How's your wood pile holding up?

[michael]

After filling up the wheel barrow today, I took stock of my remaining pile. I've got about half of it left, so I hope winter's almost over. It kinda bums me out because I worked really hard cutting and splitting and I surely thought I would have extra. If I remember correctly, I started with almost 4 cords in October.

Oh well. I might have to give my supplier from last year a call for an emergency truckload as back-up.

Are we going to have a mild second half this year?

How's your wood holding up?

 

[wg_bent]

Well, I'm in about the same boat except that I have a line on about 2 cords that's still standing. Dead Elm. This time I'm not splitting any of it. (did I ever mention how much I hate splitting Elm?)

 

[kregars]

What is the standing rule of thumb for felling and using deadwood that's still in the upright position. The tree I have my eye on (cut off one of the low branches about 9in across the face) and it was at 19% (assuming I can use the probe used to test wood boat hulls for water content). Can I expect the trunk to be as dry? It's an oak, and I am indeed thinking of felling, bucking and (renting a splitter) splitting it (back still hurts from LAST weekend)...should I set it to the 'closer to end of season portion of the stack, or can I mix it in with what I have now and use it as well?

Thanks in advance

 

[pmac]

Are we going to have a mild second half this year?

Weather Channel just said we (Eastern PA) are looking at a pretty mild January... after being 6 deg below normal for December...

How's your wood holding up?

Have our third cord of the season being delivered Saturday. Never used more than two a season since we've had the stove...

 

[pmac]

What is the standing rule of thumb for felling and using deadwood that's still in the upright position. The tree I have my eye on (cut off one of the low branches about 9in across the face) and it was at 19% (assuming I can use the probe used to test wood boat hulls for water content). Can I expect the trunk to be as dry? It's an oak, and I am indeed thinking of felling, bucking and (renting a splitter) splitting it (back still hurts from LAST weekend)...should I set it to the 'closer to end of season portion of the stack, or can I mix it in with what I have now and use it as well?

Thanks in advance

Just discussed a similar topic today, try here:

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/847/

 

[BrotherBart]

We use five cords a year as regular as clock work. Mostly red and white oak. Of course that is 100% of the heating, not interspersed with central heat.

This year with the addition of the two other stoves it ain't gonna be enough.

Of course I think Eric uses more than that in kindling.

 

[PaulGuy]

We started with 4 cord and have burned 1 so far. During the week the wife and I both work so we don't run 24/7. But 2 of those 4 I started with were not as seasoned as advertised so I'm looking at them for next year while I replace what I burn this winter in the spring. Bottom line, pretty much half way through my good stuff.

 

[saichele]

Started at about 5 cord, down to a little more than three on site, but I've got another cord in a friend's back 40 I just need to get to and load up. Need to get the ground good and frozen again.

Steve

 

[DavidV]

winter about half over? (no not really. I always think likt this though. I keep forgetting how darn cold the first 2 weeks of March can be. ) I have more than half my wood supplies for this year left. and have some earmarked for next year that's ready to go if needed. Bottom line.....just like almost everyone else. I dont' have enough wood set aside to make me happy. I'll try to do something about that this year. Maybe 10 cords would be enough....
I started the year with 6.7 cords split and stacked with almost 4 of those having been seasoned and stacked for more than a year. another cord has been up for 6 months and was old wood when it got split and stacked. After all the yard work I'm gonna make the kids do this weekend is finished, I make a wood run or two.

 

[Rhone]

I'm about middle as well, out of 4 cords I have about 2 cords left. Having bought a new insert, I've wasted probably 1/2 cord so far figuring and learning my unit. As I learn more about how my unit likes to be loaded and operated my wood is going more miles now. I think February is the coldest month, with Jan second, and March the 3rd coldest month. I think I'll probably be out sometime in March.

 

[Rob From Wisconsin]

Used about 1/3 of my total wood supply so far.
Periodically adding "dead standing tree" to it (most ready to burn).
Has been very mild, damp & cloudy over the last 3 weeks.
This has really affected the quality of my stored wood.
The wood is beginning to re-absorb moisture, even though the
majority of my wood is in a shed. Temps. in the mid to upper 30's,
with lows barely below freezing. Good for Fossil Fuelers, but bad for me.
Only several hours or so of sunlight in the past 2 weeks.
Feel like we're living in Mordor. Lower temps. would help a lot....

Rob

 

[Eric Johnson]

It's about time to think about moving some of that covered wood out in the yard into the garage this weekend.

I'm burning a lot less this year than last. A big part of this comes from major efficiency gains made over the summer and to date this winter, and a big part has to do with the warmer weather we've been seeing (so far) up here in the Northeast.

I've probably burned 6 or 7 cords so far this season, and most of that was before I repiped the heat exchanger which, for reasons I don't really understand, was running backwards (reverse circulation) so that it was receiving return water rather than supply water. Not much efficiency in that arrangement. Anyway, if I get through the winter on 15 cords, I'll be really pleased.

In the roughly 20 years that I've centrally heated various (4) houses exculsively with wood, I've never burned less than 7 cords in a season. Last year was by far the most (21), but it was our first year with a big, old house and a newly-installed wood boiler system, so it was more like "let's just try to get through the winter without burning any gas and worry about fine-tuning the system later." Prior to that, I think 12 cords was the record in my previous house. The guy who I sold it to burns about 10, which is probably what we averaged.