How Many Cords On Your Property?

[Alpine1]

So, it is in their interest to deliver all wood as green and wet as humanly possible? Weight is the most stupid method of measuring wood volume or btu that I can imagine. In fact, it is almost in direct opposition to what you want.

Since all firewood (given equal MC) has the same BTU content on a pound for pound basis, measuring by weight doesn’t seem so stupid in my opinion.
But I agree with you that weight is the most useless method to measure volume.

 

[Dobish]

We are only on 2 acres, but I have access tio many more abutting up to our two.

As far as wood, here's my spreadsheet I use to keep track.

View attachment 245924

my spreadsheet is very similar...

 

[Ashful]

I just buy a bag of 100 aluminum dog tags from McMaster every few years, and use my cheap engraver to engrave a date on the tag (eg. Summer 2019 —>). Then I screw that dog tag to the pallet that book-ends a given stack, so I can walk down my rows and know the age of every stack. Here’s one from a stack I used in the spring:

Stacks are in three rows about 80 feet long each:

 

[Sawset]

For marking, I use washers wired to the T-posts.
Large washer is 5yr, small washer 1yr. 2019 would be one large, 4 small.
It seems a lot more drying takes place during summer.
Very little splitting stacking is done here in the summer.
Everything is usually stacked by June that is going to be, and this year marked with 2019.
Everything this next fall, winter and spring will be 2020.
This last week I just moved some 2016 inside for this winter. It would have been out drying 4 summers.
I used to have a spreadsheet that anticipated heating degree days vs. wood use and capacity needs. After a couple years I could remember the bell curve of needs and put aside some shoulder season woods in a lean to outside, mid winter hardwoods in the garage where it's out of the weather completely, then back to spring outside.

 

[JRHAWK9]

I just use some aluminum tags which I use a ballpoint pen to "write" on. They are soft enough where the pen makes impressions in the aluminum. They are then attached to the t-posts with wire. This reminds me, I didn't do that to this winter's stacks yet.

 

[MrWhoopee]

I went back to school for some advanced degrees later in life. Having to re-learn all that chit a second time in your 30’s has a way of making it stick in your memory. 6.022E+23.

Back when I was in school it was 6.023 x 10^23. At least that's what's burned into my memory.


Back to the OT, 15 cords on 1 acre. At least 2 more to be bucked, split and stacked.

 

[sloeffle]

I'm not as nearly organized as you guys are.

My system in simple, the 6 ( 2 cords ) or so totes of wood that I want to burn for the year I keep near the house. All of the other totes stay in or near the woods. In early spring I'll bring the totes from the woods up near the house. I only keep 2 roughly years worth of wood on hand.

 

[MMH]

Back when I was in school it was 6.023 x 10^23. At least that's what's burned into my memory.


Back to the OT, 15 cords on 1 acre. At least 2 more to be bucked, split and stacked.

My god.....I never thought i would see this damn number again!!

 

[Ashful]

Back when I was in school it was 6.023 x 10^23. At least that's what's burned into my memory.


Back to the OT, 15 cords on 1 acre. At least 2 more to be bucked, split and stacked.

Memories aren't perfect, and you actually made me doubt myself, so I went back and looked it up. But this time, I was actually correct: 6.02214076E+23. My wife will tell you that doesn't happen very often.

No point in getting back on topic, now. Five pages of how many cords of wood you have on your property is about 4 pages more than we needed.

 

[Jeepman401]

Been burning for 20 years and just starting the planning stage for a long 3 side woodshed. Currently, I have 12-14 cords on a 150X50 foot lot. That's roughly a 8 cord stack in the photos. Usually, I've kept about 6-8 cords, but I was blessed a few years back a big score of hardwood.
Built a fence this year to keep the wood for disappearing into the neighbor's firepit while I work at night. Old leaky house so I use about 3-4 cord a year. Starting to tighten and insulate the house more these last few years, that wood seems to get heavier every year.

 

[Longknife]

This is the first year I've ever really gotten much ahead. It is just really hard to find the time, but this year I managed to dedicate more to it.

