Choosing firewood - limited options, limited space

[winterroadie]

I live in a region where fuel or electric heating are crazy expensive (it's not uncommon to pay more per month on heat than on your mortgage in the winter, no joke), but you need to heat your home at least part of the day for a good 8-9 months of the year. It's heavily forested, so a lot of folks supplement with wood. We just had a wood stove installed; hoping to reduce our heating bills for this winter.

That said, you can't buy bulk seasoned firewood anywhere. The only wood species available are spruce and birch because that's like 90% of what grows around here in the boreal forest, and what gets sold is pretty much all green. I bought a half cord of birch from a guy who junked/split it this past spring but cut it in December 2017, so that seemed like the best I could get. Some of it's fairly dry but a lot of it isn't. (This wasn't a craigslist buy or anything, btw. Reputable licensed firewood vendor widely used in my area, but again, nobody sells really dry stuff).

A few questions for you experts from this noob:

1. Is there any way to get around having to have two years' worth of wood around all the time (one year's worth for burning, the next year's worth for seasoning?). My yard is very small and sloped, so we don't have much space, but I can't figure out how to avoid having this same problem next year without finding a way to stack next year's firewood now.

2. I'm a bit worried about creosote. I'll probably end up burning more green wood than is ideal this winter, which is bad, I know, but it's what I've got. How often should I get the chimney cleaned to be safe? I'm thinking of trying to mitigate things by using a creosote sweeping log fairly regularly, but I know that's no substitute for a real cleaning.

3. Birch and spruce are the wood available around here. Birch burns hotter, but as I understand it, spruce seasons in less than half the time -- like, I could buy and stack a load of spruce in March and it would probably be seasoned by September/October. But I read somewhere that because spruce doesn't burn as hot, it tends to be bad for creosote buildup even when it's fully seasoned, and it's high maintenance because it burns fast. Thoughts on where to best spend my money/effort?

It seems like most wood-burning people around here are burning birch that's been aged for maybe 6 months. How the entire city hasn't burned down in a huge creosote-inspired chimney fire, I don't know.

 

[TedyOH]

Couple pallets of compressed logs from Tractor Supply?

 

[bholler]

I live in a region where fuel or electric heating are crazy expensive (it's not uncommon to pay more per month on heat than on your mortgage in the winter, no joke), but you need to heat your home at least part of the day for a good 8-9 months of the year. It's heavily forested, so a lot of folks supplement with wood. We just had a wood stove installed; hoping to reduce our heating bills for this winter.

That said, you can't buy bulk seasoned firewood anywhere. The only wood species available are spruce and birch because that's like 90% of what grows around here in the boreal forest, and what gets sold is pretty much all green. I bought a half cord of birch from a guy who junked/split it this past spring but cut it in December 2017, so that seemed like the best I could get. Some of it's fairly dry but a lot of it isn't. (This wasn't a craigslist buy or anything, btw. Reputable licensed firewood vendor widely used in my area, but again, nobody sells really dry stuff).

A few questions for you experts from this noob:

1. Is there any way to get around having to have two years' worth of wood around all the time (one year's worth for burning, the next year's worth for seasoning?). My yard is very small and sloped, so we don't have much space, but I can't figure out how to avoid having this same problem next year without finding a way to stack next year's firewood now.

2. I'm a bit worried about creosote. I'll probably end up burning more green wood than is ideal this winter, which is bad, I know, but it's what I've got. How often should I get the chimney cleaned to be safe? I'm thinking of trying to mitigate things by using a creosote sweeping log fairly regularly, but I know that's no substitute for a real cleaning.

3. Birch and spruce are the wood available around here. Birch burns hotter, but as I understand it, spruce seasons in less than half the time -- like, I could buy and stack a load of spruce in March and it would probably be seasoned by September/October. But I read somewhere that because spruce doesn't burn as hot, it tends to be bad for creosote buildup even when it's fully seasoned, and it's high maintenance because it burns fast. Thoughts on where to best spend my money/effort?

