Firewood stacking and storage

[johnsopi]

How important is stacking your wood off the ground. I have the 3 or so cords that I'm going burn on pellets and covered (cut and dried for 2 years). The wood that is for next year is stacked on the ground and not covered. I have a another pile of wood that is in the round waiting till I have a 3 or so cords to split and I will rent a log spliter from the hardware store.
I might try making a wood shed next year out of the kids swingset they don't use it any more. P.S the is a great site. Found it yesterday already sealed the clean out door. I have a lot to learn about heating the rightway.

 

[Eric Johnson]

I always stack my wood on the ground. The pieces directly in contact with the ground won't dry, but everything sitting on them will. What I do is just toss the bottom pieces to the side and restack them higher in another pile. Since you're a year or two ahead on your wood, this should work for you as well. Obviously, it's best to stack everything off the ground, but that's not always convenient or possible.

 

[quads]

I always stack my wood on the ground. The pieces directly in contact with the ground won't dry, but everything sitting on them will. What I do is just toss the bottom pieces to the side and restack them higher in another pile. Since you're a year or two ahead on your wood, this should work for you as well. Obviously, it's best to stack everything off the ground, but that's not always convenient or possible.

Same here.

 

[suematteva]

Is good that you are ahead..ours is always stacked off ground either on pallets or long pole wood..

 

[johnsopi]

How long will stacked wood last? I stopped looking for it because did want to get too much. Right now I have 2007-8 done and bit more. When I'm on the hunt for wood it turn from a hobby to a mentel illness.

 

[Eric Johnson]

Trust me, it's a mental illness.

Depending on how you store it, dry wood should last a good long time. It depends to some extent on the type of wood, since some species rot more quickly than others. I burn almost all beech (rots quickly) and my rule of thumb is no more than 3 years from the time it's cut until it's burned. That's 'cause I store it outside. If stored inside, it would last much longer--like indefinitely.

Consider lumber: If kept dry and away from insects, fire and other enemies, it will last for centuries. Firewood is no different.

 

[Gibbonboy]

I've burned apple that was stored for over 40 years in a barn with no problems. We do get carpenter ants and powder post beetles around here, so they have some varying effect on the wood. I have a 24'x24' garage that is attached by an enclosed breezeway. I plan to stuff it as full of wood as I can get it, while still maintaining at least 2 "sections" to rotate the wood out. The rest of the wood will be stacked outside on pallets, with the top of the pile covered. I use my scrounged wood in the spring and fall, some of it is a bit punky, but for warmer temps that's what I want- less heat.

There are locust fenceposts around here that are older than I am. They are usually held up by the wire, since the part in contact with the ground has rotted off, but the part exposed to the air and weather lasts a long time. I am clearing a stand of dead locust now that may have been dead for 10 years, I'm not sure. It's great firewood, though hard on chains!

Another example is the siding on a wooden barn. Many of these barns have never been painted, and have lasted for over 100 years. Keeping it up off the ground is the key. It may degrade over time if it's not under cover, or get moldy, slimy, and rotten if there's no air circulation. I just seem to be unable to turn down free wood! I figure that if I get that much, I'll start dropping trailer-loads off at people that need it and can't cut their own.

 

[Eric Johnson]

No better firewood than Black Locust, Gibbonboy. My folks have some of those old fence lines on their tree farm in Wisconsin. Older than me by decades.

 

[quads]

How long will stacked wood last?

I am currently about 6 years ahead and burning wood that was processed at least that long ago. I burn mostly black oak and some white oak and I only cut dead trees. Most of the time they've been dead for many, many years before I get to them. Have never had a problem with it rotting yet, except for the occasional pieces that were punky already when I cut it. And even those get burned if they seem like they are going to hold together on their way to the stove. Normally I don't save much punky wood when I cut it, but sometimes I will if it's borderline.

I always stack my wood directly on the ground. It's easier and cheaper than messing with anything under it. After decades of stacking it in the same place, there is plenty of old bark and chips that help to hold it up off the dirt. Although the bottom pieces are usually damp, they dry out fast once I remove them from the ground.

I also never cover my wood. I keep one month's worth on the porch. The rest of it waits it's turn for years in the pile, uncovered.