EAB and Dutch Elm are meaning I can source much of my wood out of my little 6 acre bush right now. Probably a good 100 cord which will keep me going for awhile.

I used to source most of my wood off my father or father-in-law's property down the road (about 500 acres between them) and I used to season most everything off-property as well. Getting ahead will allow me to season in location as I won't require as much sun/wind as I used to when I was splitting in June/July for the coming year.

I have about 5 face cord of stacks that are visible on the perimeter of my bush, but again, getting ahead means I might hide them in the bush next year. Currently I have about 16 face cord sitting in the bush and 15 in the wood shed. Last year (my biggest year since keeping track) I burnt 19 face cord. I burnt some wood right out of my bush stacks last year, and while not ideal (I was showing about 13-15% MC in some of them) it was workable if I ran low on a good, dry stuff.

 

[Longknife]

This is how I used to season a lot of my wood. Mostly off-property, but sometimes in my laneway (too heavy to move/park anywhere else).

While it was a pain handling and moving the wagons around between properties (bit of tense ride down the road), when they were parked on top of the windswept hill at my father-in-law's,getting full sun all day, I could dry down wood in a hurry.

 

[mar13]

On my mostly treeless suburban lot, I have just more than enough fuel for two years of full time burning. 10-11 cords in a shed. That's about all I want to keep on hand. I am starting to believe that wood can be too dry.

Highbeam,

What are the dimensions of your new shed? Any things you'd do differently? Thanks.

 

[Highbeam]

Highbeam,

What are the dimensions of your new shed? Any things you'd do differently? Thanks.

The dimensions are 10x20 with a minimum ceiling height of 6' in back. Divided for two 10x10 bays. The rafters are at a 4 or maybe as little as 3:12 pitch. 200 Square feet or less in my location requires no permits. They actually bust people using aerial sattelite photography!

So far it's been perfect. I can't gripe about anything. I used 4x4 posts on the corners and 4x6 in the middle. Maybe it would be stronger with larger corner posts but I have seen zero flex or reason to think that the 4x4s are not adequate.

This photo is from last week. I'm down to about 1.5 cords on this bay and starting to sweat a little. Man the dry wood is nice. Top covering only does not work nearly as well. Also it has been very very convenient and clean to just grab a wheelbarrow or two from the shed compared to having to roll up the plastic and fight the ice and water plus being sure that I replace the tarp so it won't blow off.

 

[WoodBurnerInWI]

My wood shed is about 72' long and contains 8 bins with 10 ft x 4 ft pallets within them. Each bin will hold 1.8 cords of wood according the cord calculator. So total capacity just within the shed is nearly 15 cords of wood in various states of readiness. I am located on a .23 acre piece of land that I'd consider suburban. My shed takes up nearly the entire back of my back yard, and makes an excellent fence in between my house and the neighbors



These bins are all filled now

In addition to the shed, I have 4 extra 10 ft pallets that can be used to store rounds, and I have two 8 ft metal racks with covers I got from Menards.

 

[Roundgunner]

The people on this forum convinced me to try to stay 3 years ahead. I heat 5000 SF and sometimes 6 garage bays and also domestic hot water. I burn about 10 cord a year. I do get 30 cord + at one time but it is tough. I have wood everywhere! right now I'm probably at 23 cord.

 

[SpaceBus]

The people on this forum convinced me to try to stay 3 years ahead. I heat 5000 SF and sometimes 6 garage bays and also domestic hot water. I burn about 10 cord a year. I do get 30 cord + at one time but it is tough. I have wood everywhere! right now I'm probably at 23 cord.

This is what my place looks like, but with a bit less wood. I'm hoping to get several cords processed this month.

 

[mar13]

My wood shed is about 72' long and contains 8 bins with 10 ft x 4 ft pallets within them. Each bin will hold 1.8 cords of wood according the cord calculator. So total capacity just within the shed is nearly 15 cords of wood in various states of readiness. I am located on a .23 acre piece of land that I'd consider suburban. My shed takes up nearly the entire back of my back yard, and makes an excellent fence in between my house and the neighbors

View attachment 257624

These bins are all filled now

In addition to the shed, I have 4 extra 10 ft pallets that can be used to store rounds, and I have two 8 ft metal racks with covers I got from Menards.

