Raising Wood

[clearblue16]

So i live in Seattle and have a wood storing question....I have always stacked my cordwood on top of "landscape timbers" which are treated 8' by 4" by 4"....the part of my backyard where i do this has the large flagstones with little cracks of dirt between the stones....i was thinking i could just stack the wood directly on the ground in my case? if the cord is raised you get more airflow i suppose but i was wondering if rot will stay away since the wood will be on dry stone for the most part? thoughts?

 

[vwboomer]

I would say it's better than stacking on dirt or grass, but you're still going to be better off with the wood off the ground. Condensation, rain, etc will evaporate much quicker.

 

[Heem]

raising it is not just to keep it off the wet ground, but to allow air to blow underneath it as well.

 

[madrone]

Given the amount of moisture the ground holds in this part of the world, I'd think that you'd experience some rot even on "dry" stone. Raising them does just what you say, provides airflow. I've found that even 2x4's make a difference vs. straight on concrete. Try both? You'll be able to see if they're staying too wet if you check them during the month of Summer.

 

[LLigetfa]

There is a blanket of moist air close to the ground so raising it up would be ideal but most people are not willing to have it a foot or two above ground. When I was storing my wood outside in the open, I would lay down a base of sacrifice Poplar and pile my good wood on top of that.

 

[clearblue16]

good ideas! thanks

 

[Highbeam]

I use wooden pallets to get a stable stack up off the ground in our wet climate which I think allow better air flow than even the timbers. You need air to flow under, around, and through the pile to get and keep the wood dry for burning. Setting them on the ground will prevent air flow and lead to moldy rotten wood.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

When we use something under the wood, we just go out in the woods and cut some saplings to use. But we don't always put something under the wood (when it is stacked on yellow sand that is a high point). Landscape timbers will also work very well. If you have them I'd suggest using them.

 

[Constrictor]

I use wooden pallets to get a stable stack up off the ground in our wet climate which I think allow better air flow than even the timbers. You need air to flow under, around, and through the pile to get and keep the wood dry for burning. Setting them on the ground will prevent air flow and lead to moldy rotten wood.

Thats what i do as well, but arent the pallets going to be a rotten mess after only one season?

 

[madrone]

I use wooden pallets to get a stable stack up off the ground in our wet climate which I think allow better air flow than even the timbers. You need air to flow under, around, and through the pile to get and keep the wood dry for burning. Setting them on the ground will prevent air flow and lead to moldy rotten wood.

Thats what i do as well, but arent the pallets going to be a rotten mess after only one season?

I doubt it, because they're kiln dried. It'll take longer to rot. I've used untreated 2x4's and not had them rot for a long time, even in our damp climate. But green wood on the ground will indeed begin to rot.
It wouldn't hurt to replace them as you go, though, since they make great kindling.

 

[Duetech]

Constrictor,
I've used good pallets for as many as many as 4-5 years but I placed the pallet ends on bricks or patio blocks. The blocks work best. The pallets have to be reset every season and the area cleaned of grass clippings, leaves and bark debris etc. Also when I had a good source for oak pallets I would burn the pallets as I went along so the area was easier to clean up.

 

[woodmeister]

whats the theory with those round stacks they look neat but are they effective, i think there called holtz housen?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

The biggest theory is that the wood is supposed to season faster, but many say it doesn't. To me it always looks like it would take more work to stack it, therefore, I just stack in rows and let Mother Nature do the seasoning over time.