Too late for next year?

[Tmac845]

Hey now! I've got a good pile of rounds (mostly cherry, some maple and ash) sitting next to the driveway. I was hoping to have it split and stacked by now, but this darn weather just isn't cooperating. We had another four inches of snow yesterday! Is it too late to use this stuff for next year? Any tips on the fastest conditions for drying? COVERED, or UNCOVERED?

 

[Jon1270]

I'm no expert, but this is pretty basic: stack it loosely, off the ground, in a sunny, breezy space, with significant gaps between rows, and top-cover. Cherry, ash and soft maple all have a good shot at being useable for next season. Don't let a little snow deter you from getting out there and splitting.

 

[Knots]

I'm counting on soft maple that I poached from what the power line crew dropped last month to be ready for next winter. It's less time than I like but I think it'll make it.

Just got a foot of snow yesterday - not helping.

 

[ScotO]

Wood like cherry, soft maple, poplar, basswood, beech, ash and pine can possibly be ready by next winter, but you are gonna have to get on it ASAP once the weather breaks. Oak, hickory, and sugar maple will need a lot more time. Make your splits small to medium (4x4" or so) to help them season faster. Get them stacked in single rows, off the ground in a windy location, and maybe consider top-covering them (top only!!).......

I know we preach it alot but I'll say it again......its best if you can get yourself on the "three year plan". Get three years ahead on your woodstack and you'll never have problems with wood not being seasoned again....

 

[Knots]

I used to be 3 years ahead. Then I moved. Now I cry a lot...

 

[BobUrban]

Better than the alternative and better than 99% of all wood burners so yes - it will be "readier" than if you don't split and stack it. Truth is the drying/seasoning season only gets kicked into high gear after the ambiant outside temps remain above freezing. Yes, ice goes from solid to gas but water to gas is quicker so you are right on schedule with those woods. Split small, stack loose and get it done. Enjoy the view of your stacks all summer!!

 

[PapaDave]

Don't let a little snow deter you from getting out there and splitting.

This.
I've been out c/s/s in weather that made others think I was insane. It needed to be done, so out I went. I can be a bit less insane now that I'm ahead.
You'll get cold, wet and cold......but the result will be well worth it.

 

[Jon1270]

Yes, ice goes from solid to gas

The liquid water in wood almost never freezes, because it's not pure water. Live trees rarely freeze and split because their cells contain a natural antifreeze. Nevertheless it's very true that the warmer it is, the faster wood dries.

 

[BobUrban]

Not many live CSS'd trees but I will look into that? Seems like it is frozen and icy to me when splitting in sub freezing temps?

Not afraid to stand corrected though - I learn new things here on Hearth every day

 

[BobUrban]

http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/do-tree-stems-freeze-in-winter

Here is an explanation of what actually happens to a tree in extreme cold. There is some truth to the anti-freeze and some magic made by nature but because most of a living tree is actually DEAD wood, much of the trees suspended water is frozen all winter with only the outside sapwood, under the bark, getting the magic. All bets and magic are off after the saw goes through. Splits with water in them freeze just like any other water in the cold.

 

[Jon1270]

Interesting stuff, Bob. That article conflicts with some other authoritative stuff I've read on the subject, but it's worth looking into further.

 

[BobUrban]

Well you have to believe it - I found it on the web I am sure there are many northern climate trees that have different variations of anti freeze systems all based on the same priciple or there just would not be any trees growing much north of Tennessee or so? Once they are dead though it seems all chemical magic stops.

 

[ScotO]

Hey, if you found the information on the internet, it HAS to be the truth!!

 

[mikey517]

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Hey, if you found the information on the internet, it HAS to be the truth!!

 

[Jon1270]

There's got to be some USFPL papers on the topic somewhere. My understanding comes mostly from a wood science professor who's participates in the forums at woodweb.com, but he didn't refer to particular studies. I believe I did see a tangential mention of the antifreeze thing in an academic paper somewhere, but I'm blanking on exactly where that was. Anyhow, one way that article you linked to seems to conflict with what I've read elsewhere is that it implies freezing isn't much a problem for dead cells because they're already dead, whereas other sources have been equally concerned with structural damage and splits that might make the tree vulnerable to other problems. Regarding the antifreeze thing, actual freezing points I've seen mentioned for wood have been way below zero.

