What is the ideal time to season cherry? Have heard it seasons fast but then was told 2 or more years. What is the usual time for cherry css to be good to go.
seasoning cherry?
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The confusion is because "cherry" is a broad word that describes many different trees.
Native wild cherries and cultivated cherries and other anceint fruit bearing trees from Asia and China and Japan. Black Cherry is the common native cherry cut for primarily lumber. It is not a cultivated tree at all. Its habit of growth makes it unwelcome in suburban settings. So your cherry may be a fruit producing cherry with wood of slow growth and heavier and slower drying than Black Cherry which does dry within a years time.
Native wild cherries and cultivated cherries and other anceint fruit bearing trees from Asia and China and Japan. Black Cherry is the common native cherry cut for primarily lumber. It is not a cultivated tree at all. Its habit of growth makes it unwelcome in suburban settings. So your cherry may be a fruit producing cherry with wood of slow growth and heavier and slower drying than Black Cherry which does dry within a years time.
choke cherry, black cherry and pin cherry well within a year. The commercial fruit bearing cherries will be longer.
I just scrounged one that was down in log form for about a year. I'll see how that does over the course of the summer, but I don't need it so it'll probably sit two summers. I found another one here, down, with all the sapwood rotted off...it's ready to go in the stove now. 
If you need the Cherry for this year, don't split it too big and stack it single-row in the wind with top-cover. The Black Cherry I've burned, even two years stacked, seems to be prone to re-absorbing a little moisture, so I top-cover it with more care than the other stuff, and leave it in the dry 'on-deck circle' longer before burning. It's said that cat stoves are a little more sensitive to moisture in the wood, but I've never burned a non-cat...
If you need the Cherry for this year, don't split it too big and stack it single-row in the wind with top-cover. The Black Cherry I've burned, even two years stacked, seems to be prone to re-absorbing a little moisture, so I top-cover it with more care than the other stuff, and leave it in the dry 'on-deck circle' longer before burning. It's said that cat stoves are a little more sensitive to moisture in the wood, but I've never burned a non-cat...
I burned 2 rows of Black cherry this last season. It was intended to sit until this season but I ran out of well seasoned wood. It had only set for 1 summer, it burned great! I have had cherry get punky on me in the past, so I don't let it sit for more than a year. 1 hot summer in full sun has been good for me.
And for the record, I burn a cat and a non-cat. My BK will burn under seasoned wood without any trouble, way easier than any of my non-cats were.
And for the record, I burn a cat and a non-cat. My BK will burn under seasoned wood without any trouble, way easier than any of my non-cats were.
Aside from Ash, Black Cherry is about the quickest drying high-BTU hardwood out there, from my experience anyway. I would drop, buck, split & stack one today & expect it to be ready for next winter if I had too, or if I could really do that much work in one day…
I'd say ideal would be 1 year css.
I'd say ideal would be 1 year css.
Good to hear of your success with the Cherry, despite a mediocre summer for drying wood. I've finally got a sunny spot to stack some wood in this year, good wind there too. I'm hoping to be able to get a bunch of Ash and Cherry dry.
I'm kind of surprised to hear that about cat vs. non; Conventional wisdom is the non-cats are more forgiving of damp wood, or so I thought. The Buck didn't like it when I brought some not-quite-dry Ash and soft Maple over there last winter...slower light-offs and a couple of stalls.
Rebelduckman
Minister of Fire
I've got a cord and a half c/s/s that I'm banking on for this winter. Down in my neck of the woods I won't really need it until October so I should be ok. Heres a pic of a small tree I cut the other day. I love this stuff. It's abundant on my place and it splits, burns and smells great.
![[Hearth.com] seasoning cherry?](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/133/133091-223ca66e460c86ccfb6403171e45b4b7.jpg?hash=QzPUgMHQD8 "[Hearth.com] seasoning cherry?")
The Cherry I'm burning now has been out there two summers, top-covered, no punk to speak of. The sapwood will punk quickly if left uncovered but the heart stays solid for a long time. I found a down Cherry in the woods a couple of weeks ago...sapwood long gone, heart still great.
Oh, sure, you profess your undying love now but what happens when the next pretty, young thing waltzes into view??
Heck, we start burning in October here, figured you would be good for another month anyway...Lotta Cherry here, too, but they are pretty healthy...down or dead Oaks is what I'll be working on for a while. The Cherry smells great burning, too. Throw a few splits on when you are expecting visitors!
Rebelduckman
Minister of Fire
Oh, sure, you profess your undying love now but what happens when the next pretty, young thing waltzes into view??
Lotta Cherry here, too, but they are pretty healthy...down or dead Oaks is what I'll be working on for a while. The Cherry smells great burning, too. Throw a few splits on when you are expecting visitors!
Yea I probably could wait longer than that but I know I won't! Speaking of oak, my buddy down the road has a big standing dead red oak he wants to give me. It's about 3ft in diameter and 50 ft or so tall. Can't wait to dig into this one!
red oak
Minister of Fire
In my experience cherry dries pretty quickly. If I got it split and stacked today I would not hesitate to burn it this winter. Especially if it was top-covered and stacked in single rows.
Heh-heh. Chompin' at the bit, aincha? I know how you feel; Can't wait to test out the old Dutchwest in some real cold, instead of this shoulder weather.
You might be able to get some burnable wood off that Oak for this winter, depending on how long it's been dead. If the bark is falling off,check some of the smaller limbs, up to about 6" or so. Some of that may be close to being dry enough, split kinda small in the wind...
Paulywalnut
Minister of Fire
Rebelduckman
Minister of Fire
Heh-heh. Chompin' at the bit, aincha? I know how you feel; Can't wait to test out the old Dutchwest in some real cold, instead of this shoulder weather.
It's been dead a couple years I know. Bark is falling off in spots. Excited about getting it wet or dry! I have a good variety on my property but very few of these big reds
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