What do you do with fresh cut green wood?

[Hunter8282]

Do you split and stack it up neatly off the ground where it will get plenty of wind and sun?

Split and just pile it up wherever?

Split it up and leave near where you felled the tree?

Wait to split it?

Inquiring minds would like to know! 😁

 

[peakbagger]

Split and stack up off the ground. Put a pallet on top and put some top covering on top of the pallet so air can circulate out the top while keeping rain and snow out of the pile. If you need it quick search for the many threads on solar kilns.

 

[stoveliker]

Split, stack off the ground, top cover, allow for air and sun.
Asap. Because I cringe when I see wood get wet 🤷‍♂️

 

[MRD1985]

Split, stack off the ground, top cover, allow for air and sun.
Asap. Because I cringe when I see wood get wet 🤷‍♂️

This is what I do also

 

[patrickk222]

Welp i just split it and toss it in a big pile till i have an open spot to stack it

 

[bigealta]

Split and single row stack, off the ground, when there is room. No top cover for me. But would use a shed if i had one.

 

[johneh]

Split and stack in the drying shed.
Like I have done for the last 45 years

 

[Eman85]

Do you split and stack it up neatly off the ground where it will get plenty of wind and sun?

Split and just pile it up wherever?

Split it up and leave near where you felled the tree?

Wait to split it?

Inquiring minds would like to know! 😁

Yes to all of those questions, then the end result is your first question. It all works out in the end if you're far enough ahead on wood.

 

[danrclem]

Welp i just split it and toss it in a big pile till i have an open spot to stack it

Yep, that's what I do too. It'll go in the shed late this fall to finish drying.

 

[VirginiaIron]

Split it or stack it.

 

[Mcuan88]

What are the the thoughts behind top covering vs not covering if the wood is green but split & stacked?

I'm reading some differing opinions on the matter. Specifically talking oak or maple.

 

[johneh]

Cover it always

 

[bigealta]

Cover optional for fresh cut IMO. Also what you use to cover makes a difference. Tarps are junk and a moisture trapping mess.
Also location makes a difference. Here in NJ i don't cover until fall of year it will be burned.

In Utah with heavy snow, anything u want to burn that season has to be in the garage or shed by mid fall.

 

[Mcuan88]

Cover optional for fresh cut IMO. Also what you use to cover makes a difference. Tarps are junk and a moisture trapping mess.
Also location makes a difference. Here in NJ i don't cover until fall of year it will be burned.

In Utah with heavy snow, anything u want to burn that season has to be in the garage or shed by mid fall.

What are other options for coverings if tarps are not great? I'm in CT and just been covering with a tarp when it rains. After the rain stops, I remove the tarp and let it soak in full sun.

 

[Eman85]

Cover, don't cover, cover when you feel like it. It's firewood you're not building fine furniture with it. I have stacks that are covered and some not covered, they'll all burn. The only killer for firewood I've seen is leaves. If you stack uncovered and the leaves get in your stacks and it rains on it you'll have some rot. No big deal, just cut and split plenty it all burns. When the next stack comes due for burning cover it in the fall and work off of it.

 

[stoveliker]

Other cover options are plywood with a tarp on top, corrugated metal or other corrugated roofing panels, edpm roofing material, any (plastic?) sheet you can get, Shower curtains from Dollar General, etc. ect.

Regarding the debate about covering (rain exposure).

I have always covered (also before I built a shed).

The point is that wood dries from the outside. Moisture inside has to migrate to the surface and it only does that when the moisture concentration near the surface is lower than deep inside. And that only happens if moisture evaporates from the surface.
Getting wood wet does stop the transport from water to the surface. I.e. one is loosing drying time. (And note that it does nt matter whether it got wet from rain or from condensation dripping of tarps...)

