Seasoned Wood Forecasting

[NYSB]

I have about 1.5-2 cords of wood currently on-site at our home in upstate NY. It is a potpourri of seasoned status and tree species. Some evergreen (pine), mostly oak and birch primarily. Some of it had been cut live and left in the round piled in a stack on the the ground for 2-3 years, some was cut dead standing, and some had been knocked down live during a bad storm two years ago and had beenb laying whole on the ground. Less than 10-15% is rotted, and most of that is still splittable/usable. I have been cutting, splitting and stacking all this by hand. Some of it is 10-20% moisture content, some of it is about 25- 30%, but half of it is about 23-25%. So my question is this: if it takes 2-3 years to season hardwood that has been cut down green/live, how long does it take to season hardwood that is already around 25-30% MC? I am thinking most of this wood ought be usable by next fall. Is there some approximate predictable amount the moisture content will decrease in one year?

Also, I do not have a proper wood shed and I am not likely to ever have one. I've been stacking the wood loosely essentially out in the open. I have read many pros and cons of covering the top part of the stacks with tarps, but there seems to be some controversey about that. Should I bother or just leave it exposed?

As an experiment, I burned some of the 20-25% wood last night in my Regency CI2600 insert and it seemed to light and heat up just fine.

 

[Applesister]

I havent read any long range forecasts for summer weather but you can hope for lots of sun and wind.
Farmers Almanac?
I love galvanized tin. I think it bakes up nice and hot. You are shading the tops of your stacks somewhat... but with partially decomposed wood (punky areas) you will need to cover that wood with something.
The best deal going is to get it all split and stacked asap. The longer between now and then the better.
You have the best chance of having burnable wood for this coming winter than if you collected live trees or green.

 

[Sconnie Burner]

Sounds like quite the mix. It should all be fine as a long as its css and drying. Just try to mix the driest stuff in with the higher moisture content woods when putting it in the stove. With my first year under my belt this is how I loaded my sub par wood and it worked well! The overall moisture content in the box is more important than every single piece's MC in my experiences.

 

[Woody Stover]

The lower the moisture content gets, the harder it is to get rid of those last several percent. Oak at 25% now will only lose a few points over a summer. It'll burn, but not as well as it could with another year. If you end up with more wood than you need for next season, you can hone your "hefting skills," especially on the Oak. If it feels heavy, toss it aside for use the following year.