Once they are dead though it seems all chemical magic stops.

I wonder whether it might be more accurate to say that after the tree is dead, the chemical magic is no longer refreshed every season. If the wood is "sweetened" with antifreeze-like stuff when it dies, that stuff doesn't necessarily leave the wood as it dies. Heck, it might even be concentrated and become more effective as the water evaporates.

It's a little below freezing outside right now. I'm half tempted to lop a branch off the pine tree in my front yard, put it in a vise and see whether I can squeeze water out of it...

 

[Jon1270]

Well, I found some other material that conflicts with past statements of my favorite wood science go-to guy, so my initial assertions are definitely in doubt. I'll post back if I can find any better / clearer information on the topic. My apologies to the OP for derailing his original question.

 

[Augie]

Not too Late, Build a simple "kiln" in a sunny spot and you should be able to season Oak in a Full Summer. I know Im talking like a heretic right now.....

Here is (broken link removed to http://www2.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/info/pubs/Harvesting/CC%20Accelerated%20Seasoning%20of%20Firewood.pdf). They say that in 3 months 8inch splits and rounds are below 20% moisture content. I will probably tent up 4 full cords this summer in an attempt to speed the process. As Im a new burner I am trying to build up my supply of seasoned wood. By tenting 4 cords I should have enough seasoned for the following winter. Of the 4 I was thinking of tenting some oak in an attempt to shorten the seasoning from 3 years to 1 maybe and then Ill be set for the future.

Looks pretty easy Air in from the bottom and a small vent at the top. priced it out based on my situation looks like it will cost $40 for the four cords for cheap plastic and I have enough scrap lumber to fab up the frame. $40 for 4 seasoned full cord is pretty cheap IMHO.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I'm counting on soft maple that I poached from what the power line crew dropped last month to be ready for next winter. It's less time than I like but I think it'll make it.

Just got a foot of snow yesterday - not helping.

With soft maple you'll be fine.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Hey now! I've got a good pile of rounds (mostly cherry, some maple and ash) sitting next to the driveway. I was hoping to have it split and stacked by now, but this darn weather just isn't cooperating. We had another four inches of snow yesterday! Is it too late to use this stuff for next year? Any tips on the fastest conditions for drying? COVERED, or UNCOVERED?

Trying to get this thread back on track...

Cherry and ash have a good chance of being ready for next fall. With the maple, it depends on if it is hard or soft maple. Soft maple dry extremely fast and is one of the rare trees you can cut in March and burn it in November.

Regarless, as others have stated, split it small. Stack it off the ground in a windy spot. Sun will help too but aim mostly for the wind. Don't stack very high (not over 4') and stack it really loose (so air can circulate through the stack). In your area I would top cover it as soon as you get it stacked. Speaking of that, get it split and stacked as fast as you possibly can.

 

[Tmac845]

Thanks all. Started splitting yesterday after work. This extra bit of daylight is sure gonna come in handy! I just put my stove in a month ago, so I'm not all stocked-up with wood, YET. Definitely going for the three year plan. Somebody mentioned a kiln. What's the deal with that? Are their plans somewhere? And what's the consensus?

 

[PapaDave]

Builditsolar.com has all kinds of info on solar, and this is all about kilns. http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WoodDrying/wood_kiln.htm
Have fun.

 

[Jon1270]

A lot of wood kilns are meant for drying lumber, not firewood, and as such they are designed to control temperature and humidity fairly precisely so that the lumber isn't ruined by, for example, drying too fast. To accomplish that control, they tend to be fussier and more expensive to build than is likely worth it for a personal / noncommercial firewood operation. I used to think that was the end of it, i.e. 'not worth it,' but others here have since pointed out some much simpler plans which boil down to making a tent out of clear plastic with some vents to let air circulate through, the idea being to let the sun warm the temperature inside so that water evaporates from the wood and is either carried out through the vents or condenses on the plastic and runs down to the bottom of the tent and runs off onto the ground. Somebody said this approach has been written up repeatedly in Mother Earth News. Apparently it goes back to a brief, decades-old paper by a Cornell professor, describing the process. That Cornell paper is sometimes linked to and called a "study," which it really isn't. The paper doesn't describe a real scientific experiment with a control group, just a fairly casual test-run of an idea. That said, it apparently seemed to work fairly well.