I had my woods timbered six years ago. After the loggers left I have all the tree tops left to clean up. Most the wood is maple, ash and oak. All the tops were put into piles that are off the ground. Sizes from small to about 12" round. If I were to cut this now is it seasoned enough to burn this winter. Thanks Mark
Wood seasoning question
- Thread starter eyecal
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
- Status
Well, if it was cut in the dead of winter, you're in better shape than if it were cut in the Spring. Ash should be good. Maple if soft would have been good if split earlier - it'll be questionable since it has nto been split yet. But you are SOL on the oak.
Uncut logs tend to rot instead of dry out even if off the ground. If they get blocked and piled off the ground, they will last a long time without being split.
Mark, definitely cut them up. Even if they have rotted a little, they will still dry out and burn. I am still cleaning up after some logging done 5 years ago and there is a lot of good wood still there. The property was high graded almost 20 years ago, and I still find logs that are worth burning that were off the ground. Not the highest quality wood for burning, but it provides heat and cleaned up the woods.
Mark, definitely cut them up. Even if they have rotted a little, they will still dry out and burn. I am still cleaning up after some logging done 5 years ago and there is a lot of good wood still there. The property was high graded almost 20 years ago, and I still find logs that are worth burning that were off the ground. Not the highest quality wood for burning, but it provides heat and cleaned up the woods.
eyecal said:
As you will see in other posts, most everyone advises folks to cut and split their wood and let it season anywhere from 6 months to 2 years . . . in general leaving wood in the round isn't the speediest way to season wood. However, the fact that this wood is 6 years old, off the ground and in relatively small size diameters would lead me to believe that there is a pretty good chance this would be good to burn this year.
Worry not Mark. You should be good to go. However, you will be able to tell for sure once you start cutting but I'll still bet the wood is ready to be burned.
I think you will find a mix - some wood will be pretty dry and probably good to burn this winter, some will be surprisingly wet/green, some will be sort of rotten. The driest stuff should have loose or missing bark by now. It will be grey, cracked a little, and light in weight. Other stuff will be heavy, moist, and will need a year or two after splitting and seasoning. Rotten stuff will still dry out and burn, and I think you'll recognize it when you cut it because it will cut differently and quite easily. I don't know if rotten wood will dry for this year or not - probably varies between species and degree of rot.
I haven't tried burning wood that is too wet, but I read here that it is a pain. To avoid this, it might be worth buying a moisture meter to test the wood and help you sort it into the dry and undry piles. after a little practice with the meter, I bet you'll be able to recognize the drier wood and focus on collecting that first for this year. After you have this year's wood piled, you can move on to the wetter stuff for next year.
I haven't tried burning wood that is too wet, but I read here that it is a pain. To avoid this, it might be worth buying a moisture meter to test the wood and help you sort it into the dry and undry piles. after a little practice with the meter, I bet you'll be able to recognize the drier wood and focus on collecting that first for this year. After you have this year's wood piled, you can move on to the wetter stuff for next year.
- Status
