Birch moisture content

[Prof]

I was out splitting some birch I cut in March of this year. As I was splitting, I started testing the fresh splits with my moisture meter. I put the meter in the grain of a newly split face of the wood. I was getting readings from 18-21% MC. This seemed really low to me given that the rounds have set on a shaded forest floor for a few months and it has been a fairly rainy spring/summer. Could I be missing something? Other than the low readings, the wood seems pretty green to me based on how it looks and sounds. I might try burning some in the fire pit to see how it burns.

 

[Richie]

What type of birch?

 

[DAKSY]

IMHO, 4 months is way too short a time to get readings like that.
Birch tends to hold a LOT of water & without it being split, I don't think
it'll dry that much thru the bark, especially in a shaded, wet area...
Then again, was it a healthy, living tree, or was it standing deadwood?

 

[Prof]

What type of birch?

black and paper birch

 

[Prof]

IMHO, 4 months is way too short a time to get readings like that.
Birch tends to hold a LOT of water & without it being split, I don't think
it'll dry that much thru the bark, especially in a shaded, wet area...
Then again, was it a healthy, living tree, or was it standing deadwood?

I had the same thought-they were standing, healthy trees a few months ago. Actually when I was cutting it the sap was flowing and the chips that the saw was throwing were soaked.

 

[Richie]

Paper bark=1 year after split and stacked
Black birch=18 months after spit and stacked.

 

[TomB]

I had the same situation. I have a lot of paper birch, I generally split it as soon as its cut. Stack it. Generally ready in 18 to 24 months. The longer you can wait to burn it, the better. Good Luck! and be Safe Cutting!

 

[Applesister]

I just bought a meter so Ive never actually tested any of my birch. But I usually give it the one year seasoning duration and have never come across any in the stove that indicated internal water. I do split small though. 16" x 4" generally. Thats also on Gray birch. Black takes longer.
Keep testing your wood and grab from random spots. Maybe its just a weird number.

 

[Prof]

Just an update--I thought my meter must have been off. I borrowed one from a friend and it gave the same readings as mine within .5%. I did play around and spit several pieces a few times and got some readings of 23%. Still not what I would have expected. It burned OK in the fire pit, but there was some moisture coming out on one piece--not enough to hiss or snap though. At any rate, this isn't wood that I plan on using for well over a year, but it just seemed weird.

 

[Shawn Curry]

My cheapo moisture meter has 2 different "modes": one for checking board lumber, and one for logs. Also, check the manual to see if you're inserting the probes far enough. The higher-end ones can be calibrated for specific species of wood, to give more accurate readings.