What to cut that will dry fastest?

[klxrelic]

The contenders:
1: Balsam fir
2: Black Spruce
3: Tamarack (Eastern Larch)

Alright, which of these three would dry the fastest if cut now??

If a wood type has a higher "green" moisture content, does that mean it takes longer to dry?
Fir dries pretty light, but maybe the fibre construction of the wood allows for fast drying too...

Might need some wood come end of february. If I can get it to dry between now and then fine.
If not, oh well...burn it next year. Worth a shot...no real loss.

 

[Seanm]

The contenders:
1: Balsam fir
2: Black Spruce
3: Tamarack (Eastern Larch)

Alright, which of these three would dry the fastest if cut now??

If a wood type has a higher "green" moisture content, does that mean it takes longer to dry?
Fir dries pretty light, but maybe the fibre construction of the wood allows for fast drying too...

Might need some wood come end of february. If I can get it to dry between now and then fine.
If not, oh well...burn it next year. Worth a shot...no real loss.

Your heading asks what to cut, so do you have any of this that is standing dead that you have to cut down? The highest btus out of the three is Larch by quite a margin. Ive dropped some of it this fall that was below 20% although it was without bark (larch makes up more than 50% of my stacks). I wouldnt want to try and season any of those if it were green at this time of year. I have some doug fir that is higher btu than balsam and I can get it just dry enough in one season from green c,s,s in May. I dont have experience with the other two woods but according to the chimney sweeps btu chart Balsam fir would be the fastest to season but this is based solely on btus.

 

[klxrelic]

No, none is dead...all alive and kicking. I am gonna try seasoning it green.
We are talking splitting into small, 3 inch max size, in the basement, heated with fan on it.
Just a trial...again nothing to lose because if it doesn't work, it will be good for next winter.
I figured fir would be my best choice to try, due to it being the least dense, so theoretically, it should dry the fastest. I think...I've been known to think wrong at times!

I cut down spruce last winter, left in long lengths until mid-september. Then it was sawn off to size, split and put in basement with fan and dehumidifier going. Heat was provided with dry left over wood from last winter. I was burning this spruce in my new stove since mid October. No issues at all... fire burns perfectly. Checked chimney after a month burning, just a bit of fine grey soot at elbow. Big difference compared to my old smoke dragon... I would normally have half a gallon of black flaky stuff. So, not bad outta wood that was sawn for only a month. I dont think it seasoned much in 6 months left in 8 foot + lengths uncovered....

Maybe I will also do an experiment: Cut mostly fir, but try all three for comparison. Getting a moisture meter for Christmas, so that will be something to play around with.

 

[klxrelic]

The highest btus out of the three is Larch by quite a margin

Oh yeah, larch (We call it Juniper locally...didn't know it was actually larch until about a year ago!),,,,
Defintly the best for heat output...almost as good as birch. Birch is getting hard to get around my area. We have domestic cutting zones that we have to stay within. The birch that remains is too much trouble to get to.

 

[Seanm]

Maybe I will also do an experiment: Cut mostly fir, but try all three for comparison. Getting a moisture meter for Christmas, so that will be something to play around with.

Experimentation is the fun thing about this process. Good to hear its not out of necessity! If you can get to it before the snow flies you could put up a few cords of it in the yard and it would be primo next winter. I cut, s, s a cord of lodgepole pine, doug fir mix on the weekend thats pretty dry already but it can wait for next winter if it has to.

Oh yeah, larch (We call it Juniper locally...didn't know it was actually larch until about a year ago!),,,,
Defintly the best for heat output...almost as good as birch. Birch is getting hard to get around my area. We have domestic cutting zones that we have to stay within. The birch that remains is too much trouble to get to.

I really like birch but its hard to get here as well, we cant cut live trees on crown land in BC so its limited on how much we can get. Burns real hot, dont care how quickly it rots and takes more care than larch.

 

[klxrelic]

This is pretty much experimentation for me. I already have next years wood cut and stacked. 5 chord of spruce, 2 chord of Speckled Alder, and a couple truckloads of birch. I only have about 4 chord of spruce for this winter. Bought a new stove and we started using it earlier this year than usual. Plus we are using almost everyday. Previously,4 chord would be more than enough, but i was only burning wood during the really cold months and when it wasn't windy, the old stove was a bit hard to control on windy days. The new stove seems a lot better to control.

I do have oil/radiation as my main source. But this new stove throws out a lot more heat ...oil has seemed to become my secondary source of heat. Not that I have a problem with that!

 

[Wood Duck]

I think the larch will be slower than the other two. Spruce and Balsam Fir will both dry pretty quickly I think.

 

[Squire]

Wo

No, none is dead...all alive and kicking. I am gonna try seasoning it green.
We are talking splitting into small, 3 inch max size, in the basement, heated with fan on it.
Just a trial...again nothing to lose because if it doesn't work, it will be good for next winter.
I figured fir would be my best choice to try, due to it being the least dense, so theoretically, it should dry the fastest. I think...I've been known to think wrong at times!

