To Tarp or Not Tarp...that is the question?

[jscs.moore]

I have my cord wood single stacked on wood racks facing the north wind in the open sunlight. The wood tends to dry pretty quickly this way. I have some tarps on top but I'm wondering if having a tarp on top of each stack is really necessary? I'm asking because the seasoned cord wood is bone dry (about 16% to 17% MC) and I plan to move about a cord at a time into my garage for easy access during the burning season. So is using a tarp really necessary, because even if it rains on the seasoned cord wood stacked outside, it will usually dry off in the wind and the sun within a day or so? So I'm just wondering if messing with the tarps is really needed when I plan on moving the seasoned stuff into the garage before burning anyway??

 

[TheAardvark]

Cant hurt.

 

[sen166]

I personally don't mess with tarps throughout the season. I've found they don't make too much of a difference while the wood is drying, they tend to be a hassle, and I don't like throwing money on tarps every year no matter how cheap they can be.

 

[Seanm]

I think youve answered your own question. To top cover or not is really a geographical question. If you are getting good results with not then dont. For me in my area its a must. My stacks would be a mess if I didnt.

 

[snavematt]

during drying season I just fold one on top of the pile thats not in the shed. If I know we are going to get days and days of rain (September forward), I may go out and pull the tarp over more, sometimes not. Even on my wood shed I have tarps that I pull down and cover front and back openings during the burning season, just to keep blowing rain and snow off the wood.

 

[Hasufel]

I have my cord wood single stacked on wood racks facing the north wind in the open sunlight. The wood tends to dry pretty quickly this way. I have some tarps on top but I'm wondering if having a tarp on top of each stack is really necessary? I'm asking because the seasoned cord wood is bone dry (about 16% to 17% MC) and I plan to move about a cord at a time into my garage for easy access during the burning season. So is using a tarp really necessary, because even if it rains on the seasoned cord wood stacked outside, it will usually dry off in the wind and the sun within a day or so? So I'm just wondering if messing with the tarps is really needed when I plan on moving the seasoned stuff into the garage before burning anyway??

The answer is "it depends." Using a tarp probably isn't "really necessary" unless you live in a very damp climate, especially if you plan on staging some in the garage. I've been running some tests and found that wood staged in my garage dries pretty well during winter months. That said, I still like to top cover my outside stacks if I plan to use them that season. I found that uncovered splits tend to retain a lot more water than protected ones, even if it hasn't rained much lately. It may seem that the wood dries off within a day or so but the test pieces I've been tracking show that's deceptive. On the flip side, there are things you can to to make tarps less necessary, like stacking your splits bark side up. If you cover your stacks you might also find that rodents and other creatures are more likely to move in!

 

[bholler]

I find that drying wood works allot better if you keep it dry. Yes it will get dry uncovered but it will tale longer.

 

[warno]

My dad and I don't top cover anything until it's winter and that is just to keep the snow off. Our stacks are in an open area with direct sunlight from noon till sun down and any lick of wind blowing hits them. So the stuff is drying just fine for us.

 

[NickDL]

I only cover my wood in the winter.

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[red oak]

Depends on your area but sounds like you'd be ok without a tarp since you're stacking in the garage before bringing it into the house. In general I find tarps to be a pain and yes most that I know who use them have to buy new ones every year or two. I've gone to old pieces of metal roofing and that seems to work better for me.

 

[NickDL]

Instead of using store bought tarps, my wife turns our feed bags from our chickens into tarps. They are essentially free & we are recycling.

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[fire_man]

To stack or not to stack depends on how far ahead you are (in years) and your climate. In my case I am 5+ years ahead and live in a normally wet (> 40" of rain per year) climate so tarping is a MUST. The last two years have been BONE DRY in these parts, (severe drought) so i probably could have left them uncovered.

 

[TedyOH]

October 31st is the day for costumes for my wood waiting to be moved to the garage.

 

[jscs.moore]

My dad and I don't top cover anything until it's winter and that is just to keep the snow off. Our stacks are in an open area with direct sunlight from noon till sun down and any lick of wind blowing hits them. So the stuff is drying just fine for us.

Yeah...that's pretty much my situation, so I think I'm not going to tarp my stacks this season. Thanks for all your feedback guys!

