Best time to drop healthy tree for firewood seasoning

[meadowsuper]

At what time of year would you take down a healthy Northeast hardwood tree with the intention of speeding the drying time?

I just always seem to have Father Time playing against me in the firewood game. I usually take my trees down/scrounge like a bandit in Dec-Jan and split through the winter, stack in early spring for that year. I do ok with this, but i was helping a friend today who waits for the leaves to pop, then drops it, about May. Leaves it whole until fall, then bucks, splits and burns it. Says of course the leaves pull the moisture out. What is your opinion?


I worked on a big Oak today that I would have sworn was down 2+ years and he swears it was dropped in the spring and would be burning in the stove in Feb.

 

[Ductape]

I would stick with YOUR plan. Though I've also heard folks say they cut, leave leaves on, etc...... I ain't buying it. Far as I'm concerned, the sooner you buck and split, sooner your firewood seasons.

 

[Trapper63]

Leaves do draw out the moisture but I expect I'm like a lot of burners on here.....I cut when I have time.
It's not like that's all I have to do....lol

 

[Tim in NY]

I usually try to drop my trees (mostly beech) in the dead of winter - like February. Its easier to see whats going on in the tops when the leaves are gone, easier to skid the logs if there is some frost in the ground, and I don't sweat much that time of year. Of course some years the snow cover is a problem - I don't mess around if there is much more than a couple of inches on the ground - just makes everything too difficult. I will do felling if the snow is deep, but leave the skidding until the snow melts some.

Then I will buck the logs in the fall, and split them right into the wagon and haul it home. I am always a year ahead, so in the spring the wood goes in the shed, is stored for 18 months, and is burned the following fall. I'm just finishing hauling in the last couple of loads for the year and will be starting soon on next fall's wood. The spring windstorm we had knocked down a bunch of ash and maple on the back side of the hill, so this will be a bit more interesting than most years. So far we have had no snow..

Tim

 

[SPDRMNKY]

according to the edjumacated folks around here... in the fall, hardwood trees have a sap flow down into the roots, to get ready to go dormant for the winter...part of the cycle that includes leaf drop. then, in the spring, they have a sap flow upward from the roots...leaf pop and all that. (I know that when I cut trees in the early spring, I get sprayed with sap...seems like the chips come out in droplet form) I assume like species behave similarly in the NE and MW, but you know what can happen when you assume? so if that's all true, you'd better cut all your trees btwn Dec - Feb (pending weather) to get a head start on seasoning.

the real answer though is "yesterday" I think

 

[WoodChuck'r]

I don't cut much in the summer months. Too damn hot. I'll run into some wood in the summer, but it's not often as I just ignore it that time of year. I'm beter off waiting til fall.....

Mostly cut in the fall and spring. But winter can be just as busy too. Sometimes not though, depends....


I usually let it sit (after being split and covered) for a year. If it's being cut down in the spring though, I don't burn it that following winter. I let it sit through that winter and don't burn it til the next one. In which case it get's to season for a year and a half (sometimes longer) at times. But usually 12-14 months seasons it all just fine.

 

[sawinredneck]

If you want it to season the fastest then keep doing what you are doing! The best time to transplant a hardwood tree is December because all the sap is in the lower part of the trunk and roots and it causes less stress on the tree when spring comes.
After the leaves have fallen, the water levels drop in the top portions of the tree to the lower parts of the tree. I've heard that moisture levels could be as low as 18% up to ten ft high on larger Oaks. I cannot verify this of course.
But I think the way you are doing it is pretty solid planning.

 

[jrider]

At what time of year would you take down a healthy Northeast hardwood tree with the intention of speeding the drying time?

I just always seem to have Father Time playing against me in the firewood game. I usually take my trees down/scrounge like a bandit in Dec-Jan and split through the winter, stack in early spring for that year. I do ok with this, but i was helping a friend today who waits for the leaves to pop, then drops it, about May. Leaves it whole until fall, then bucks, splits and burns it. Says of course the leaves pull the moisture out. What is your opinion?


I worked on a big Oak today that I would have sworn was down 2+ years and he swears it was dropped in the spring and would be burning in the stove in Feb.

If you can't get out in the winter, your friend has it right. I've done this many times and am still amazed at how dry the wood is when I go to cut it up. I usually just let the tree lay until the leaves turn brown then buck it up. I prefer this method in the spring but have done it as late as August and still had great success with it. The only difference with doing it in August was, I split it up right away. I sell 60-70 cords a year (almost all of my customers have been buying from me for years now) and store all of my wood out in a field. The sun and wind it recieves out there takes care of the rest in no time.

 

[meadowsuper]

Thanks for the info. Each year I promise myself that I will get a year ahead, this year I have a good start. I at least have 1.5 cords of Red Oak that will have sat spilt for two years before I burn it. Tough for me to find an area to store another 8-9 cords out in the open for next year, i try not to let it overtake the yard

I was amazed at how dry that tree was the other day was what got me thinkin. I am dropping a few at the house this next week, and am going to stick with my usual plan<

 

[ponyexpress976]

Its as simple as basic science from 6th grade. How do you get water to evaporate fastest..either add heat, air movement or increase surface area. The more your wood is processed, the faster it will dry. Space between rows and split down to stove size as of yesterday. As posted above, winter time when the trees are dormant is when they will have the least amount of moisture in them.