In fact, uncovered wood tends to get dark/blackish. Some folks on YouTube even say that's the signal that it's seasoned.
The darkness is surface mold. That only grows on wood that's wet enough.
Wood that is in my shed, and on which there is never any rain (falling on the exposed cut ends) never gets dark. It discolors (lightens, e.g. red oak a bit more yellow than it is initially) a bit, but never gets dark.
This tells me that (at least the surface of) my wood gets drier quicker when no rain can reach it - as in my shed it dies out quickly enough to prevent mold growth.
And given the above surface moisture story, that means that drying goes quicker this way.

I've measured 2 and 3 year old tarped wood versus wood in the shed, and for oak I get about 5% lower moisture after 2 years, ~7-8% or so lower in 3 years. But those numbers depend a lot on your climate (sun, wind, rain, temperature), I presume.

I do agree with the leaves remark on top.

 

[peakbagger]

I can vouch for the difference in color between wood that has a roof and overhangs over it and wood that is uncovered. The covered wood tends to get a darker shade of brown, while uncovered wood gets a distinct gray to almost black color. This is especially noticable when wood is just dumped in a pile. The outside wood will turn to gray but dig in a foot or two and its borderline black and go a bit deeper and it can get slimy.

 

[Dataman]

I put it in Tractor Bucket and bring next door. He burns Wood. Used to drive it to house down the block. He wanted to coordinate when I dropped it off. Like Really? So he no longer gets Free Firewood. All Bucked Up too. Other guy is closer and he just appreciates it.

 

[VirginiaIron]

I put it in Tractor Bucket and bring next door. He burns Wood. Used to drive it to house down the block. He wanted to coordinate when I dropped it off. Like Really? So he no longer gets Free Firewood. All Bucked Up too. Other guy is closer and he just appreciates it.

Years back, I offered to donate wood to a needy individual, but my offer would only be accepted if I stacked it for them.

 

[kborndale]

Yep, that's what I do too. It'll go in the shed late this fall to finish drying.

Only the outside of the pile is drying then, if your a few years ahead then no big deal but if you plan to burn that wood the same fall you stack it then that is a bad idea. You can argue either side of covering or not, but there is no argument that wood does not dry when left in a pile.

 

[bigealta]

Yes piles are wet inside for sure.
Uncovered stacks in sun and wind dry faster than tarp covered stacks because the tarps block the sun and air movement. So any rips in tarp traps moisture they let in and will greatly hinder drying.

The tops of my uncovered stacks are always dryer than the bottom of the stacks. (Except for a day or 2 after rain.)
So think about that and why it's the case.

 

[kborndale]

Yes piles are wet inside for sure.
Uncovered stacks in sun and wind dry faster than tarp covered stacks because the tarps block the sun and air movement. So any rips in tarp traps moisture they let in and will greatly hinder drying.

The tops of my uncovered stacks are always dryer than the bottom of the stacks. (Except for a day or 2 after rain.)
So think about that and why it's the case.

I'm with you, I don't cover my stacks until they are moved to the patio in October, they have no problem drying uncovered. If I lived in a place where it rained a lot in the summer then I would probably keep them covered, but not with a tarp. I would have my wood in a shed.

 

[johneh]

I would have my wood in a shed.

That is the best way to have it under cover
Mines covered in the drying room over my drive shed
Hot and dry all summer long

 

[Wildflush]

Cover optional for fresh cut IMO. Also what you use to cover makes a difference. Tarps are junk and a moisture trapping mess.
Also location makes a difference. Here in NJ i don't cover until fall of year it will be burned.

In Utah with heavy snow, anything u want to burn that season has to be in the garage or shed by mid fall.

100% disagree and mentioned it before on here. 3 rd year now using commercial tarps top cover only with para cord and bricks draped over them and they work great. Ends are not covered allowing airflow and only about 6” overhang is covering the top. No moisture issues. My stacks single or cross stacked on pallets season well with sun and wind. Just checked them the other day (4 cords) and no sun damage yet to the tarps so cheap investment 3 years now. Wood sheds are great and if you have the proper placement which not everyone has. Not to mention the cost. To each his own.

 

[VirginiaIron]

I find if the tarp is too large and overhangs the edge to the ground it traps moisture. I would prefer not to use a tarp, but opt for about a foot over the top edge.