Picked up some nice wood today

[kingfisher]

Bought 2 face cord of mixed maple, ash and cherry all seasoned nice for 40 a cord. Stacked it and there was 2 and 3/4 cords.
I'm going back to this guy for more.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Kingfisher, you got a good deal there. However, looking at the pictures I have to say it is not seasoned. You'll find that people use that word rather loosely. If that wood is seasoned, it would be more discolored than what you have. But do not let that discourage you. The price is right!

btw, this seller might be of the opinion that if he cut the wood last winter or before that it has had time to season, However, it is also apparent that the wood is freshly split and some freshly cut to length. Wood not cut to length and split just won't season well. Once cut to length and split, then it will be able to release its moisture, which is what we need for good fires.

It appears you have the stacks in the open so it can get sun and air (air more important than sun). However, to hasten seasoning, I'd be tempted to separate the rows with a big space in between (more than 3') which would allow better air circulation.

I would be tempted to separate the ash, maple and cherry (it is quite easy to tell the difference). The ash should burn well and that would be my choice for January-February-March. Cherry also seasons rather quickly but you will have to try it in December to see how it burns and go from there. I'm betting you have soft maple and that also can season rather quickly. It gives you a hot fire but burns quicker than the other.

We now burn mostly ash and soft maple. What we've found works great is to add one or two small maple splits along with ash. This gets the fire going quickly and the ash will hold the fire a decent amount of time. You may or may not be able to try this. Good luck to you.

 

[kingfisher]

thats the cherry thats dark. I have the rows spaced about 6 inches

 

[kingfisher]

Ya I plan on burning the ash First. I'm out in the open and get a nice breeze all the time

 

[LLigetfa]

However, looking at the pictures I have to say it is not seasoned...

Ja, when wood looks fresh cut and/or fresh split, it would be highly suspect. Even wood stored under cover will change colour some over time. About the only time there isn't much colour change is with kiln dried.

Exposure to the air will change the colour some, and I can see the colour difference when I resplit a well seasoned piece. Sun will change it more and rain change it the most. The tops of my stacks get bleached by the sun real fast and then grey more over time from rain.