 

[slowp]

To heck with the moisture. You don't want to cut the trees when the sap is starting to flow, unless they are well spaced and you are an accurate faller. That is, if you care about your standing trees.

In these parts, if you glance the falling tree off the standing trees, the bark is loose and will slab off. You have just reduced the value and maybe affected the health, of your leave tree.

In the mideast, trees are more succeptable to oak wilt when the sap is running.

Cut in the winter, if you care about the leave trees.

 

[zogger]

Any time after the leaves drop. The tree is as dry as it will get until late winter/early spring, when the sap takes off flowing again. That sap flow is the time when guys do maple sugaring.

Any other time, in the summer or whatever, I am one of those guys who waits a week or two for the leaves to shrivel, then I cut it up. No giant rush for me usually.

 

[Woodomaker]

I just dropped all that I need for next year.....I take em down before sap rises....and before wood freezes, that would dull chains.

 

[Whitespider]

Except for the little bit of help I get from the wife splitting and stacking, I do all the work alone on weekends (time permitting).
I try and put my live/green on the ground sometime in January/February when moisture levels are the lowest.
Usually pick out the ones for felling shortly after the under-brush has died off (easier to choose the fall zone).
I'll fall all of them on the same day... but it may be April before I get them all bucked.
I use April, May and into June to split, haul out of the woodlot and stack.
Did 12 cord of oak from 4 trees last year, but didn't start bucking until end of April because of the snow.
This year I have two big oaks picked (probably around 6 cord) and I still have a monster Sugar Maple I felled last February that I never got around to bucking (maybe another 3 cord)... so I'll most likely scout around the wood lot for one more medium size this year.
July, August and the first half of September I don't do firewood... too hot, humid and buggy (beer drinkin' weather in my book).
Last part of September through December I leisurely work on standing-dead, blow-downs and whatnot... filling the basement as I work.
Then comes Christmas, New years... and it's time to start all over again.

 

[meadowsuper]

I am looking forward to having some time in the cold weather this year to do some work. For us here we have had deep snow cover from before Christmas till March the last 3 years. Not nearly the worst of situations but it does shorten the enjoyable time I have to split. I too refuse to split in the heat of the summer.

Would like to catch a spell of frozen, snow free weather to maybe get ahead.

 

[zogger]

You get used to it

I am looking forward to having some time in the cold weather this year to do some work. For us here we have had deep snow cover from before Christmas till March the last 3 years. Not nearly the worst of situations but it does shorten the enjoyable time I have to split. I too refuse to split in the heat of the summer.

Would like to catch a spell of frozen, snow free weather to maybe get ahead.

--the heat, it just takes doing it. Took me a coupla years as a transplant, but I adjusted OK. It's like the Pacific northwest guys here who say if they didn't work in the rain, they wouldn't get anything done. Down here, where it gets actually not, not just sorta hot, we work all year round, even in mid summer..or we wouldn't get anything done.

Really, the big problem here is very similar to what a lot of ya'all have, access to where the wood is. Here it is mud, like now, I can't take anything into any field back to the woods or it will rut out***. I'll be walking in once a week or so for a few weeks now and dropping some, but that's it, won't be bucking or hauling out for awhile now. We may, or *may not* get a stretch of frozen enough ground (frozen deep enough) for access like in February or something, too much of a variable here. Up north, you get a double whammy, mud and too deep of snow sometimes. Here, our best access to the woods is always mid summer, ground is hardest then.

***side issue but I got to rant, good story anyway. Speaking of freaking ruts, MAN did I get hot today. Out checking the stock this morning and found a stuck Honda SUV in the fields. Obviously some bubba looking for some cheap fuel burning sport last night wanted to go do a little mud slinging bogging in the fields. I am staring at this overlapping set of ruts all over...man...I got really REALLY mad. I don't get mad like this too very often. Anyway, because the vehicle is there, tag still on it, etc, I go swell, call the cops, then while waiting for them I am gonna do a tap dance on this rig with my axe I am carrying, just a little custom bodywork...but..can't do it. It turns out it was one of the boss's friends grandson, he had to rat himself out to his folks because he got too stuck to get out. So the friend called my boss and told him, so I decided not a good idea to rearrange the sheet steel and glass on the honda..man I wanted to.

Allegedly the fun seeker is going to come back and fix the ruts..we'll see. They drug it out with a back hoe today, still some nice fat ruts I am supposed to mow over/hay come spring.

I don't get it,,,do young people ever WALK any place any more? I don't see it, every punk around here is always burning fuel in something or another. I hardly ever see anyone WALKING. Young or old. ME I know I walk, many miles a day inspecting, but I don't see anyone else. People drive down to their mailboxes, WTH??? When I was a kid, seems like we didn't drive that much, walked or rode bikes a lot, even after getting a license. I mean, is the only way to "have fun" today burning fuel and/or playing video games?

Sorry about the rant, just hate ruts. It would have been my low paid scrawny butt out there fixing them, for no more extra pay, if he hadn't gotten stuck and therefore caught.

 

[TK]

Dropped in the winter. Bucked in the late spring/early summer - moreso in the spring. Split/stacked in Septemberish. Burn in the winter. Has worked well for many years for the FIL up north.