seasoning logs
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reddogrunner
ArboristSite Operative
Yes and no. I cut mine in about 48-60" sections because they are easier for me to handle at that size. I stack them up and cut them and/or split them when I can. The longer the log, the harder it is to draw the moisture out. Think longer straw to suck your milkshake out of.
Bark will fall off when you do split, and may season quicker when split. Don't expect to split and burn even at a year in log form, or even rounds. That is my experience in S.W. Michigan. This is Oak, 8' log form one year, rounds in full sun three months, very wet when split.
Splitting is when it really starts to season. center of some rounds(bucks) can stay wet for a very long time sometimes.
I go by when it was split. If its really small like 3" or less maybe, but otherwise just split it at least in half and you'll have dry wood in a year or two.
One year is typical and two is better for some species like Oak, Elm and other hard hardwoods like Hickory and even Sugar Maple.
That's why most of us are a year to three ahead in seasoning.
I go by when it was split. If its really small like 3" or less maybe, but otherwise just split it at least in half and you'll have dry wood in a year or two.
One year is typical and two is better for some species like Oak, Elm and other hard hardwoods like Hickory and even Sugar Maple.
That's why most of us are a year to three ahead in seasoning.
That's a lot of Cherry
There might be some Cherry, mostly three or four kinds of Oak. Working on the last row, then back to cutting.
Raining this morning. Heading out to get one of the shelter covers, 10' x 10' shade cover, to put over the splitter for the light rain days like today. Just put all the wood racks on 'Craigs List, Holland, MI.' last night.
Raining this morning. Heading out to get one of the shelter covers, 10' x 10' shade cover, to put over the splitter for the light rain days like today. Just put all the wood racks on 'Craigs List, Holland, MI.' last night.
Cut green 8 to 10" diameter and smaller in 16"length rounds, oak , if it gets plenty of sunlight and air such as on an open dry hill will season well and be reasonably dry in 1 year. If it was dead a while and the bark slips off while handling and stacking it dries considerably quicker. Silver and red maple will dry somewhat quicker in the same conditions. Cherry I think is closer to the soft maples in dry time. Even if the bark doesn't slip at first, the ends dry and crack and the bark starts breaking up allowing air to dry the wood. Sure it takes longer then split wood and atmospheric conditions are more critical but if you have good conditions to put up wood to dry as such, why waste time splitting small rounds unless you need kindling or the wood to dry fast? Birch and some other woods with air tight bark usually rot from the middle out if not split no matter what and it happens with any wood if thy don't get enough air and sunlight after the tree is dead. Birch is good if it is all split and dried in good conditions.
What works better for 1 person, isn't necessarily the best for another, and many wood species can be dried in rounds or even log form in the right conditions, but it does take longer and the wood can be at risk of decay if something goes wrong through the process.
If longer logs are off the ground and top covered they will dry out but it will take a very long time.
Rounds stacked off the ground in full sun will mostly dry in about two years.
Rounds stacked off the ground in full sun will mostly dry in about two years.
If I HAD to burn that stuff I would get it split very small, stack it in my sunniest, windiest location and burn it ASAP. I do not voluntarily cut it!
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Bartman. I burn lots of it in my OWB. It will rot very fast so you are better to cut it into rounds right away. I had 200 logs sit for 2 years and they were almost as heavy as when they were standing. And they smelled terrible too, black and slimy. They were sitting if pretty much full sun and windy location. The ends all cracked but that was about it. I cut 75 logs last year at 32" long and have had it sitting in my barn in crates since last fall. It's dry now and light as a feather and has about the same output of heat as a feather. Makes good campfire wood because it burns down to nothing fast and no coals. Has to be kept dry though. I plan to cut a bunch more this fall and will leave it in log form until next spring and then process it. I can only access the bush when crops are off so I spend the short time getting the logs out.
It absolutely will. I bought a dump truck load of pole wood, all maple and all 10-20" diameter at the butt and left it sit on a gravel pad for a year and a half and it was dry as a bone when I cut it. Only a few on the bottom were a little damp and it was there side that was making ground contact. They ended up cut and split in half on top of three stack at the end if this summer to make sure it's ready to burn.
Yup burned tons of it. Burns nice and hot just not for very long.
One summer season in full sun and it will be ready.
If it's left in the elements two years is about all you can expect it to be solid.
If your talking Poplar for firewood it turns to crap in a year in log form, cut rounds or split, doesn't matter.
log's don't know how long they are! 1 foot or 100 feet, logs will dry out in time. so if you have 1 foot log's or 100 foot log's and want them dry in a reasonable amount of time ? split them and keep them off the ground in the open! !! GOOD LUCK LIFTING THE 100 FOOT LOGS!!
I don't care to mess with poplar. Burns fast, decays fast and leaves tons of ashes. Might be worth using in an outdoor wood burner as they have a large capacity and are set up where it is easy to empty ashes and the mess is outside.
ChoppyChoppy
Tree Freak
Not here it doesn't. I have logs in the yard we cut and hauled in in 2012 ans 2013, all still fine. Made lumber out of a several logs in that pile the other day actually.
We burn it and sell a fair amount as well. $175/cord.
jrider
Addicted to ArboristSite
In my experience, this couldn't be further from reality. When I cut to 16" and let them sit, they are way dryer than if I leave them in log length. A 100' log only has 2 ends to lose moisture from. A 100' log cut into 1' lengths now has 200 ends to lose moisture from. Way more surface area is exposed.
sounds like walnut!!!!
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