross alternate laying the logs in opposite directions each row. That really gets the air into the pile.

The alternative is look around on the site for a solar kiln which involves wrapping the stack in plastic and venting the top of the wrap. (there are more details than that) the claim is these can dry wood in one season. I think the trick with them is the wood needs to sit for a bit before wrapping it but the solar kiln thread had a lot more info.

I have one I built last summer and its seems to have worked well but I still plan to give it another summer just because I d not need it but may reuse for this springs wood.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

Good question. Not sure. If you're in Indiana, as I am, wind and a top might beat sun with no cover. I've got my wood stacked in sun/wind/under cover.

 

[NickW]

From what I've been advised in other threads, temperature is more important than sun exposure. Air movement is critical and there's been lots of discussion about cover vs no cover.

I'd say wind plus roof trumps sunny...

 

[thewoodlands]

I am splitting and stacking some beech id like to burn next winter. What is more important for drying?
A sunny location or wind. The prevailing wind location has a roof
The sunny location doesn't.
I'd like to better understand how wood seasons

I've always been told that wind is more important. Our prevailing wind is out of the west so most of our firewood is stacked on the eastside of the house so the end of the splits get the wind.

I've never done any tests so I can't say for sure which is the best.

 

[johneh]

I go for air movement and roof every time

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I dry ALL my wood in a wood shed.. 3 rows deep....Always under a roof, never a drop of rain touching it, facing the summer prevailing winds. Tarping the top sucks I dont.like to baby sit. It drys quickly this way..

 

[EPS]

I have a little bit of everything going on right now--this year's wood is in a shed until I need it and then it goes to a log store; there is covered wood for next year surrounding the wood shed; and the campfire wood I sell is out in a small field, covered with a tarp as is the beginning of a stack for '22-'23. Ultimately, though, the most important thing is time (and that it doesn't sit in dampness).