 

[Eric Johnson]

That's pretty much the way I do it, quads. 35 full cords stacked out in the back yard right now. Actually, it's 25 in the yard and another 10 in the barn.

 

[velvetfoot]

Do you think it pays to out a sheet of plastic down on the ground before putting the wood down? I've done this with the reasoning that the bugs of all sorts that live in the earth won't have such an easy route to the wood.

 

[Rhone]

I think you're better off not using the plastic underneath. Any rain that falls on it, will probably puddle somewhere in the middle and the bottom pieces will be constantly waterlogged. I cover the tops of my piles with plastic because around here it rains a lot and there's no way my pile will be dry by fall without it.

I use long straight branches to stack my wood on top, usually ones I've collected after a wind storm. I then move it to my covered porch on top of pallets. Hmm... why am I using pallets on a covered porch. That's overkill.

 

[Gibbonboy]

The local feed store has a stack of pallets for free. I usually take a ride by there once every couple months. I use pallets for all kinds of projects, from stacking wood to making compost bins. A small pallet is nice to stand on if you're splitting in slushy/muddy/wet conditions, too. I stack all of my wood on pallets, just because they're free, and it's easier to measure how much wood I have by area of pallets times height.

 

[quads]

That's pretty much the way I do it, quads. 35 full cords stacked out in the back yard right now. Actually, it's 25 in the yard and another 10 in the barn.

I have 20 full cords in the yard and another 4 or 5 stacked here and there out in the woods waiting for room in the yard. I love to cut wood (especially splitting)!

I never intended to get so far ahead. It happened one year when I thought I'd try selling some. I soon changed my mind when I found out what little it pays compared to what I save by burning it myself. Not to mention the potential hassles of being a customer servant. So here I am, 6 years ahead!

 

[laynes69]

When Im cutting wood, I'll find a few branches 3 to 4 inches in diameter for keeping wood off the ground. This works well for me even though its not too far off the ground, it works good enough for me. We also had alot of 1 1/2 inch 1/4 wall pipe I used to stack wood on. i just laid it out like a railroad track, then stacked the wood on top.

 

[wg_bent]

That's pretty much the way I do it, quads. 35 full cords stacked out in the back yard right now. Actually, it's 25 in the yard and another 10 in the barn.

Clearly a sick mind...and one I admire greatly

 

[got wood?]

That's pretty much the way I do it, quads. 35 full cords stacked out in the back yard right now. Actually, it's 25 in the yard and another 10 in the barn.

EJ, do you have an '06 pic of your 25-10 cords by chance? I recall last years pictures made my jaw drop...I thought it was photoshopped! ;-)

 

[Eric Johnson]

I'll take one today. I have to fix the tarp this afternoon before it snows.

OK, here you go. That's roughly 27 cords of 22-26" wood. There's eight more in the barn, but I'll probably be able to jam another three in there before the snow gets too deep.

 

[MrGriz]

WOW...I have wood envy!

Makes me think of one of those 'big johnson' t-shirts you used to see everywhere. "Big Johnson Wood Co." :lol:

 

[Nokoni]

I'll take one today. I have to fix the tarp this afternoon before it snows.

OK, here you go. That's roughly 27 cords of 22-26" wood. There's eight more in the barn, but I'll probably be able to jam another three in there before the snow gets too deep.

GREEN WITH ENVY!

 

[velvetfoot]

Eric,
It's hard to tell from the picture. Is there access for a person between the rows, or is it one big stack? If it is one big stack, do you have to climb on there once in a while to adjust the tarp, etc?
Thanks.

 

[quads]

Nice pile of wood Eric! And you stack it so neat.

My 20 cords here: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/quads/above-woodpile.jpg

From another angle: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/quads/full-wood-again.jpg

And a few of the temporary piles in the woods still waiting for room in the yard: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v604/quads/2012wood04.jpg

 

[Gibbonboy]

Datsa lotta wood!

 

[elkimmeg]

My dream wood opperation
cut split and loaded in a truck 20 minutes a cord

 

[Marty]

I am jealous... but gread granddad laughs at your wood piles: http://www.lakenebagamonwi.com/history/loggers.jpg