What do you think will be most likely to be ready first?

[NickW]

I'm long winded... be warned...

Working on next years wood and beyond. Stacks are double stacked with sunny southern exposure and my road name begins with "Windy"...

I split and stacked some maple & beech back in fall which I'm sure will be fine next fall, but not enough of it... I got more maple & beech which is also now split and stacked, but a few weeks ago that beech was 39% yet. Just got a bunch of ash, which I know doesn't "need" to be as well seasoned as most other woods; but for Pete's sake it's actually juicing out the ends as I split it and there are ice crystals inside. This was a large standing dead tree (no bark) that I got from a tree service along with some locust. Can't believe it's this wet. At what moisture level does this happen? 50%? 60%? 80%? Does it depend on species?

What do you think will be more likely to be ready this fall, the beech at 39% a few weeks ago or juicing ash which may not need to be as well seasoned? What about the locust? I keep reading it's good, but it seems really light even though it's still 30%....and that yellow color is pretty ugly... Moisture contents were checked on warm sections, fresh splits except the ash which I couldn't bring in to warm up because it's too damn big. Cold it's reading around 30%, but I don't trust it with it juicing.

I'll check it all come fall and will continue to gather, split and stack more and check moisture. I've got an ash to take down for a lady at church, more maple & beech, and a neighbor with ash and an oak that was taken down a few years back. The oak will take 2 years minimum and I should be able to go 3 years before I really need it. Hoping that ash will be less wet. Cut down in fall and thrown on a burn pile - I almost died. She said I'm welcome to it, just gotta wait for better access... Gotta say we are living in the golden age of wood burning (at least here) with the technology and efficiency we have on the stoves and unfortunately the readily available ash wood due to EAB... Tree service's are looking for people to come haul it off for free, just have to stay in the "quarantine zones"... Place yesterday had almost all of it cut to 16" already!

 

[tadmaz]

Possibly nothing will be ready. When it comes time to burn, on a hot reload with the door open listen for any sizzle and look for bubbling. Where are you where you have beech?!

 

[blades]

Beech is a dense wood like oak and locust, The Ash split small might be ready by next fall but single stack it Maple can dry out in a year or less - the big leaf types like Silver, but sugar maple is going to be a two year item - with a grain of salt. Your area and weather paterns of course will have an extreme influence on this. Another option is to creat a simple kiln of some skids and plastic sheathing- plenty of discussions on these floating around the web. These do work and can cut drying times by a 1/3 or more, again depending on location.

 

[peakbagger]

If you need to rush drying wood its time to loom into the threads on how to build stack into solar kiln. The folks doing it are seeing some remarkable drying rates. The trade off a bit of extra front end work.

 

[NickW]

Kewaskum area tadmaz.

Got the beech from 2 different people this fall, one by Wayne & one by Oostburg. Both had a mix of maple and beech. Most of the maple was dead and down around 25%, but the beech is much wetter. I've never burned beech before but have heard it burns hot and long like oak and leaves good coals. My wife burned a couple of splits I had inside "speed drying" and commented on how hot they burned. The maple is not a soft maple like silver or red. I think it's sugar, but like I said it was already 25% in fall. I might have to sort the maple out and leave the beech for another year.

I just installed my EPA stove in January and could never get enough wood stocked up for the old smoke dragon. I am very diligently trying to get several years ahead with having the new EPA stove and using less, but am a little concerned about having enough ready for next year. There's a tree guy who says he has 2 acres of piled up logs - lots of ash. I'll probably get ahold of him and have him point me towards the oldest piles.

In fall I haul wood into my garage and if I'm concerned about moisture level I put a box fan on it. Helps a lot!

 

[rosem]

There are good and bad times to cut trees, regarding moisture content. Did you cut these trees last fall too?

 

[weatherguy]

Ash loses its moisture quicker than most woods for whatever reason, stack it in front to get the wind and sun and it should be ready. I split some soft maple rounds one year and they were juicing, as you say but they dried out in one year. If you need any of the other woods next year go with the kiln suggestions.

 

[blades]

nickw you are not far from me as i am over by lomira. i have 7 + log cords to work up mixed hardwoods and a large bunch of stuff bucked to split. gotta get at that now before the blood suckers get up to speed. Working transporting a cord or more of Honey locust from shop in milwaukee to home.