It seems like most wood-burning people around here are burning birch that's been aged for maybe 6 months. How the entire city hasn't burned down in a huge creosote-inspired chimney fire, I don't know.

You can season wood in one year if you split small stack in single rows with good sun and wind exposure and top cover. Especially with softer woods like you have access to.

 

[brazilbl]

I ran out of wood late last winter. Knowing that any wood available at that time of the year would likely be too wet for use, so I went to the local fireplace store and ordered a pallet of North Idaho Energy Logs. Two of those compressed wood logs burn for more than 4 hours and provided lots of heat. Didn't worry about creosote due to the dryness of the compressed logs. I still have a 1/2 cord of them still on stock at the store so I drop on by when I like to burn a few of those. Can load 20 of them in a large tote back to the house.

This turned out to be a very good "no dry wood" option for me and will use if the situation arises again.

This year I was able to get 3 cords of Almond that is bone dry and test burns are positive. Between the 3 cords of firewood and 1/2 cord of North Idaho Energy Logs, I believe that I will have enough for winter. If not, then I'll drive over and get some more compressed logs...

 

[winterroadie]

Thanks for the suggestions! I haven't been able to find anywhere here that sells compressed logs in bulk (no tractor supply here - there aren't really any farms!) but it didn't occur to me to try a fireplace store. The local Canadian Tire sells packs of 12 for $6, too, which might be sustainable if I'm mixing them with the wood I've got.

 

[johneh]

Burn whatever you can get Keep the Chimney clean.
Clean it on a regular basis also try to keep your fire hot.
Find somewhere to stack your next years wood in a sunny
area with a good amount of air movement and Top cover
for the winter. Whereabouts in Canada are (Yukon) I presume
you are up North

 

[Longknife]

In my experience, birch (mostly white up north where you are I believe) can easily be seasoned for the next winter if starting in March. As noted above; sun, wind, and top cover are key.

I've burnt plenty of less-than-ideally seasoned wood over the years, and never had much of a creosote problem. The key is to keep the fire burning hot. No "low and slow" fires and use your driest wood to start/rekindle with.

Maybe I need to move North and get in the firewood business. I can't imagine why no one would be selling it seasoned. It's common around here to have a hard time finding seasoned wood later in the winter, but not before.

 

[winterroadie]

Not in Yukon (good guess though) - I'm in Newfoundland. So I'm not that far north, I'm way east in the middle of the north Atlantic (I'm actually south of Seattle here by latitude). It's a very damp, chilly, grey climate which is part of the problem. Lots of wind, though.

So yes, mostly white birch.

I'm thinking next year I'll buy a mix of spruce and birch (from a different vendor) instead of straight birch, and I'll do it in March to have it season as long as possible. Easier to get a good fire started with spruce, and then put the birch on when it's hot.

Supplementing with compressed wood seems like the way to go for this winter if I can find a place that sells in bulk. (No dice on the fireplace store.)

 

[trguitar]

Another idea is to get pallets. They are already dry, so you can just rip them apart and burn them. Try to find oak pallets if you can.

 

[Corey]

Sounds like the chips are definitely stacked against you. Some thoughts on making the best of it:

Generally cut your wood short and split it small - that will help with fast drying.

Keep it under cover to keep rain/snow off, but open sides to allow for air movement - though still going to be an uphill battle if you have continually damp air.

Also, any chance (space) to get a week or two worth of wood inside? That is generally avoided down here due to bugs, but possibly not as big an issue far north? If bugs are an issue, possibly some sort of screened in storage? Either way, indoor humidity is usually low during the winter, so warm/dry inside air would help dry the wood a lot. Especially if you have a small fan to help 'force dry' the wood.

 

[bholler]

In my experience, birch (mostly white up north where you are I believe) can easily be seasoned for the next winter if starting in March. As noted above; sun, wind, and top cover are key.

