How Old is Too Old???

[BurnIt13]

My parents have a HUGE wood pile about 5 years old. They had some land excavated a while back and my father asked them to leave the trees since he planned on getting a wood stove (he never did). The oaks are de-branched (is that a word?) and are about 10-20ft long trunk sections that are about a foot in diameter. The wood that is in contact with the soil is obviously punky, but the way the logs were piled randomly and there has been plenty of room for airflow.

In your experience, are 5yr old logs that have been sitting in a pile, open to the environment worth persuing? Think they would be seasoned by now? I don't live close enough to my parents to just drive down, cut one in half, and take a peak and I'm not about to ask my dad to climb up on top of the pile. If its worth looking at, there is at least 5 cords of wood.

What do you think???

 

[oldspark]

Well worth looking at, have cut oak piled up for years and it was fine, as far as being fully seasoned that is a crap shoot but a good chance it needs a short amount of time to finish it off.

 

[Nate Finch]

Totally worth it. 5 years is probably just about right for log length oak. Be a little picky about punky wood, but not too much, it still burns, and it's free

 

[Adios Pantalones]

You will get a lot of good wood out of those. You'll find some ants, but that's no biggie.

 

[firefighterjake]

Definitely worth a look . . . some of it may even be seasoned enough to burn . . . some may not be any good due to punk . . . but definitely worth a look.

 

[Got Wood]

YES, go for it! I would expect the areas with ground contact to have a layer of punky wood by the heart of it to be solid. Sounds like a decent amount isnt touching the ground - should be sweet

 

[SolarAndWood]

Is it all Oak? Species makes a big difference. I just cut the last from our piles of logs from logging the property 5 years ago. We don't have any oak on the property. But, everything other than the sugar maple was pushing punk status. Birch went first, Beech and Ash were on the edge last year, Maple might have gone another year. That said, other than the Birch that just plain rotted, most of the rest will keep the house warm after it finishes drying. Others here have reported logs lasting a lot longer, but that hasn't been my experience. A lot of what I cut this year ended up in the fire pit.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Huge pile, 5 years old, and free.
Just those words make my decision easy...just go down and pick them up. There might be some punky ones, but if its oak the ones that aren't resting on the ground should be fine.
Welcome from North Central Mass.

 

[albertj03]

I've burned oak that was bucked, not split, and stacked for 15 years uncovered that was just barley rotted. The little rot I found was in the middle of the rounds. Sounds like you should have some great wood there.

 

[BurnIt13]

Is it all Oak? Species makes a big difference. I just cut the last from our piles of logs from logging the property 5 years ago. We don't have any oak on the property. But, everything other than the sugar maple was pushing punk status. Birch went first, Beech and Ash were on the edge last year, Maple might have gone another year. That said, other than the Birch that just plain rotted, most of the rest will keep the house warm after it finishes drying. Others here have reported logs lasting a lot longer, but that hasn't been my experience. A lot of what I cut this year ended up in the fire pit.

Thanks guys! Its 100% oak. I'm not sure exactly what species but everyone calls it "Scrub Oak". All my parents on thier property is Oak with a few Birch and Pine mixed in. The pile is all oak.

 

[Pine Knot]

If the work is done in warm weather, watch out for Copperheads, They love wood piles!

 

[albertj03]

If the work is done in warm weather, watch out for Copperheads, They love wood piles!

I don't think he'll run across any Copperheads in New England but I sure have encountered some feisty chipmunks in my wood piles!

 

[SolarAndWood]

Thanks guys! Its 100% oak. I'm not sure exactly what species but everyone calls it "Scrub Oak". All my parents on thier property is Oak with a few Birch and Pine mixed in. The pile is all oak.

I'd be all over that. Good opportunity to spend some quality time with dad as well.

 

[firefighterjake]

If the work is done in warm weather, watch out for Copperheads, They love wood piles!

I don't think he'll run across any Copperheads in New England but I sure have encountered some feisty chipmunks in my wood piles!

Was it these guys? If so you have to look out for them . . .

 

[Backwoods Savage]

My parents have a HUGE wood pile about 5 years old. They had some land excavated a while back and my father asked them to leave the trees since he planned on getting a wood stove (he never did). The oaks are de-branched (is that a word?) and are about 10-20ft long trunk sections that are about a foot in diameter. The wood that is in contact with the soil is obviously punky, but the way the logs were piled randomly and there has been plenty of room for airflow.

In your experience, are 5yr old logs that have been sitting in a pile, open to the environment worth persuing? Think they would be seasoned by now? I don't live close enough to my parents to just drive down, cut one in half, and take a peak and I'm not about to ask my dad to climb up on top of the pile. If its worth looking at, there is at least 5 cords of wood.

What do you think???

First and foremost, wood that is into sawlog length won't season worth a hoot in the stack. It needs to be cut to firewood length and split in order to dry properly.

Those that are in contact with the ground might be a bit suspect but you probably can salvage most of it. Expect some punk because it is oak but that punk usually is just a thin amount around the outside and sometimes in the center. If just a little bit, don't worry about it. Just throw it in the stove and it will burn up okay.

If it were me, I'd jump at the chance go get this wood. Good luck.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

My parents have a HUGE wood pile about 5 years old. They had some land excavated a while back and my father asked them to leave the trees since he planned on getting a wood stove (he never did). The oaks are de-branched (is that a word?) and are about 10-20ft long trunk sections that are about a foot in diameter. The wood that is in contact with the soil is obviously punky, but the way the logs were piled randomly and there has been plenty of room for airflow.

In your experience, are 5yr old logs that have been sitting in a pile, open to the environment worth persuing? Think they would be seasoned by now? I don't live close enough to my parents to just drive down, cut one in half, and take a peak and I'm not about to ask my dad to climb up on top of the pile. If its worth looking at, there is at least 5 cords of wood.

What do you think???

I'd definitely run my chainsaw into a few of them. No sense wondering when you can know

 

[Flatbedford]

I have cut Oak trees that were 4 years on the ground. Just under the bark was a little punky, but the rest was solid. In fact it was even wet and had the Oak stink inside. I would jump on that stuff! Probably be ready to burn by January or February if you cut split and stack it quickly.

 

[mayhem]

Get yourself a big trailer or maybe rent a big U-Haul box truck or something and head to their place. Buck it all into rounds and haul it back in one trip. Pay for the optional UHaul damage insurance.

 

[Pine Knot]

Of the two, I would be pleased to take the chipmunks, Wood piles are a common site for snakebite here in SW Virgina.

 

[Flatbedford]

I found a picture of the 4 year old Oak that I split a couple years ago. Rotten bark that fell right off and a thin layer of punk. Still wet (and stinky) inside.

 

[FireAnt]

Just got some dead standing 3 yr old red oak. Cut to logs 3 months ago. Dry as paper on the outside almost punky. 29% on the moisture meter on the inside after splitting.