 

[FaithfulWoodsman]

I feel that top covering for me is necessary. However I'm slowly replacing my tarps with 1/4"x4'x16' rolled roofing I find at my HFH re-store. They are100% waterproof and almost heavy enough to hold themselves down. I won't go back to tarps. Marginal water protection and always a pain.

 

[firefighterjake]

For seasoning . . . I never have top covered . . . maybe because I am lazy . . . or maybe just because I haven't seen a need due to the way I burn.

In my first year or two of burning before I had a woodshed I covered the stack for the winter, mainly because I didn't want to deal with shoveling snow and knocking ice off the wood when I brought it inside.

 

[peakbagger]

I put a spare pallet on top of the pile and then top cover the pallet folding the tarp so the sides of the pallet are exposed. I also tip the poles and top pallets slightly so that the tarp doesn't pond any water. It make s big difference to my wood drying as most of my wood ends up in shady areas.

 

[maple1]

I used to be indifferent to tarping woodpiles. Now since having done more of it the last 2-3 years, I am a big believer.

But there are some added aspects, at least in my case. I also have my stacks (piled on pallets/wood racks) up off the ground on blocks. With the tarp up top, the racks/pallets will last a loooonnggg time. Air movement underneath, and no water coming down into the pile from the top also leads to dry palleting/racking materials that don't rot. And the wood is a whole lot drier. And a whole lot cleaner (no leaves or pine needles or whatever gets in the stack).

Tarping is very easy, no need to fuss with tieing down or whatever. Just get your stack evenly piled up, put a layer of tarp on it (same width as the stack), then add another layer of wood. Along with holding the tarp in place, the top layer of wood also keeps the sun off it - so the tarp will also last a long time. And you don't see the 'ugly tarp'. I'm going into year 3 with most of mine not looking much different that it did in year 1.

 

[velvetfoot]

That's a good idea maple.

 

[dafattkidd]

I top cover most of my wood. I always cover the stack I'm currently burning during the season, and I like to have all stacks covered that will be burned that year. Mostly I like to keep the snow off- because sometimes the snow sticks around for months. I have three stacks that are directly under trees so I like to keep them covered to keep the leaves out as much as possible. Admittedly I'm not super diligent about any of this.

 

[Woody Stover]

It's moist here, and my stacks are in the woods where it's shady and air movement isn't as good. That said, I'm not as worried about covering my Black Locust and Red Elm, as it resists rot better and doesn't grow 'shrooms.

 

[MBarkhouse]

I tarp my wood pile only when it is raining. It is uncovered the rest of the time. My neighbour told me he doesn't need to check the weather, he just looks outside to see if my wood pile has a tarp on it. In Nova Scotia we have a short Canadian summer with a good amount of rain. Due to the size of my yard, I am unable to store more than one years wood at a time and pre-seasoned wood is not cost effective, So I have to get the wood as dry as possible in a year. My wood is cut in the fall and delivered at the first of April, I move it to the shed / house in October. When I bring my wood in, it is around 7% moisture.


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[CentralVAWoodHeat]

I never tarp my wood that is seasoning in the first year. I just keep it single stacked and off the ground. After a full year in the elements, it gets stacked again under cover for another full year before it is burnt.

Even in Central VA where we have tons of leaves in the fall, I never find that my stacks get particularly messy. The wind blows off most of the leaves and debris.

Now, if I was going to stack outside for more than 2-3 years, I would likely cover my stacks.

 

[CheapBassTurd]

I stack under our row of conifers and do not cover. "Cedar row" is trimmed from the ground up to about 12-15 ft.
They aren't wide so the sun hits the stacks just fine. Not perfect, but good. The summer and winter breezes
blow right thru. The shape of the cedars divert most water out to the edges. They get wet but not hit hard in a downpour.

 

[CheapBassTurd]

Sorry. Too many pics but they're not deletable and I was choosing best angle.
Most of the wall is a gifted red oak 3' abh and 70+ft tall. 20% of the wall is scrounge,
our standard fuel. I always ALWAYS split the rounds and stack before going in the house.
Rotator cuff surgery stopped the splitting but not the stockpiling. I wanna shred these with my
new Fiskars! (all grade 1 rounds) There's so much wood I've been permissioned that only the
best is grabbed. The rest will come home after a splitter comes home. The pile on the ground
in pic #1 may or not end up in various bonfires.

The pics are on a cloudy day of the southern face. Something to consider if one has a few spruces
on site. Easy to prune up too.