 

[NickW]

I hear you blades! Much nicer processing wood in winter and early spring than fighting the 'skeeters. I do enough of that camping and doing other yardwork.

FYI - there are tree services looking to unload wood if you have room to stockpile, but you may have access to lots of wood after the tornado a couple of years back. I got a bunch of ash from my sisters place in Brownsville after that...

I have about 4 cord seasoning now. My goal is to have about 10 cord split, stacked and seasoning with more logs waiting to rebuild the stacks when I move some inside the garage for winter. Lots more concerned about how well seasoned it is with the new stove. Expecting to use 3 cord or so now instead of 5. Excited to be able to less picky about species too. Couldn't get heat out of softwood with the old smoke dragon, now softwood is almost needed spring & fall to not heat us out (from what I've been reading). This spring I'll probably burn up kindling and bark that I don't need much anymore... I regret not updating the stove & liner 15 years ago...

 

[johneh]

I would bet that neither will be below 20% by fall
unless it is a long hot dry summer

 

[Woody Stover]

my road name begins with "Windy"...
Just got a bunch of ash......it's actually juicing out the ends as I split it. This was a large standing dead tree (no bark) that I got from a tree service along with some locust. Can't believe it's this wet
What do you think will be more likely to be ready this fall, the beech at 39% a few weeks ago or juicing ash which may not need to be as well seasoned? What about the locust? I keep reading it's good, but it seems really light even though it's still 30%
... Place yesterday had almost all of it cut to 16" already!

Yeah, I was surprised a few months back when I took down a White Ash that had been standing dead for several years, bark starting to fall off. That thing was still mid-30s moisture, except for a few top limbs. I couldn't believe it, since other Ash I've cut has been in the mid- to upper-20s. I'm hoping that the cell walls of this wood is somehow different, and that moisture will be able to escape faster. I'm not betting on it though, I've got a fall-back position.
Something is fishy about that Locust..it should weigh a ton, especially if it's that wet. BL is the one I have experience with, not HL, but I thought they were similar density so figured they should both be heavy..?

Kewaskum....Most of the maple was dead and down around 25% in fall...I might have to sort the maple out and leave the beech for another year.
In fall I haul wood into my garage and if I'm concerned about moisture level I put a box fan on it. Helps a lot!

Hopefully you have a lot of the Maple because that sounds like your best bet right now, already down to 25%.
I lived near West Bend for a couple years, my brother's at Hubertus. Out in those farm fields, up on the hills, the wind is pretty strong most of the time, especially in the spring. I would definitely keep your different woods separate so you can easily grab one type if it gets substantially drier than other stacks you have going.
If you have room in the garage for wood this spring and summer, that might be a kiln-like environment. Air temp is your biggest asset when drying wood. Wind would move air through the garage, even with the door closed to heat it up.
The solar kilns apparently work great, but IMO it's preferable to avoid plastic use, given the toxins created in its production and recycling. An old chicken coop or something would be awesome.
It sounds like you have good wood connections. In your case I might hook up with the tree guy and get some soft Maple soon; With your windy location that stuff is gonna be pretty dry by fall. Pine's always a quick-dry option, though it will burn up even faster than soft Maple. If you're around during the day to feed the stove, you can work around the short burn times until you can get some denser woods dry.
Try "a little of this, a little of that" and you should have something that's usable by fall.
With your secondary-burn stove, you can get away with some stuff that's not fully dry. You just have to burn it in longer, the heat production won't be quite as good, and you'll go through a bit more wood. You'll make it though.
As blades said, splitting smaller will speed drying, but you might need bigger splits for a secondary stove to burn under control, depending on how tall your chimney is and so on. I recall that Brother Bart had his 30NC try to get away from him a couple times..

Ash loses its moisture quicker than most woods for whatever reason, stack it in front to get the wind and sun and it should be ready.

I've heard that Ash will dry at about the same rate as other woods, but since it's drier to begin with, it gets dry enough to burn in a shorter time overall and that's why it's perceived as "faster-drying."
But then I find a soggy Ash like the last one I cut, so I don't know what's going on in that case..?
I've recently read that it also depends where the tree was growing..damp soil (which Ash likes) will yield damper wood. But this soggy one I got was way up on a hill. Sheesh.
A common theme in a lot of the wood-drying threads is that someone will say one thing, then someone else will say the opposite. There are a lot of variables at play, so simple blanket statements may or may not apply, depending on a lot of factors.

