free red oak
- Thread starter tumm21
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
Red Oak normally takes 2+ years after split & stacked to season & dry enough to burn well.
Others with more info for your area will chime in.
Top notch wood. I hear it's worth the wait
Others with more info for your area will chime in.
Top notch wood. I hear it's worth the wait
scroungerjeff
Burning Hunk
I say maybe if you split them small and put them in single file stacks where they will get good wind and sun.
I think it depends on what you are burning it in. A fireplace or old smoke dragon? You might get by, but with a newer EPA stove you should wait at least 2 years and 3 is preferred. A lot depends on how and where it is stacked.
red oak
Minister of Fire
Yes it is possible to burn red oak in a year - I did it for many years. If there's any way to wait though, I would recommend it. Since you said it was blown over, I'm guessing it was live, which means you're probably looking at 3 years c/s/s to get the best burn out of it. The wood will burn much easier and you will burn less of it and get more heat. Most other woods dry in a year, oak takes multiple years but it is worth the wait.
JOHN BOY
Minister of Fire
I live a further south then you , ive burned oak after one yr. It does ok. But ive also burned it 2 yrs later and what a huge difference it makes.
If you can wait 2-3yrs you would be amazed at the difference. The longer it dries the tighter the wood fiber become,thus creating longer and hoter burn times....AH seasoned Oak
If you can wait 2-3yrs you would be amazed at the difference. The longer it dries the tighter the wood fiber become,thus creating longer and hoter burn times....AH seasoned Oak
NO! You will still fight the fire if you try to burn it in 2 years. Wait 3 and you will not be sorry a bit.
Wait an extra year and I suspect you will be very, very happy . . . maybe not as a professional wrestler directing traffic or a witch in a broom factory . . . but still pretty happy. 
Try and get sone ash or maple for next year, in fact for the next two years and save the oak, try and get more oak too and let that season for the future, I always have some oak seasoning for 3 years down the road.
Halligan
Feeling the Heat
I'm right there with you tumm21. I've been splitting some red oak I scored from Sandy the past few days. It's nice wood but hard to imagine I won't be burning it until the winter of 15/16. I'm new to the wood burning lifestyle and I don't have much seasoned wood built up yet so it tough to look at so much wood and no it's off limits.
I was able to scrounge some Red Oak this year, it will season for two years maybe three before we burn it.
zap
lopiliberty
Minister of Fire
On family land were we cut wood, sandy managed to bring down alot for red oak tree. There is at least 2 loads stacked on the truck in one. As long as it doesn't snow, were going to cut them up and split (we split all wood in the woods becasue of the mess, I'm mister neat and tidy) and bring it home and stack them in single rows and let them dry for 2 years. I hope we don't have anymore storms like that because i refuse to let the wood lay in the woods and rot up, but I'm running out of room to put any.
- Status