I've burnt plenty of less-than-ideally seasoned wood over the years, and never had much of a creosote problem. The key is to keep the fire burning hot. No "low and slow" fires and use your driest wood to start/rekindle with.

Maybe I need to move North and get in the firewood business. I can't imagine why no one would be selling it seasoned. It's common around here to have a hard time finding seasoned wood later in the winter, but not before.

Down here everyone who sells firewood sells "seasoned wood" the problem is their idea of seasoned has absolutely nothing to do with moisture content. I can't imagine the space it would take to have enough actual dry wood to be able to sell in any quantity. Even the kiln dried stuff here is not actually dry. It is just in a kiln long enough to kill off bugs so it can be transported.

 

[winterroadie]

Another idea is to get pallets. They are already dry, so you can just rip them apart and burn them. Try to find oak pallets if you can.

Great idea. Definitely lots of those around--and often free, which is a bonus.

Sounds like the chips are definitely stacked against you. Some thoughts on making the best of it:

Generally cut your wood short and split it small - that will help with fast drying.

Keep it under cover to keep rain/snow off, but open sides to allow for air movement - though still going to be an uphill battle if you have continually damp air.

Also, any chance (space) to get a week or two worth of wood inside? That is generally avoided down here due to bugs, but possibly not as big an issue far north? If bugs are an issue, possibly some sort of screened in storage? Either way, indoor humidity is usually low during the winter, so warm/dry inside air would help dry the wood a lot. Especially if you have a small fan to help 'force dry' the wood.

I have space to keep at least a few days' worth of wood in the basement in a storage room. I do worry about bugs but there are no termites here so I guess the worst that could happen would be letting other creepy crawlies into the room where I store stuff. We currently bring in a day or two's worth at a time but coudl bring in more.

Right now, we still have a lot of sun and breeze so I'm thinking outside is better. When the weather turns for the season I'll consider bringing it inside.

 

[weatherguy]

Down here everyone who sells firewood sells "seasoned wood" the problem is their idea of seasoned has absolutely nothing to do with moisture content. I can't imagine the space it would take to have enough actual dry wood to be able to sell in any quantity. Even the kiln dried stuff here is not actually dry. It is just in a kiln long enough to kill off bugs so it can be transported.

I have a picture somewhere of a dealer that over 200 cords of seasoned wood, huge piles of wood.

 

[bholler]

I have a picture somewhere of a dealer that over 200 cords of seasoned wood, huge piles of wood.

How does it season in huge piles? That is how many here do it also and it is absolutely never anywhere near dry. I have tested allot of it.

 

[Sawset]

How does it season in huge piles? That is how many here do it also and it is absolutely never anywhere near dry. I have tested allot of it.

And it also comes with no certs, and no definition of "seasoned". Buyer beware. There are known knowns, and known unknowns. The unknown part is where it's been, and what it's been up too.

 

[Longknife]

Down here everyone who sells firewood sells "seasoned wood" the problem is their idea of seasoned has absolutely nothing to do with moisture content. I can't imagine the space it would take to have enough actual dry wood to be able to sell in any quantity. Even the kiln dried stuff here is not actually dry. It is just in a kiln long enough to kill off bugs so it can be transported.

My neighbor sells around 100 cord a year. He seasons rounds the first summer, and then the next he piles 4 x wide stacks after splitting. He puts a fair bit of labour in, but his product seems good. He's selling more and more unseasoned, since the price discount is more than worth it for the labour savings of simply splitting it right into the trailer and delivering.

 

[bholler]

My neighbor sells around 100 cord a year. He seasons rounds the first summer, and then the next he piles 4 x wide stacks after splitting. He puts a fair bit of labour in, but his product seems good. He's selling more and more unseasoned, since the price discount is more than worth it for the labour savings of simply splitting it right into the trailer and delivering.

How long does he leave it stacked once split?

 

[Longknife]

How long does he leave it stacked once split?

2 x summers of seasoning. The first as rounds, the second split in stacks in an open field.