 

[NickW]

Thanks for all the input guys. I just wanted to see what ya'll experienced in seasoning. I just got my moisture meter in fall when I started planning the new stove install, so I've just burned what I had with the old stove in the past. I'll probably start sorting the maple from the beech and try to get some ash from the tree guy that's been up off the ground in his piles and might have a head start on seasoning. If it's mid to upper 20's now I should be able to get it down around 20 by fall with the wind we get.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

They'll be better by fall. My hunch is they won't be all that great. The pieces that are more ready are usually obvious (weight, fissures, etc.). I'd try to use those. Each month, the other splits will get better.

Someone on here talked about a shed in the sun, that didn't have gaps for wind. His wood seasoned really fast. So if you have a way to sort of imitate that, maybe it'd help?

 

[Woody Stover]

Someone on here talked about a shed in the sun, that didn't have gaps for wind. His wood seasoned really fast. So if you have a way to sort of imitate that, maybe it'd help?

That sounds like it might be something of a "kiln effect," where the air in the shed gets warmer due to sun on the sides and top of the shed heating a good bit of air. Seems like the hot air would rapidly exit out the open front, and the bottom wood wouldn't benefit much, but who knows?
What if you had a shed like that with closed sides, then put a tarp or something over the front? If it was in the sun, the interior would get real warm, yet should still have enough air movement to remove moisture.
As an aside, I don't think that a stack out in the open benefits much from the sun beating on it. Since the sun only hits the top and one side, the wood just doesn't heat up that much, like it does in higher ambient air temps. If ambient air temps are already high, sun on the stack certainly can't hurt but I don't think solar radiation itself is enough to overcome cooler ambient air temps.

 

[blades]

Those cheapy steel or plastic garden sheds work well also. ( not that they are all the cheap pocket book wise course what is now days) Sat, I was going to haul a load of honey locust from my shop up to the house- dang diesel had other ideas . all set to leave and it pops a cel code. At least I was still in the lot by the shop but the repair shop is in Iron Ridge. That is $300 flat bed transport. Nick I have plenty of room for wood- 2 acres out back.

 

[NickW]

Blades, sucks with the truck....

L&H Tree Service by Cedarburg told me he has 2 acres of logs in a pasture people can take. I'm trying to get ahold of him now to see if it's accessible so I can get some dryer wood that I might be able to get seasoned by fall... If i can get a load or two of ash that's been sitting there a year or two off the ground I should be good. There's another tree service on Port Washington Rd in Mequon who has probably 40 cord worth mostly cut to 16-18" lengths already lining both sides of his driveway - that's where I got the wet stuff last week. Gotta back in off 57 though...

 

[tadmaz]

Very cool. Sounds like you've got some good sources. I do enjoy the West Bend and Kewaskum areas, you guys do have some areas of beech up there. Lizard Mound county park comes to mind. In the SW corner of the county there ain't none

 

[NickW]

No go at L&H for now. Pasture is a big mudhole.... needs to refreeze (unlikely I'm thinking) or dry out (June?!?!)... dangit.

I assume beech isn't real common? I had never seen one before that I can remember or been aware of the characteristics. Easy to identify if you know what you're looking for.

First place I got it from and have more to get is from an older couple who had their woods logged a couple of years ago. All the tops and branches I want plus other tree's went down in some wind I can have. Poor access though.

Second place they had no clue what they had! Not a big parcel, just a couple of acres; but there are a couple of MONSTER beech standing. One I bet is 28-30" diameter, straight and tall! If there was more it would be $ to a logger... They burn for ambiance and buy firewood!?!?! Two tree's and some sweat equity would pay for a splitter versus buying it... Ok with me to get what the wind drops though... Again, not great access; but it's the price you pay.

 

[tadmaz]

Be careful this time of year driving onto any grass. I had access to quite a few ash trees, and this old lady said it's probably ok to drive back close to the trees. Nope. 12+ inch ruts after a few truck lengths into the grass. Had to majorly gun it in 4WD to get out of there, and I have 1/2" tread AT tires. I think I eventually hit frozen ground.

