Letting Leaves Remove Moisture

[WarmGuy]

I've heard of this idea of cutting down a tree in spring, and letting it sit a while, allowing the leaves to draw out the moisture in the wood.

Good idea? Better than immediately bucking and splitting the wood?

True for trees with needles?

Thanks,

 

[Todd]

I never tried it but Iv'e heard of people that swear by it. But then I think why wait a couple months for the leaves to suck moisture when you can be sure that if it were cut and split it is well on it's way to drying? I really don't think seasoning starts til the wood is split.

I have also heard you should cut down in the winter because the sap runs down the tree to keep from freezing, so the tree has less moisture that time of year.

Best thing to do is get 1 year ahead and you won't have to worry if your wood is dry or not.

 

[jtp10181]

I tree can sit unsplit for years and it will still not be seasoned enough to burrn well. Need to split it and stack it to dry it out the best.

 

[BrotherBart]

I am currently cutting and splitting trees downed by a tornado in 2004. Every one of them is as wet as a standing live tree cut down last week. And they had a full complement of leaves when they blew down.

They run the moisture meter off of the scale.

 

[DriftWood]

Strange thing is the standing dead Ash I have been burning are bone dry when I split them ready to burn. It must be the 2-3 years it takes the bugs to dehydrate them before the Ash die.

 

[jpl1nh]

To a minor extent, this is true. Leaves have small pores in their undersides called stomates. In response to light, they open to allow the plant to absorb CO2 from the air to combine with H20 which is provided by the root system to manufacture sugar (with a by product of oxygen). This is the process called photosynthesis. The weakness in this system is that as soon as the stomates open to absorb CO2, the water inside the leaf is free to evaporate, demanding more water from the root system. Anything that speeds evaporation, such as warmer temperatures, low humidity, lots of air movement, causes the plant to need more water. So, in theory, cutting the tree with it's leaves on, in the middle of the summer, in really sunny, dry conditions, should cause the leaves to tap whatever reserve moisture is still in the cambium (the layers just under the bark) and suck it dry. I had an old timer neighbor who swore by this method. However, only the cambium with its active xylem/phloem (the "tubes" that transport water) system is affected by this leaf water demand. This is only the outer layer (perhaps a 1/4" just beneath the bark which is why girdling kills a tree) the only part of the trunk that is actually alive. Any other moisture deeper in the wood has no stimulus to remove it, except exposure to air by cutting it open. In the fall, the tree (deciduous, not evergreen) transports much of its moisture, as well many nutrients back down to the root system as it starts its leaf drop. The moisture level in the woody above ground portion of the plant is lowest during the winter dormant months. By reducing the water content of the remaining fluid in the tree, the solute levels in the remaing cambium moisture of the above ground portion of the plant become much higher, giving the plant an antifreeze like protection against freezing temperatures. Again though, this water reduction really only involves the cambium, not the rest of the wood. You can readily see the tree begin to transport water back up to the upper portions if you tap the tree in early spring. Similarly, if you cut a tree in early spring, you will see copius quantities of fluids leak out of the stump over the next month or two as the plant tries to return the water (and stored sugars) to the top portion of the plant.
The bottom line is that to have really dry wood, you need to cut it, split it, (If large enough) and expose it to drying conditions for at least a good long summer, preferably two, regardless of the timing and manner you choose to use to harvest the wood. All of the wood that is not living cambium is actually older, dead xylem/phloem tubes. The majority of the drying process of wood occurs from the water slowly evaporating from the ends of these tubes, more so than from the exposed surfaces created by splitting. Cutting the tree to log length and putting it in good drying conditions is the single most important factor to aid drying.

 

[Drifthopper]

JPl1nh....Your very last sentence......So, if a tree is cut down now, this month, that tree being 12" - 14" diameter, cut to 22" lengths/logs and then stacked off the ground, in the sun, uncovered thru the summer, then those logs/lengths split into halves and/or quarters in September: Will it dry adequately enough to properly burn in December?

 

[Eric Johnson]

If you cut it and stack it now, Drifthopper, your wood can be dry by December. However, you need to make sure that it's in the sun and in a dry spot. I'd let it sit uncovered all summer, and then throw a tarp over it or stack it under a roof or inside beginning in late September. If you put the tarp on too soon, it will retard the drying process. Rain won't slow it down very much, unless we have a very wet summer.