I've never actually look close at his wood as I provide my own, but I'd assume it's decently seasoned.

 

[bholler]

2 x summers of seasoning. The first as rounds, the second split in stacks in an open field.

I've never actually look close at his wood as I provide my own, but I'd assume it's decently seasoned.

Wood really doesn't dry much at all in the round. I just split some oak I cut early last summer and it was still at 36% if it is split and stacked for a year it is far better than most guys though. But even at that if it is hardwood seasoned in that fashion I would expect high 20%range

 

[brenndatomu]

My yard is very small and sloped, so we don't have much space, but I can't figure out how to avoid having this same problem next year without finding a way to stack next year's firewood now.

Any chance you would be able to pull off one of these homemade firewood kilns that others here have had success with? If they can dry Oak in a summer, you should be able to dry your softer woods with your shorter summer...just a matter of being able to stack it in the yard for a few months...

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Hi, I could use some help and suggestions on how to best operate a homemade solar kiln to dry firewood. The kiln has insulated bottom, top, back and sides. The front is clear plastic to allow sunlight to enter and heat the black interior. Split firewood is placed on wire shelves and a small...

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[johneh]

I'm in Newfoundland. So I'm not that far north

Well now that's a different kettle of fish (pun intended)
You need a shed of some sort to keep the rain off and let
the wind blow through. The wood will dry pretty fast with
a good wind. On a side note, I will be in St Johns for 4 days
next month. Love the Rock get there any time I get a Chance

 

[SpaceBus]

I'm not far from you, also in the boreal forest area, but in Downeast Maine. While birch is common in my area, my slice of land has few and we like to look at them too much to cut them down. This means I have 8 cords of spruce and fir, with a few tiny maples and tamaracks mixed in. I cut, split, and stacked this wood uncovered between March and June this year and even the more recent stuff is burning really nice. I tested a 4" split (small stove) and it was 15% moisture right in the center, this was after sitting in my house for two days as well.

I tried to burn not quite dry spruce and fir last winter and gave up and bought a pallet of bio bricks. I mixed those with the marginal wood and it was better than being cold. Minimal chimney buildup, but I did clean it mid season just to be safe. I kept 200 lbs of wood in my living room at all times in an attempt to get it to dry out faster. This year I'm so glad to not need to do this.

Unfortunately for us both, spruce and fir have about 2/3 the energy density of the birch, so this does mean more frequent loading depending on your stove. Some folks here burn almost exclusively soft woods and get great burn times with careful loading on the right stove.

 

[Poindexter]

I can get both birch and spruce from standing timber in Feb to < 20% moisture content in Sept, but everything is split at least once, no pieces bigger than about a 4x4 stick from the lumber store, stacked before Saint Patricks Day, and covered on top. Plus I have hours and hours and hours of sunlight in the summer.

I do personally burn exclusively spruce because birch is an extra $50 per cord delivered. I do have a top tier catalytic stove that delivers absolute burn rate control.

 

[ABMax24]

Around here it's the same, Birch is expensive if buying or a long drive for a handful of marginal trees if you cut it yourself. Making Spruce and Pine the most logical options, its plentiful and easy to find lots of dead standing trees that can pretty much be burnt the day they are cut. We have a lot of poplar (trembling aspen and some type of black poplar) as well but its hard to justify cutting and drying green wood for similar heating value to the dry softwood that can be had.

 

[SpaceBus]

Around here it's the same, Birch is expensive if buying or a long drive for a handful of marginal trees if you cut it yourself. Making Spruce and Pine the most logical options, its plentiful and easy to find lots of dead standing trees that can pretty much be burnt the day they are cut. We have a lot of poplar (trembling aspen and some type of black poplar) as well but its hard to justify cutting and drying green wood for similar heating value to the dry softwood that can be had.

Poplar of any kind doesn't seem with it unless I'm freezing. It's good for shoulder season stuff as well, but so is spruce and fir. I'd rather look at it than burn it