Is there any way I can dry wood in the mountains in NC? I have had great luck with kilns in a sunny field in VA. Now we also have a house in western NC on the side of a mountain, above a creek in the woods damp and shady. I thought I would have to buy wood, but it doesn't look like the suppliers even sell dry wood. "Seasoned" just means they cut it last year. I am thinking of a kiln in the carport with a heater and a fan but that may cost as much as heating the house with the gas furnace. I have even thought of bringing my dry wood down from VA but then there is the problem of carrying tree pests and disease across state lines. Any suggestions? The house was my parents, so choosing another house won't work plus we are surrounded by park land which is priceless to me.
Can we dry wood in the mountains in NC? We are above a creek in the woods, damp and shady. A kiln with a fan and heater doesn't seem practical.
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You cannot cut some trees to get some sun?
There is a poster here (@Simonkenton I believe) who is in what seems to be the mountains of NC and has a closed (!) wood shed. It does see sun. It gets his wood dry in a year.
There is a poster here (@Simonkenton I believe) who is in what seems to be the mountains of NC and has a closed (!) wood shed. It does see sun. It gets his wood dry in a year.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
Yes is the answer. How long and how dry are the questions. If you can dry clothes on a line you can dry wood. How wet an environment are you in? Can you get clothes dry on a not rainy day? Comes down to space and time. If you keep the rain off it may take 4 years but inner it will dry.
My wood is stacked behind the barn under some trees. It sees an hour or two of sun in the summer and none in the winter. We get 45" of rain a year. The wood dries faster if I move it to a sunnier spot for the summer but it's not a huge difference.
Simonkenton
Minister of Fire
Thank you stoveliker. Here is my non ventilated woodshed, up in the mountains near Marshall NC. I can dry green oak to 15 percent in 10 months. I am in the deep forest but the shed sets in the sunshine for most of the day. It works on the principle that water vapor will pass through unpainted or stained wood, and thousands of pounds of water, in the form of vapor, pass through the walls and floor in a year.
![[Hearth.com] Can we dry wood in the mountains in NC? We are above a creek in the woods, damp and shady. A kiln with a fan and heater doesn't seem practical.](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_4510-2-webp.303019/ "[Hearth.com] Can we dry wood in the mountains in NC? We are above a creek in the woods, damp and shady. A kiln with a fan and heater doesn't seem practical.")
Really don't want to cut trees. Basically we have a small house, gravel parking area, carport and very steep wooded slopes. It looks like Simonkenton is in Marshall NC, north of Asheville and we are in Waynesville next to the Blue Ridge Pkwy, west of Asheville. So you are right it would be a similar area.
Thanks. I haven't tried the clothes, but I imagine they would dry. So I just need a lot of patience.
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
Be thoughtful about stacking. 3 years is a lot of wood. I did ok and had a plan to stack one years worth. Just made the stack deeper for year two…. Then stacked more green wood on both ends. Then built more racks then…. You get my point.
Simonkenton
Minister of Fire
You are just over the mountain from me, probably 20 miles as the crow flies. I have 48 acres and I had to wack a bunch of trees to get that sunlight. Actually, I cut the trees to open up the view to Mt.Mitchell, and then put the wood shed on the north edge of that clearing. Bright sunny day today, although cold, my woodshed will get 10 hours of direct sunlight today.
When I lived in Seattle in the 80's, I was able to dry firewood with nothing more than wood shipping crates from Boeing Surplus.
If you can dry firewood in Seattle, you can dry firewood anywhere.
If you can dry firewood in Seattle, you can dry firewood anywhere.
Yes. Though Seattle is not significantly worse than humid NC.
When it's 90 F and 90% rel. humidity, the equilibrium moisture content of wood is about 20%. When it's 70 F and 90% humidity, it's about 20.5%.
One always can get to the equilibrium moisture content. But it'll take some time. Especially if the sun is not helping you to get there quicker.
When it's 90 F and 90% rel. humidity, the equilibrium moisture content of wood is about 20%. When it's 70 F and 90% humidity, it's about 20.5%.
One always can get to the equilibrium moisture content. But it'll take some time. Especially if the sun is not helping you to get there quicker.
im almost positive on it being black birch and on the black birch i've dealt with the wood was a bit orange and lastly does it have a wintergreen smell to it ?
@Simonkenton
I see your wood shed has a floor in it. Do you have any type of vapor barrier under the floor to keep ground moisture out?
Maybe you’ve mentioned it on the forum before, but can you tell me the size of your shed? Including height of the side walls?
I want to build another woodshed, and might try the totally enclosed type like yours. Thanks.
I see your wood shed has a floor in it. Do you have any type of vapor barrier under the floor to keep ground moisture out?
Maybe you’ve mentioned it on the forum before, but can you tell me the size of your shed? Including height of the side walls?
I want to build another woodshed, and might try the totally enclosed type like yours. Thanks.
Simonkenton
Minister of Fire
Don Tee: Nobody believes my story of the wood shed, because there is no ventilation. One key is, it must be 16 inches above the ground so that air may circulate underneath. No plastic on the floor. My floor is made of PT 2x6.
