How is this possible?

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Jan Pijpelink

Minister of Fire
Jan 2, 2015
1,990
South Jersey
I had an oak tree cut down last April. Not dead but dying. Split and stacked under tarp in April/May.
Just took 4 pieces (at random) into the house. Split them at 70F. Measured the MC and all 8 pieces where between 21-23%.

How can that be?
 
Red or white? I am finding red can take a looooong time. While I have got some similar readings from some white (bur oak) after a year. Splitting smaller helps. Wind can change things almost exponentially and MC can be very diff from tree to tree. I'm burning the bur oak, CSS for two years with MC in the mid teens. Dying it may have already reduced how much water the sapwood was taking.
 
I got a bunch of red recently. Will be splitting it soon. It will be burned 2-3 years from now. White oak has become my favorite top shelf wood. Smells awesome, splits relatively easy, seasons in 2 if split small and burns very hot. Interesting to see if yours burns well.
 
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Obviously it did. Of course we don't have an initial MC, but dying it was prob lower than normal and decaying fibers lose water faster. Other variables could be at play. My FIL gave me wood from his "woodroom" which acted like a solar kiln. Some of it was oak and hedge that didn't even register MC after the 8 months it was in there from being fresh cut.
 
But 8 pieces fresh cut measuring low 20%.

Dry is usually defined as <20%. So, applying that definition, anything over 20% is "not dry". Even a little bit over that is still not "dry" by that standard. And I, for one, am not one to apply the "close enough" slope used with horse shoes and hand grenades here.

So, I, personally, would not call it dry.

Yes, close. But no cigar.

Give it another summer to dry out. Then it will be between 15%-20% and really ready for burning.

Or in other words, one may find that to complete most tasks the last 10% of the work takes 90% of the time. And you need to give that wood more time to get that last little bit of water out.
 
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Dry is usually defined as <20%. So, applying that definition, anything over 20% is "not dry". Even a little bit over that is still not "dry" by that standard. And I, for one, am not one to apply the "close enough" slope used with horse shoes and hand grenades here.

So, I, personally, would not call it dry.

Yes, close. But no cigar.

Give it another summer to dry out. Then it will be between 15%-20% and really ready for burning.

Or in other words, one may find that to complete most tasks the last 10% of the work takes 90% of the time. And you need to give that wood more time to get that last little bit of water out.
I agree. I did not say it was dry. I am just surprised that in less than 1 year the MC is so low.
 
It depends on how you stacked it under the tarp. You could have accidentally created a bit of a solar kiln if the tarp left for air movement around the bottom of the pile and the wood was stacked off the dirt in the full sunlight. You may have stumbled onto something good here....
 
I agree. I did not say it was dry. I am just surprised that in less than 1 year the MC is so low.
To offer a different perspective, I would call it dry enough. I will gladly burn wood around 20% moisture and it burns just fine. While you certainly get faster ignition with wood in the 15% range, that may not be possible sometimes. Lots of folks on this forum just have room/time enough for drying wood until it gets to 20% and that's ok.

Enjoy that white oak!
 
It depends on how you stacked it under the tarp. You could have accidentally created a bit of a solar kiln if the tarp left for air movement around the bottom of the pile and the wood was stacked off the dirt in the full sunlight. You may have stumbled onto something good here....
Another member on this forum explained in detail how he shrink wrapped his pile to make a kiln. He seems to have remarkable results. After I have cut all the would from the oak tree (the big rounds are still not cut) I plan to use shrink wrap too. Currently my tarps are only on the top of the stack.
 
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No not quite But I regularly get oak below 20% in a year. Yes it means smaller splits and stacked single row but it can be done without a doubt. And I prefer the smaller splits anyway I can pack the stove tighter which means more volume of wood which translates to longer burn times or more heat. I am cutting and splitting for next year now. The red oak will be dry the only stuff that wont be is locust hickory and some of the white oak.
 
All that being said when I can give it 2 years it gets down tho 16 to 17% and it is better. But it does work fine at the 19 to 20% I get in a year. Given more space and time I would love to be further ahead but that just hasnt happened yet.