Can you ever have too much in the stacks?

[7acres]

So here's my situation. I've been scrounging a lot this past year and have 12-14 cords stacked still in the rounds. As well as a cord and a half CSS last year. I've just been taking down trees for neighbors at their request and keeping the wood. I've probably got 7 cords of oak, a cord or two of poplar, and two cords of sweet gum. Haven't really needed to cut anything on my own property this year.

Then the power company came through.

It's been about a month and a half and there's still a lot of wood out under the power lines. I got a cord of oak off of one guy just for asking the day the power company started cutting. I've got so much wood I realized I could spend every weekend for the next couple months hauling wood back to my place. So I decided you've got to lay off at some point and I've been driving past all this wood every day since.

There's a lot of cedar down I could take on the property of a granite quarry a mile away. Maybe 3 cords. I could probably scrounge another 5-7 cords if I really wanted to go door to door asking permission to remove the downed timber from people's yards. It's pretty rural/redneck here and people will leave it there for ever to rot and never give two hoots about getting it cleaned up.

So either I take it for firewood or it'll sit there and rot away. But I've already got so much wood to process I'm up to my eyeballs in it. I'm not complaining. But can you ever have too much wood? I calculate that when I get what I have split I'll be 5-7 years ahead on firewood. If I scrounge all this stuff from the power company I'll probably be 10 years ahead or better. I've got the space for it. Were you in my situation what would you do? Keep scrounging?

 

[devilsbullet]

I'd keep going if I had the space and time For it

 

[7acres]

I have the feeling when I'm 6 years older and my stacks have dwindled I'm going to really be regretting I didn't grab that easy downed timber out by the road when I was younger. Maybe I better get out there and get it before the grass starts growing and my weekends fill up with yard work. Anybody have stories of wood they passed up only to regret it later? Maybe that will motivate me to get excited about moving more wood back to my place.

 

[Firefighter938]

If you have the space for it keep getting it. Maybe you could sell some or donate some. Maybe set a mark. As in, I won't scrounge anymore wood until I get this pile split/stacked.

 

[Charlotte987]

I'm tongue in cheek when I say this, but is there such a thing as a wood hoarder? If it were me, I'd likely help myself to every last bit of it. It's free in only one sense, but you still have to transport it, cut it, split it and stack it. I inherited my grandfather's woodpile, so he was an opportunist as well. I'm glad he was.

 

[spirilis]

I guess at some point the stacks become art, or an "architectural feature" of the property?

 

[kennyp2339]

7Acres - First of all we need pics lol, second of all -6 years from now you should have your little guy start helping you.

 

[Oldman47]

It is time to process at least enough for next year before you spend any more time collecting. If some of it is gone by then, so be it. You will have more opportunities before you run out of raw rounds. The experience I had this year tells me it is a very bad idea to wait very long for processing. I am having a hard time splitting an 18 inch long 8 inch diameter ash round because I waited too long. If you can believe using a wedge to its full depth and needing to use a second one just to split that round you will know what I mean. I messed up but you can learn from my mistake. It sure beats making the same mistake yourself.

 

[7acres]

It is time to process at least enough for next year before you spend any more time collecting. If some of it is gone by then, so be it. You will have more opportunities before you run out of raw rounds. The experience I had this year tells me it is a very bad idea to wait very long for processing. I am having a hard time splitting an 18 inch long 8 inch diameter ash round because I waited too long. If you can believe using a wedge to its full depth and needing to use a second one just to split that round you will know what I mean. I messed up but you can learn from my mistake. It sure beats making the same mistake yourself.

Spot on. I just ordered a LogRite hookaroon I plan to employ as soon as it arrives for a weekend of splitting. I'm going to rent a hydro splitter for a day and get as many rounds as possible split and stacked. That will be next weekend or the one after that. I'll be sure to process the sweetgum first as that dries the quickest. It will be nice to not be living season to season from now on.