My non ventilated woodshed is 12 x 8, walls are 8 feet high. Walls are white pine 1 x 12. Board and batten.
But, any kind of wood would work.
The other key is, the woodshed needs a metal roof, and must get lots of sunlight.
Water vapor, by the thousands of pounds, will pass through the unpainted walls and floor.
Build it Don Tee and you will be pleased. No other woodshed can dry fresh white oak to 15 percent in 8 months.
My non ventilated woodshed is 12 x 8, walls are 8 feet high. Walls are white pine 1 x 12. Board and batten.
But, any kind of wood would work.
The other key is, the woodshed needs a metal roof, and must get lots of sunlight.
Water vapor, by the thousands of pounds, will pass through the unpainted walls and floor.
Build it Don Tee and you will be pleased. No other woodshed can dry fresh white oak to 15 percent in 8 months.
My woodshed is in the woods, sees basically no sun, and very little wind due to the woods. Open front and back. Has a metal roof, and pallets as a floor to keep the wood off the ground. The stuff I am burning in it has been in it for 3 years, and it’s 14%. I’m in Michigan.
I think as long as it’s off the ground, stacked and not in a pile, roof over it, and you get a couple years ahead you’re probably fine.
I think as long as it’s off the ground, stacked and not in a pile, roof over it, and you get a couple years ahead you’re probably fine.
My current woodshed design (and also location) matches what sweedish describes above.
I want to try something different for the next one. I’m thinking a shed with walls like Simonkenton has. Worst case scenario, if it doesn’t dry wood I can always use it as a storage shed.
My property is heavily wooded, but I’m clearing around 1/2 an acre not too far from my house. So the shed will go there.
I want to try something different for the next one. I’m thinking a shed with walls like Simonkenton has. Worst case scenario, if it doesn’t dry wood I can always use it as a storage shed.
My property is heavily wooded, but I’m clearing around 1/2 an acre not too far from my house. So the shed will go there.
j7art2
Minister of Fire
Wood will season the second it's cut. How well depends on a lot of factors. Cutting it to size, splitting, and stacking it immediately off the ground (or on concrete and under shelter) are your biggest key factors imo.
I generally stack outside in the shade next to my house. It gets ample wind and elements, and occasional indirect sun. I season everything a year or less, and cut my oak short to season faster.
I've stacked it across the property in the full sun, but the problem I run into is then I'm forced to move an entire years worth of firewood closer to the house by the time winter hits as its all but impossible to get to the other side of the property and across a semi truck trailer that doubles as a bridge with 18" of snow on the ground, especially towing 800lbs worth of wood every week to the house.
I've stacked it in my pole barn which has 2 small stables on the side that are completely sealed off, straight on the concrete. It'd have a similar effect to the "baking" that we're seeing. I haven't done this in at least 7 years, but ironically now around the area where I was stacking wood, I'm starting to have some wood rot and mold in my pole barn roof. I don't know if the moisture from the 2-3 years of seasoning wood in here that caused it (unlikely, the barn is far from air tight) or if I've just got a leaky roof. Probably the latter, but something I always wondered.
I've contemplated continuing to stack it there solely due to convenience, but if I do regardless of the materials used (wood again or steel), I might remove the "window" they installed (IE, corrugated clear PVC behind animal gate bars) simply to have a breather for the area.
There's really no right or wrong way to eat a Reeses past beyond cutting, splitting and stacking off the ground. It'll season in time. I fully expect my 37% fresh split oak I did 2 months ago to be down to at least 20% MC by next year in the shade -- I cut large diameter oak rounds at 12-14" simply because I prefer to lift them onto the splitter rather than run vertical and it'll season faster with shorter cuts anyway.
I generally stack outside in the shade next to my house. It gets ample wind and elements, and occasional indirect sun. I season everything a year or less, and cut my oak short to season faster.
I've stacked it across the property in the full sun, but the problem I run into is then I'm forced to move an entire years worth of firewood closer to the house by the time winter hits as its all but impossible to get to the other side of the property and across a semi truck trailer that doubles as a bridge with 18" of snow on the ground, especially towing 800lbs worth of wood every week to the house.
I've stacked it in my pole barn which has 2 small stables on the side that are completely sealed off, straight on the concrete. It'd have a similar effect to the "baking" that we're seeing. I haven't done this in at least 7 years, but ironically now around the area where I was stacking wood, I'm starting to have some wood rot and mold in my pole barn roof. I don't know if the moisture from the 2-3 years of seasoning wood in here that caused it (unlikely, the barn is far from air tight) or if I've just got a leaky roof. Probably the latter, but something I always wondered.
I've contemplated continuing to stack it there solely due to convenience, but if I do regardless of the materials used (wood again or steel), I might remove the "window" they installed (IE, corrugated clear PVC behind animal gate bars) simply to have a breather for the area.
There's really no right or wrong way to eat a Reeses past beyond cutting, splitting and stacking off the ground. It'll season in time. I fully expect my 37% fresh split oak I did 2 months ago to be down to at least 20% MC by next year in the shade -- I cut large diameter oak rounds at 12-14" simply because I prefer to lift them onto the splitter rather than run vertical and it'll season faster with shorter cuts anyway.