On the various tricks for getting wood to dry faster (winter cut, let the leaves do the work, etc.) there's probably some truth to all of them, but not enough to justify going out of your way to do it that way. They're more useful as excuses NOT to get out there and cut some wood. "I'd love to get the wood in, honey, but we have to wait until the trees have leaves on them......." and then you launch into what sounds like a scientific explanation for not wanting to get up off the couch and do some manly work and provide for your family [ya bum!].

Like jp says, the best way to get dry firewood is to cut it, split and stack it asap. No excuses. And yes, two years is better than one, but one will get you there with most species.

 

[Bill]

I cut quite a few trees last year and left them lay with the leaves on. As I had time I cut some up and stacked them. Some are still waiting for me to get to them. But I moved a stack two weeks ago and it was very heavy, (wet) I'll get them split soon, and it should be dry by fall. I am going to try and get 2 to 3 years wood split this year, hopefully. I still will have lots of trees down and if I have time I will cut them and split them next year to replace what I burn next winter. Nothin better than dry wood. This year is catchup year, next year I only need to split one seasons worth. So I bust my butt this year and skate next year.

 

[precaud]

I am currently cutting and splitting trees downed by a tornado in 2004. Every one of them is as wet as a standing live tree cut down last week. And they had a full complement of leaves when they blew down.

They run the moisture meter off of the scale.

To underscore your point from the other side of the equation, I'm cutting standing dead, mostly from 8-9 years ago, and 25% of them are rotting. You don't want to leave the dead tree in the ground too long or else the ground moisture will feed the rot.

IMO, leaves or not isn't as important as getting the thing out of the ground.

 

[Gooserider]

JPl1nh....Your very last sentence......So, if a tree is cut down now, this month, that tree being 12" - 14" diameter, cut to 22" lengths/logs and then stacked off the ground, in the sun, uncovered thru the summer, then those logs/lengths split into halves and/or quarters in September: Will it dry adequately enough to properly burn in December?

Bark is good at keeping moisture in DH, so drop it now, cut it now, and SPLIT it now... Then stack it. You will hear mixed arguements about covering or not, I suspect much has to do with how much rain and humidity you are likely to expect, but IMHO 6-9 months is the MINIMUM time you need to plan for in order to expect cut and SPLIT wood to get reasonably dry, with longer = better...

I have a couple of woodsheds with solid roofs (one old road signs, one corrogated clear plastic) and open sides with roll down tarps. I cut, split, and refill the sheds ASAP starting a week or two ago, and probably finishing by early July. I leave the tarps up all spring and summer, let them down about the time I start expecting snow. This gives me 6-8 cords under cover, and I start burning in the same order I filled the sheds in roughly, starting with the approximately one cord I have left over from last years filling. I want to get almost as much cut in rounds and/or split that I can stack under a tarp so that I'll at least a year ahead, that way next year I can refill the sheds with really dry wood and have even better burning.

Gooserider

 

[jpl1nh]

JPl1nh....Your very last sentence......So, if a tree is cut down now, this month, that tree being 12" - 14" diameter, cut to 22" lengths/logs and then stacked off the ground, in the sun, uncovered thru the summer, then those logs/lengths split into halves and/or quarters in September: Will it dry adequately enough to properly burn in December?

Bark is good at keeping moisture in DH, so drop it now, cut it now, and SPLIT it now... Then stack it. You will hear mixed arguements about covering or not, I suspect much has to do with how much rain and humidity you are likely to expect, but IMHO 6-9 months is the MINIMUM time you need to plan for in order to expect cut and SPLIT wood to get reasonably dry, with longer = better...

I have a couple of woodsheds with solid roofs (one old road signs, one corrogated clear plastic) and open sides with roll down tarps. I cut, split, and refill the sheds ASAP starting a week or two ago, and probably finishing by early July. I leave the tarps up all spring and summer, let them down about the time I start expecting snow. This gives me 6-8 cords under cover, and I start burning in the same order I filled the sheds in roughly, starting with the approximately one cord I have left over from last years filling. I want to get almost as much cut in rounds and/or split that I can stack under a tarp so that I'll at least a year ahead, that way next year I can refill the sheds with really dry wood and have even better burning. Goose, one shed with old road signs? That brings all sorts of images to mind, stop, yield, railroad crossing...Tell us more?! I never considered them for building a woodshed with,

Gooserider

 

[Gooserider]

JPl1nh....Your very last sentence......So, if a tree is cut down now, this month, that tree being 12" - 14" diameter, cut to 22" lengths/logs and then stacked off the ground, in the sun, uncovered thru the summer, then those logs/lengths split into halves and/or quarters in September: Will it dry adequately enough to properly burn in December?