 

[Poindexter]

I would get one to two years split and stacked stove size, and then just split stuff once and get it stacked. If you can get hold of that cedar and split it once it should be ready for three winters from now, and then the oak you alreayd have, split once this summer and stacked will be ready the fifth year form now -- and you can cut down on your splitting time a lot.


As long as i still got room for my boat and my garden, I got room for more wood.

 

[Osagebndr]

I cut and sold 65 rick last year at the behist of my neighbors that burn or I'd have 25 + cord CSS if my own . I still have 5 cord for next year CSS . Get it all ( I'm an addict) you'll find a spot for it. I had to take an hour a night to split and my daughter stacked for me. I'm still looking for more too.

 

[Typ0]

buy a hefty splitter and process all the wood...sell off some wood to pay the costs of the splitter.

 

[7acres]

I cut and sold 65 rick last year at the behist of my neighbors that burn or I'd have 25 + cord CSS if my own . I still have 5 cord for next year CSS . Get it all ( I'm an addict) you'll find a spot for it. I had to take an hour a night to split and my daughter stacked for me. I'm still looking for more too.

Holy cow, Osage! Well I guess I'm still in the little leagues then.

 

[Got Wood]

With all the snow we have here in the north east my wood processing has been non-existent. Getting a little worried as my stacked piles are dwindling down close to 20 cords.

 

[infinitymike]

MORE, MORE, MORE, GET MORE.
Thats my motto.
I only have an acre and most of that is house and other stuff.
Only have a little space to store wood and squeezed in 25 cord css
Wish I had more space.

 

[infinitymike]

And there's some more that you can't see along the back and side of the garage.

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

I think you need to start processing 4-5 years worth of splits. Focus your time and energy on this. You have a lot of long term wood on the property but seem to have little short term wood in the pipe, short term meaning at least 3 years of wood that is split, stacked and under 20% MC.....but we are all different......

 

[7acres]

And there's some more that you can't see along the back and side of the garage.

View attachment 153453

That's a nice setup.

 

[2PistolPacker]

Ram 1500 is on the money, process enough for the next several years and get it drying. I personally would skip the cedar, it's btu value is on the low end of the scale and concentrate on other species of better quality wood.
I did what Typ0 suggested, I bought a splitter and trailer and sold firewood to make them pay for themselves. It only took me 2 seasons to get my money back, but this was before I started heating with my own firewood.

 

[Osagebndr]

Holy cow, Osage! Well I guess I'm still in the little leagues then.

I was asked to log a neighbors property and got all the tops for the effort and a little $$. My neighbors paid for the summit I now burn in

 

[Montanalocal]

I am cutting and splitting every chance I get all summer long. Two reasons. One, I will turn 70 this year. At some point I will not be able to do as much as I can now. Two, all my wood comes from pine bark beetle killed trees that have died 4-5 years ago. Currently it is unlimited around me. But, it is starting to rot off and fall over and starting to decompose.

So, I am cutting and splitting like mad. I currently have about 5 years worth, and hope to get double that before time runs out.

 

[firefighterjake]

No.

 

[Seanm]

I would get ahead first on your splitting and stacking unless you think some of the primo wood will disappear while you are doing this but from what you say it doesnt sound like it. That oak will take years to dry so it should be taken care of right away but not before you set yourself up for next winter, to me that is the priority. Dont pass up on some cedar, it will keep forever and you cant go wrong with having a cord and a half ready for fire start ups. It will dry quick once split and stacked. You will love it for kindling and the knotty stuff can be burned during shoulder season. I must add that this is a nice problem that you have

 

[Lumber-Jack]

I'd keep going if I had the space and time For it

Like devilsbullet says, if you have the space and time, but I will add one more caveat, and that is if as long as you continue to enjoy processing the wood.
Because the trees I cut are already dry (<20% MC), and I don't have a lot of room to store firewood, I just get enough each year to carry me through the coming winter. I don't worry about the next winter till next fall, and I've never had a problem with that. There will always be more wood. However, if I had more room I would probably get myself further ahead, just because I enjoy the work.

 

[BigCountryNY]

But can you ever have too much wood?

Firewood is like money - you can never have too much.