wood cutting how long to dry

[bull]

i need someone to tell or teach me the best way to get the most out of the wood i cut . after i cut how long to dry before i burn for its best peromance. i usually go out look for dead trees or where someone has logged last year and burn those loads . is this good or bad . any info appreciated. my dad has been buying log truch loads a yr in advance cutting and splitting for next yr. thanks for any help.

 

[bogydave]

Depends on the type of wood & split sizes.
They season at different rates.
Dead trees usually 1 year after split (again depending on the type)

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Bull, like Dave stated, it can vary. It might help if we knew what kind of wood you have.

For sure you never count seasoning time until the wood has been split. Sitting in log form just does not allow the wood to dry.

On cutting dead trees, they may or may not have a lot of moisture in them. If standing, most times the very tops of the trees are really good and sometimes can be burned as soon as it is cut. The bottom of the tree though can have just as much moisture as green wood. We cut a lot of dead standing elm. Usually the top half or the top third will be okay right away. Not so for the bottom. Also, if the dead trees have fallen and are touching the ground, they will rot fast. If elevated they will keep a long time before rotting.

When one finds a place where logging has taken place and you want to cut up the tops, do not think that wood is seasoned even if it has been a few years since the tree was cut. Give it about the same length of time to dry as you would green wood.

Probably the worst wood for drying out is oak. Around here we won't even attempt to burn it until it has sit in the stacks for 3 years. The fastest drying wood we have is soft maple and white ash. Those two could be cut during the winter months and burned the following winter as long as they were split and stacked by April or May.


For drying, you need circulating air (wind!) and time. We do all our cutting during the winter months. Come late March or early April we do all the splitting. Stacking follows immediately after splitting. We like to stack so wind will hit the sides of the stacks. Sunshine is also good but wind is more important. If you have only a year to season, then stack in single rows no more than 4' high. We do not cover our stacks that first summer but do cover the top before snow flies. It is important if you cover at all (some folks never cover) to cover only the top and never the sides of the stacks. Here are a couple pictures of a couple of our stacks. Notice that we put poles under the stacks to keep the wood from touching the ground.

Good luck.

 

[gzecc]

Buck, split and stack (off the ground) most wood, at least one yr before using. All oaks two yrs. If you follow this rule, you will be fine.
Exceptions are black locust and white ash. These will season in 8-10 months.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I have taken down dead standing trees that were quite dry when they hit the ground. In some cases the bottom sections of trunk were soaking wet, as the water settled downward.

 

[FLINT]

I also get most of my wood from dead and down trees. as others have said drying time required varies - but for the most part, if you can give it a year, you should be golden - with exceptions being oak can take two years, unless its white oak that has been dead for a while and not laying right on the ground - i've had some nice dead white oak ready to go in one year. red oak when left in log form tends to rot instead of dry.

 

[oldspark]

Stacking it in single rows in the wind and sun will get you there the quickest.

 

[Wood Duck]

Bull,
You'll get much cleaner, hotter burns, faster starts, and more heat from seasoned wood. If you can cut, split, and stack in the sun and wind for one year you'll see a huge improvement. Two years will be even better. i bet you get some wood that is nice and dry, and probably notice how easily it starts and burns. All the wood could be like that if you can get two years ahead. Like others have said, oak dries more slowly than other woods, but even oak will be pretty good in one year, very good in two. I don't have any wood older than two years, but I hear it keeps getting better.

 

[bull]

thanks for the pointers , i will start it soon . my buddy just was complaing about a load he just bought how it was seasoned oak and hickery , he said it wont hardly burn. he is really upset, he burns wood just like i do wrong. i think we are going to buy log truck load in a couple of weeks and split it up between us. my father inlaw had the road dept. dump wild cherry, maple , popular ,sasafrass and oak in my back yard last april . that is what i am burning now and it burns great except for the oak like you said at times it is hard to burn . knowing is half the battle.