How long to season willow?

[saskwoodburner]

Just like the title says, how long to season willow? I have a few I'm wanting to cut down in the spring, and wonder if they'd be ready by winter? I've burned a bit of the dry stuff and it seems to do okay. I realize that everyone hates poplar and willow but it grows in abundance here. It's the kind that grows in low areas around sloughs.

 

[DougA]

I love poplar and willow but not for a long burn at night. They cut and split so easily. If you stack them loosely in a dry area with a breeze, they will be ready for next winter.

 

[TommyTally]

Believe it or not, my favorite wood to burn is poplar. Dries fast, easy to get started, and if I pull the stove down fast enough, I get a decent burn time. As for the drying time on willow, no idea, never burned it before. I would stack it in the sun/wind and use a MM in a few months to see how it's doing.

 

[saskwoodburner]

That's good to know. I never burn over night with my little stove anyways. With my limited square footage, unless it's -30 C out, it's easy to make it too warm. Short hot fires work good for me.

I like how poplar burns as well. I sometimes worry I'll look like a peasant for admitting it though. Obviously in a perfect world everything would be standing dead, too big to put your arms around, and straight as an arrow with no knots.

 

[pma1123]

FWIW, I split some willow last spring that had been sitting in log form for over a year, and it wasn't under 25% MC by fall. It had a full summer stacked loosely in the sun/wind, with top cover.

 

[saskwoodburner]

They're not anything too big, 5 or 6 inch diameter at the thickest, mostly a bunch of 4 inch stuff that shoots out horizontal.

 

[Applesister]

I was helping a guy friend of mine catch up on some of his splitting and he had huge rounds in a pile along his driveway and they were resprouting new leaves from the trunk bark.
Reminds me of those weird trees that grow in the Black River in Jamaica. They grow on top of the water by sending out a mat of roots.
Keep this wood away from any and all moisture. Even aerial. It will dry quick but keep it away from shade and dewy grass.

 

[Jon_E]

Obviously in a perfect world everything would be standing dead, too big to put your arms around, and straight as an arrow with no knots.

Close. Standing dead, straight as an arrow with no knots, no bark, and 10-12" diameter for one pass through the 4-way wedge on the splitter.

 

[DougA]

they were resprouting new leaves from the trunk bark

I get that on willow, but I also have had that on black locust. I planted grape vines and used 4-5" black locust posts. Some of them sprouted more than a foot.