Building a woodpile for this and coming seasons

[bfitz3]

Two questions...

1) I have a number of trees that need to come down and would like to burn them in coming years. I don't have a ton of time now for the work that needs to be done. To get a tree drying now, is it best to cut it down and let it sit or would it be wise to ring it and let it dry standing? Is there a difference in doing either before or after the leaves have come out?

2) splitting: I've put together a good amount of wood this spring and am wondering about some of the smaller stuff. How large a branch will you leave unsplit? I have a decent number of roughly 4" branches that are very green (maple/beech). Should I bother splitting them? Any chance they could be dry by fall or should I just let them sit another season?

Clearly a newb and grateful for the education here,
B

 

[DougA]

1) A dead standing tree does not dry very quickly at all. I cut only dead trees and this week I cut up 3 trees that were brought down in a wind storm 2 yrs ago. All of them were off my moisture meter scale - meaning they were well over 35% moisture. I often can find time to cut but not split, and the large rounds will dry faster than uncut but that is not going to help since it'll still be 4 to 5 yrs. in my experience. If you can cut the trees prior to leaves it just makes it easier to clean up. No difference otherwise for me. The worst thing is to leave any trees or rounds lying directly in the ground.

2) 4" branches of maple will not likely be dry for this coming winter. It all depends upon where they are stacked and if they get enough sun/wind to dry out. Split one in Dec., let it come to room temperature, then measure it.

A moisture meter can be found for $25 on sale and is well worth the investment. I've been burning for decades and I still get fooled by the moisture content sometimes. The wood stove ALWAYS knows the moisture content.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

Sorry Charlie, I mean bfitz3, you need to do a little more to get it dry, get it down, saw it to desired length, split it to desired size splits, stack it in the sun and wind till it gets to under 20% MC...... Then you can get to enjoy all you have done.... Sorry to break the news..." But it's fun......

 

[bfitz3]

Yaya...I'm definitely having fun in the woods! So far this spring if scrounged about 3-4 cords of rounds... Will split it all when the stack gets large enough to justify a splitter rental and there is hope that there will be enough dry rounds to have a good pile of burnable wood come winter. I figure two more weekends of scrounging and I'll pull the trigger.

My question (number 1) came about in part from taking down dead trees that are noticeably lighter and dryer to the touch than anything that has growth on it...all of the bark is off as well. It made me think that cutting through the cambium would kill everything above the cut, allowing the wind to dry out the tree a little better than if it were close to the ground/down and hidden beneath low growth and touching the ground. The question is about how I can get ahead of the curve on having a 1-2 year buffer on my wood supply, not getting something for next season.

If everything were ideal, I'd cut/stack/split the problem trees now... I just don't have the time for them this spring.

As for question 2, I'm just wondering what size rounds becomes either impractical to split or just not worth the effort. 4 inch? 3 inch?

 

[billb3]

If I lived in Michigan and needed wood for this Winter, I'd be looking for Ash trees.
(broken link removed)

Roundwood under 4 inches split gives you pretty much a 2x3. Great fire-starters. May as well cut up free pallets if you need dry wood for this Fall.
In my experience round wood dries slower than split wood. Especially roundwood wood with bark on it.

 

[DougA]

Ah, dead trees with the bark gone will dry faster, yes. The one 18" oak I just cut still had the bark on it and it was soaking wet underneath. It made me take a second look since we have had next to no rain for 2 weeks. No bark helps but it still takes at least an extra few years to dry if it's not cut & split.

I was in your same predicament for the last few years and I have barely had enough wood to burn each year. I'm now caught up and have 2 winter's worth in my new wood sheds. It's a egg/chicken problem. You need enough wood to cut, you need all the equipment to do it, you need enough dry space to store it and you need the time to do everything. Once you have all the ducks in a row, then you can start to save money using a wood stove.

 

[bfitz3]

$2400 in propane in the last year... Dry wood can't come fast enough! I don't expect to be heating 100% with wood, but every split will help!

The wood is there, I just need to find the time to get ahead of the curve!

 

[Sconnie Burner]

$2400 in propane in the last year... Dry wood can't come fast enough! I don't expect to be heating 100% with wood, but every split will help!

The wood is there, I just need to find the time to get ahead of the curve!

I think with a $2400 bill on propane I'd be making time! Spend half that on a new splitter or even an used for a little less and get it stacked asap! It will pay for itself! It sucks but I pretty much sacraficed a full spring and fall of fishing and hunting for scrounging wood, but I hit my 3 year plan early this spring! Now all I need to do is replace what I use the following year. Keep up the efforts and you will get there!

 

[Soundchasm]

Quartering rounds (or eighths) is a compromise I make when I know they have to wait, but some progress has to happen. Limb wood will be drier than stump wood so pick your battles wisely. If I have to burn stump wood I get it quartered immediately and then split small. I try to time the limbs to go last since they have a head start.

But how small a limb? Hate to say it depends, but it does. Last summer I took down a hickory tree that had been topped but had some 2-3" branches. The small stump splits with no bark were fine to quite good. I threw in some 1-2" branches from the same tree and watches the moisture boil out.

The other bit of the equation is how it's stored. There was a definite difference between wood single stacked and top-covered, and the same wood under the roof of the wood shed. That shed saved my butt. Can't speak highly enough of it.