drying times

[Wood Scrounge]

This winter (09-10) I will be rellying on woods that I have never burnt in great quantity before and I am trying to figure out the order I need to stack in.
Which will season first pig nut hickory or cherry?
I have burnt both many times before but never had to rely on them for heat.

 

[hutch3912]

I know up here cherry drys fast. But we only burn really crappy cherry for firewood.

 

[woodbooga]

I haven't handled much green cherry, but what I have had seemed to dry a little longer than red maple. Hickory's northern range ends about 25 miles south of me, so I never seem to get any.

Not to hijack the thread, but an addendum to the OP: I'm into about 3/4 cord of white oak. The stuff's about as rare as hen's teeth this far north and I don't get much - so this is a real treat.

How does it compare to red oak in terms of seasoning?

 

[Wood Scrounge]

red and white oak are my staples I will only burn them after 18 months and feel much better about it after 24 months. they seem to season the same in my area, white oak MAYBE a little quicker.

 

[xcr440]

We only have shagg bark hickorys here so I don't know about the species you are talking about. The cherry we have here can dry in a 3-4 months. Hickorys can take up to 18 months before they put out some serius btu's.

 

[burroak]

This winter we burned some cherry that I had cut and split in Jan. 08, and some that I had cut and split in Spring of 07. Both burned about the same. The older cherry looked just like the newer cherry. I think it should stay good for a few more years. The bark on the old cherry wasn't even breaking off yet. It's good wood.

Hickory I don't have any experience with.

 

[outdoorlivin247]

Cherry seasons fast...Less than a year easily IMO...Pignut has a very low moisture count from the get go, but I like to put it on the begining of the 2 year pile for best heat...I have burnt it in a year or less, but like most dense hardwoods 18 months to two years is best...

 

[Hlakegollum]

Maybe stack the cherry as the base and then the hickory up higher in the pile so it can dry faster?

 

[J.W Younger]

white oak is denser than red oak, but there may be another reason it seems to season slower (for me at least). white oak seems too seal itself up on the ends. its also the wood used for liquor barrels. may be someone more knowlegeable can weigh in here. cherry seasons fairly fast and stores ok if you keep it off the ground and covered. same with hickory, but it will rot fast if left on the ground

 

[flotek]

bucked split cherry i na single row seasons 6-9 months depnding on wind and sun ..the hickory probably double that amount of time.

 

[Joshlaugh]

I cut several cherry trees this past spring. I split and stacked them and they are currently being burned in my stove without any problems. Another plus it that cherry splits easy although it tends to rot fast if left on the ground or constantly rained on.

To add to others questioning about about seasoning. What about sugar maple and bitternut hickory. I cut and stacked them back in September and hoped to burn them by December(so approx 15 months). Does that seem doable?

 

[wkpoor]

If sugar maple is similar to silver maple I split a bunch of it last spring and burned it all winter. Seemed to do well for us but left alot of ash.

 

[abohac]

I'd have to go with the cherry