It brings the Winchester House to mind. Actually, I am jealous and they say good fences make for good neighbors.

What did you use for post bases? Resting on pier blocks?

 

[mar13]

The dimensions are 10x20 with a minimum ceiling height of 6' in back. Divided for two 10x10 bays. The rafters are at a 4 or maybe as little as 3:12 pitch. 200 Square feet or less in my location requires no permits. They actually bust people using aerial sattelite photography!

So far it's been perfect. I can't gripe about anything. I used 4x4 posts on the corners and 4x6 in the middle. Maybe it would be stronger with larger corner posts but I have seen zero flex or reason to think that the 4x4s are not adequate.

This photo is from last week. I'm down to about 1.5 cords on this bay and starting to sweat a little. Man the dry wood is nice. Top covering only does not work nearly as well. Also it has been very very convenient and clean to just grab a wheelbarrow or two from the shed compared to having to roll up the plastic and fight the ice and water plus being sure that I replace the tarp so it won't blow off.View attachment 257623

Thanks for the info. Did you shingle your roofing like @Ashful? My neighbor will be looking out at the backside of whatever I build.

120 sq ft is my limit to avoid permits. My county pays a micro satellite company for images to search for unlicensed commercial pot farms, though not sure about unpermitted structures.

 

[Highbeam]

Thanks for the info. Did you shingle your roofing like @Ashful? My neighbor will be looking out at the backside of whatever I build.

120 sq ft is my limit to avoid permits. My county pays a micro satellite company for images to search for unlicensed commercial pot farms, though not sure about unpermitted structures.

I put on a composition roof to match my house and barn. The shed looks way better than 10 separate stacks of wood with black plastic strapped on top! More compact too. I planted two rows of raspberries with all the newly freed up space.

 

[SpaceBus]

I put on a composition roof to match my house and barn. The shed looks way better than 10 separate stacks of wood with black plastic strapped on top! More compact too. I planted two rows of raspberries with all the newly freed up space.

Sounds like a win win.

 

[mar13]

I put on a composition roof to match my house and barn. The shed looks way better than 10 separate stacks of wood with black plastic strapped on top! More compact too. I planted two rows of raspberries with all the newly freed up space.

I'm looking forward to no longer playing the tarp game. And I bet my neighbor will appreciate no longer looking at tarps during the winter rain season, despite my keeping the brown sides facing out.

 

[Highbeam]

I'm looking forward to no longer playing the tarp game. And I bet my neighbor will appreciate no longer looking at tarps during the winter rain season, despite my keeping the brown sides facing out.

I actually used the rolls of 6 mil visqueen black plastic. 10x100’ I think, folded over so it’s double thick and only covered the top plus about a foot on each side. Leftover from concrete jobs or crawl space vapor barriers. Lasts for a few years but only covers the top. The rain runs off and blows onto the wood sides.

 

[WoodBurnerInWI]

It brings the Winchester House to mind. Actually, I am jealous and they say good fences make for good neighbors.

What did you use for post bases? Resting on pier blocks?

Well on the back side there is a mesh wire fence actually in between our houses, probably put there since the neighbor has one of those yappy lap dogs that only gets to see their backyard. Poor guy never gets taken for a proper walk and these people aren't seniors (not much older then my wife and I and they have 2 kids under age 10) so lazy maybe? They have a gas fireplace too so....

The beams that hold up each bin are the 6 ft ground timbers Menards sells. They're treated wood so hopefully they'll last awhile. They rest in concrete deck blocks designed to hold beams that are 4x4 or 6x6. My beams are the 4x4 ones.

https://www.menards.com/main/building-materials/concrete-cement-masonry/construction-concrete-blocks/4x4-6x6-deck-block/1794278/p-1502778698449-c-5647.htm

 

[jmb6420]

I have 7 cord CSS with another 10 in logs waiting to process.