 

[blades]

Tis the mudding season around here. 4 wd generally just gets most stuck better than anyone else.

 

[NickW]

So I'm sure you all will give me a good explanation of the error of my thinking here...

I would think that humidity would be the biggest factor in seasoning. From all the comments and kiln suggestions it seems that temperature is.

Wouldn't a day like today here (45 degrees, low humidity, good breeze, strong sun) be better than 90 degrees and 90% humidity? My outside stacks were warm to the touch, albeit only the ends and top pieces. Summer is often very humid here. Is there really going to be benefit to moving wood into the garage early? If it's 90 and humid outside and 120 in the garage and still humid, wouldn't the additional air circulation outside be better? I'm not against having the box fan going all summer long in the garage. Fans have very low amperage pull which is why you should always be running your ceiling fans for circulation. The little bit of electricity used to move the air is less than the extra run times on heaters or a/c, plus the temperature is more consistent. I also installed electric solar panels a year ago and found that I overproduce during peak hours during the summer (I use the "time of use" plan with the power co.).

I understand the kiln effect and moving air out of it enough to reduce moisture but not cool it too much, but if the wood is 40% and the air humidity is higher than that outside wouldn't the wood potentially absorb moisture? Or is there a density factor I am not considering? Never took physics but I'm a very logical minded person and would like to understand how it works (insert one of my brother-in-laws "engineer" jokes...). I know OSB absorbs moisture in humid conditions and expands, which is why GC's are supposed to have buildings acclimated before installing cabinets...

 

[Woody Stover]

Yeah, I used to think it was humid when I lived up there. Then I moved down here..
Pull up the NWS site in the summer, about mid-afternoon, and you might see 90 degrees, but only 45% humidity. You might get a 90*/90% day in MS, but we're not gonna see that in IN or WI.
Humidity goes down as temp goes up, given an air mass with X amount of moisture. So in that garage at 120, it will be much lower RH than outside at 90. I'm not saying it's worth bringing the wood in early and putting a fan on it, just making some observations.
Agreed, I don't think you can compare wood moisture percent to air RH.
As far as temp, I think the water gets more "active" at higher ambient temps, and can leave the wood faster. Like a heated pan of water will evaporate a lot faster than a pan at room temp.

 

[NickW]

It FEELS like 90% humidity! I hate hot and humid. A lot of Wisconsinites winter in Florida or Arizona. I may go farther north to Rhinelander! I like winter (as long as my snowblower is working, but that's a other story...). I will comment that cherry covered but in the shade hasn't seasoned worth a darn up there - more smoke for the meat I guess. Cut over 5 years ago and it still juices. Wood stacks up there are all moving this year to a sunny location to clear a building site though. Pulled about 30 small to medium size cherry's out of the swamp a few weeks ago that'll give me a couple more cords. THAT was backbreaking! 2' of snow, wife and kids got a good workout!

 

[Woody Stover]

I hate hot and humid..I may go farther north to Rhinelander! I will comment that cherry covered but in the shade hasn't seasoned worth a darn up there - more smoke for the meat I guess. Cut over 5 years ago and it still juices.

No Rhinelander for me; I stay as far away from the hodag as possible!
They say Cherry dries fast, but there seems to be something going on with it sometimes. I've had it split, stacked and top-covered for a couple years, and it might still be a little damp, it seems. Not real bad, but will sizzle for a bit when I throw it on a hot coal bed (heartwood, not sapwood.) I don't know if rain blows in on it and it absorbs a little water, or what's going on with it.

 

[NickW]

Hodag is just misunderstood! He's just a big kitty!

Looked at that beech yesterday and a lot of it is checking nicely. Obviously I'll check it with the moisture meter before burning it next year. More likely it will be ready in 2 years and I'll be burning ash again next year if it's drier. Probably going to be a lot of sorting through the stacks come fall...

Oh, and yes, my NC30 does really take off with smaller stuff! I've got a lot of small stuff from branches that if I completely loaded up with that I'd have a situation brewing. I burn smaller fires during the day with that and save the bigger stuff for the bottom for overnight. Almost 2 months in to the new stove and I'm definitely getting better with it. The wood conservation is awesome. I bet my wood savings will be better than 1/3. Better weather this year has been helpful too. End of Oct to mid Jan I used 3 cord. Mid Jan to now I might be through 1 cord.