I cut down spruce last winter, left in long lengths until mid-september. Then it was sawn off to size, split and put in basement with fan and dehumidifier going. Heat was provided with dry left over wood from last winter. I was burning this spruce in my new stove since mid October. No issues at all... fire burns perfectly. Checked chimney after a month burning, just a bit of fine grey soot at elbow. Big difference compared to my old smoke dragon... I would normally have half a gallon of black flaky stuff. So, not bad outta wood that was sawn for only a month. I dont think it seasoned much in 6 months left in 8 foot + lengths uncovered....

Maybe I will also do an experiment: Cut mostly fir, but try all three for comparison. Getting a moisture meter for Christmas, so that will be something to play around with.

 

[Squire]

Wood is seasoned from the ends in, the bark is like a coat that keeps the moisture from escaping. Leaving it in lengths prevents the center sections from seasoning. On another note wood splits best when as tHe tree grows up, you spit down. Therefore largest diameter is at the end of the split

No, none is dead...all alive and kicking. I am gonna try seasoning it green.
We are talking splitting into small, 3 inch max size, in the basement, heated with fan on it.
Just a trial...again nothing to lose because if it doesn't work, it will be good for next winter.
I figured fir would be my best choice to try, due to it being the least dense, so theoretically, it should dry the fastest. I think...I've been known to think wrong at times!

I cut down spruce last winter, left in long lengths until mid-september. Then it was sawn off to size, split and put in basement with fan and dehumidifier going. Heat was provided with dry left over wood from last winter. I was burning this spruce in my new stove since mid October. No issues at all... fire burns perfectly. Checked chimney after a month burning, just a bit of fine grey soot at elbow. Big difference compared to my old smoke dragon... I would normally have half a gallon of black flaky stuff. So, not bad outta wood that was sawn for only a month. I dont think it seasoned much in 6 months left in 8 foot + lengths uncovered....

Maybe I will also do an experiment: Cut mostly fir, but try all three for comparison. Getting a moisture meter for Christmas, so that will be something to play around with.

 

[Wood Duck]

I have never paid any attention to which end of the round is up when I split. I don't believe it makes any difference, but I'll try to pay more attention. It can be pretty hard to tell sometimes.

 

[klxrelic]

On another note wood splits best when as tHe tree grows up, you spit down

But trees dont grow up You can nail a fence to a tree and it will always stay the same height.

Just saying....

And when it comes to splitting spruce.... doesnt really matter. It really is a pain to split. The fibres really stick together. Usually need to use an axe to separate.

 

[Gboutdoors]

Wood is seasoned from the ends in, the bark is like a coat that keeps the moisture from escaping. Leaving it in lengths prevents the center sections from seasoning. On another note wood splits best when as tHe tree grows up, you spit down. Therefore largest diameter is at the end of the split

???????????????????????

 

[JP11]

Dehumidifiers are very expensive to run. If you're planning that in your "normal" wood seasoning process, I think you're fighting the battle the wrong way. If you're just doing it for the science.. good on ya!

JP

 

[klxrelic]

I already have next years wood cut and stacked. 5 chord of spruce, 2 chord of Speckled Alder, and a couple truckloads of birch.

If you're planning that in your "normal" wood seasoning process, I think you're fighting the battle the wrong way.

7 chord of wood will have a full year of seasoning for next year.
No, this isn't my "normal" process... Dehumidifier is usually running early fall anyway as that it is dampish and fire isnt normally lit.

Just with the new woodstove and the amount of heat I am now getting.... well...I have developed a wood burning fetish lately. Hahahaha..
Hence, I dont think I have quite enough for this winter.

As I have said, this is just a trial...if it works, excellent. If not....well...I will 9 chord of seasoned wood for next winter.
To bad I cant bottle heat.....

 

[JP11]

Getting ahead is where it's at. I'm ALMOST up to a full 3 years cut and split on pallets. That's 100 pallet U's a third of a cord each. Lot of work. BUT.. now that i'm there.. I need to do just 10 cord a year. I've got some red oak that I split small. It's sitting, not palleted for 3 full years. Should be some good stuff.

I went with HPHW works great to dehumidify the basement, and get hot water for the house. I'm not sure I'd try it with a big family, or a 40gallon indirect.. but with just the wife and I, and an 80 gallon indirect.. the benefit of cool, dry air.... along with hot water.. is pretty neat.

JP

 

[bodhran]

Oh yeah, larch (We call it Juniper locally...didn't know it was actually larch until about a year ago!),,,,
Defintly the best for heat output...almost as good as birch. Birch is getting hard to get around my area. We have domestic cutting zones that we have to stay within. The birch that remains is too much trouble to get to.

I checked yesterday, they are charging $270 a cord for birch brought in to St. Johns and area. I burn what I can cut. Got some juniper this year but mostly var and spruce.

 

[klxrelic]

I checked yesterday, they are charging $270 a cord for birch brought in to St. Johns and area. I burn what I can cut. Got some juniper this year but mostly var and spruce.

270 bucks!! Cheaper to buy furnce oil!

Yeah, I dont buy wood. Where's the fun in that. Maybe when I get too old to go in.... then I will probably burning oil full time anyways....

Of course, maybe in thirty years time, we may all have super efficient nuclear reactors in our house. And we will all be out digging for plutonium! (Splitting atoms instead of wood. ) Nevermind...