Bark is good at keeping moisture in DH, so drop it now, cut it now, and SPLIT it now... Then stack it. You will hear mixed arguements about covering or not, I suspect much has to do with how much rain and humidity you are likely to expect, but IMHO 6-9 months is the MINIMUM time you need to plan for in order to expect cut and SPLIT wood to get reasonably dry, with longer = better...

I have a couple of woodsheds with solid roofs (one old road signs, one corrogated clear plastic) and open sides with roll down tarps. I cut, split, and refill the sheds ASAP starting a week or two ago, and probably finishing by early July. I leave the tarps up all spring and summer, let them down about the time I start expecting snow. This gives me 6-8 cords under cover, and I start burning in the same order I filled the sheds in roughly, starting with the approximately one cord I have left over from last years filling. I want to get almost as much cut in rounds and/or split that I can stack under a tarp so that I'll at least a year ahead, that way next year I can refill the sheds with really dry wood and have even better burning.

(minor edit to fix quoting) Goose, one shed with old road signs? That brings all sorts of images to mind, stop, yield, railroad crossing...Tell us more?! I never considered them for building a woodshed with,

[/quote]

I'm not sure what the history was, but the PO of the house left behind several large road signs, most of them either 4x4' or 3'x3' dealing with road construction topics... If you've never looked at old road signs, they are actually pretty cool for building stuff - they are made with either sheet metal, or heavy 3/4" plywood, covered on one side with a plastic reflective coating, that is waterproof... I used them to build what might well be the worlds most conspicuous wood shed - I put four 2x4 PT boards on edge on the ground, some more for uprights at the end and three sets in the middle creating four "bays" with a sloping roof about 7' high in the front and 5' high in the back. I then used the 4x4 signs, shiny side up, to make a roof, and the 3x3 signs to make partition walls on the sides of the bays. Holds about 1.5 - 2 cords, and all but glows in the dark.

Gooserider

 

[jpl1nh]

JPl1nh....Your very last sentence......So, if a tree is cut down now, this month, that tree being 12" - 14" diameter, cut to 22" lengths/logs and then stacked off the ground, in the sun, uncovered thru the summer, then those logs/lengths split into halves and/or quarters in September: Will it dry adequately enough to properly burn in December?

Bark is good at keeping moisture in DH, so drop it now, cut it now, and SPLIT it now... Then stack it. You will hear mixed arguements about covering or not, I suspect much has to do with how much rain and humidity you are likely to expect, but IMHO 6-9 months is the MINIMUM time you need to plan for in order to expect cut and SPLIT wood to get reasonably dry, with longer = better...

I have a couple of woodsheds with solid roofs (one old road signs, one corrogated clear plastic) and open sides with roll down tarps. I cut, split, and refill the sheds ASAP starting a week or two ago, and probably finishing by early July. I leave the tarps up all spring and summer, let them down about the time I start expecting snow. This gives me 6-8 cords under cover, and I start burning in the same order I filled the sheds in roughly, starting with the approximately one cord I have left over from last years filling. I want to get almost as much cut in rounds and/or split that I can stack under a tarp so that I'll at least a year ahead, that way next year I can refill the sheds with really dry wood and have even better burning.

Very Cool! Plus it must have the advantage of still being easy to find after a few beers, even in a blinding snowstorm!

(minor edit to fix quoting) Goose, one shed with old road signs? That brings all sorts of images to mind, stop, yield, railroad crossing...Tell us more?! I never considered them for building a woodshed with,

I'm not sure what the history was, but the PO of the house left behind several large road signs, most of them either 4x4' or 3'x3' dealing with road construction topics... If you've never looked at old road signs, they are actually pretty cool for building stuff - they are made with either sheet metal, or heavy 3/4" plywood, covered on one side with a plastic reflective coating, that is waterproof... I used them to build what might well be the worlds most conspicuous wood shed - I put four 2x4 PT boards on edge on the ground, some more for uprights at the end and three sets in the middle creating four "bays" with a sloping roof about 7' high in the front and 5' high in the back. I then used the 4x4 signs, shiny side up, to make a roof, and the 3x3 signs to make partition walls on the sides of the bays. Holds about 1.5 - 2 cords, and all but glows in the dark.

Gooserider[/quote]

 

[mtarbert]

Leaving the leaves on live trees may dry them out a-little but it makes the small stuff harder to chip when they are dry.I cannot imagine that leaving the leaves on will dry the wood faster that cutting to length and splitting and stacking. When it is stacked and the limbs ground up the job is done and the wife stops asking when the mess is going to go away.
Mike