How neccessary is sun to dry firewood?

[johndeereg]

I moved into a new house and it's mostly all shade. There are many large trees, but it's not a dense shade like a solid forest. There is one area that receives some morning sun, but it is further from the house for winter to bring it in and I would enjoy splitting wood in the shade areas since the morning sun spot is near the neighbors. I'm wondering if it's going to work out ok to stack firewood in the shade or if I should put it in the morning sun area even though it's not as convenient. thanks!

 

[turnkey4099]

I moved into a new house and it's mostly all shade. There are many large trees, but it's not a dense shade like a solid forest. There is one area that receives some morning sun, but it is further from the house for winter to bring it in and I would enjoy splitting wood in the shade areas since the morning sun spot is near the neighbors. I'm wondering if it's going to work out ok to stack firewood in the shade or if I should put it in the morning sun area even though it's not as convenient. thanks!

Sun on a pile only heats up the top and the side facing the sun and evern there it doesn't heat it up much. The most important for drying is air circulation through the stacks. Given choice between sun and no air circulaton or deep shade with good air flow - I'll take the deep shade any day.

Harry K

 

[Nosmo]

Seasoning

I believe as long as it is stacked and kept dry it will season. It may take longer with no sunshine directly on the stack. The wind is a great helper in seasoning wood.

I have several stacks that get no sunshine but are under cover of a roof at the entrance to my shop. They all have seasoned well.

Nosmo

 

[RiverRocket]

I think it would depend. If your wood is already somewhat dry or if it's green when you stack it.
If it's somewhat green it will rot or get punky if you stack it in full shade?
I would at least make sure you cover the top of it. I cut some cherry a couple of years ago and instead of bringing it down to the house I just ranked it and left it up in the woods in full shade. The following fall I went to throw it on the trailer and it was really punky. I cut hard Maple and left it stacked in the woods and it was ok for about two years and then started to get punky.
I think it would depend on the species of wood. Locust, Oak, Hickory and some others would probably be ok for a while.
Cherry, Maple,Pine,Ash and similar would probably rot. (Just my experience)

 

[haveawoody]

You can dry wood in a shaded area, just takes longer.
In an open air barn silver maple is around 9 months, outdoors in a sunny windy location 3 months.
I would expect outdoors in a less than sunny location hardwood that normally takes 6 months to dry will take 9 or 10 months and longer in a rainy season.
If you can find a sunny spot it will be better since a shaded area will also take longer to dry wood back up between rain storms adding to the length of drying time.

Wind, sun and rain.
If any two of them are bad it = rot.

 

[savageactor7]

We live in the graveyard of the clouds and I think it's vital to have morning sun on any uncovered wood stacked outside. Sure the wind will dry and eventually season firewood...but that's still second to our friend the sun.

 

[stihlonlynow]

The wood I put in airy sheds dried down just fine in a few months. Getting it off the ground and covered is key. A friend did a study years ago where he weighed four freshly split chunks. He put one in the garage one in an open shed one outside and one outside covered. The one in the open shed lost weight the quickest. My 20 dollar wood moisture meter is pretty accurate. I will go test some wood that I put in a shed at the end of April.

 

[CTYank]

Heat has a lot to do with drying wood, both in terms of equilibrium MC and drying rate.

All things else being equal, stacking where exposed to full sunlight makes a big difference. IMHO.

Some Northern Red Oak that I tossed into a south-facing, well-ventilated, roofed bin last (2012) spring burned great last winter; of course it was buzzed to 8" length for my little stove and that helped too, to let the moisture leave.

I wouldn't expect much from shaded stacks, except maybe in Arizona or Nevada.

 

[D&B Mack]

I think wind and humidity are more important. My wood seasons in the shade (under trees). But if you are getting shade from trees, those same trees may also be cutting down the amount of wind passing through your stacks. In this scenario, you have to be more cognoscente of the typical direction of wind (the direction of which you stack) and vigilante of keeping your stacks covered properly.

 

[cnice_37]

Wow, 8 replies and no one got the answer correct.

Well, first off, welcome to A.S.

Secondly, for the answer.... drum roll please....


Cut down those trees!

 

[TeeMan]

In my experience firewood seasons the best with exposure to the elements (rain, wind, sun, even the winter). I would suggest having a closer pile to your house for winter access to stack the seasoned wood on in the shade and the main pile in the sun. As noted earlier, air circulation is more key though.

 

[slowp]

What is this sun that you speak of?

For those of us who live in the rain forest, a roof is more important. The wind will help to dry the wood. My pile gets only a few hours of sun this time of the year--we get about 9 months of drizzle and rain. I get dry and seasoned wood. I even use :msp_scared: a tarp to cover the top. Note that I said top. The sides of your pile should be kept open for air circulation.

Punky wood from being in the shade? I don't think so. Punk is caused by rot. Rot usually occurs when wood is sitting directly on the ground.
Punky wood also occurs naturally from rot already in the live tree. We call the start of it, white speck. So elevate and stick a roof over it.
Leave the sides open. It'll dry.

 

[slowp]

Wow, 8 replies and no one got the answer correct.

Well, first off, welcome to A.S.

Secondly, for the answer.... drum roll please....


Cut down those trees!

No way. I take pride in having trees on my place and I even plant a few more each spring. The answer is air circulation.

 

[H 2 H]

No way. I take pride in having trees on my place and I even plant a few more each spring. The answer is air circulation.

Yep; air circulation :msp_wink:

 

[slowp]

View attachment 309213

 

[Fred Wright]

All of our stacks are in shade... there's tall trees around the yard, nowhere else to stack it, really. It doesn't get much sun (in summer) but it gets plenty of air flow. A decent gap between the racks helps. After a couple years of drying time it's good to burn.

Where some folks go wrong, they stack green wood next to or against a structure or fence that blocks air movement. It may get good sun exposure but there's no air flow to really dry it well.

 

[zogger]

I have tried just a big variety of stacking methods. I have found good airflow, with the stack elevated up somehow so air can get in under the wood, combined with a loose stack works the best. Obviously a sunny spot in addition to that is better, but there are plenty of woodsheds out there where the wood gets little to no sun, but good air, and it dries.

Just remember if you put a stack under trees, in the fall leaves would cover it up at the top and sit there and start to rot and turn to mold, etc. Better to have a tarp on just the top or something you can fling off on drier days and then the leaves will fall off as well.

 

[H 2 H]

Air flow

My wood shed is completely empty right now (this is last years pic) all my firewood for this season is still seating in the wood's stacked up; do I have any volunteers help bring it home and stack t n the wood shed

 

[Whitespider]

How necessary is sun to dry firewood??

It ain't necessary, but it will dry a lot slower without it... and it will rot a lot sooner.
Single row stacks in a shady but open area, with a generous air space on both sides, off the ground or on a moisture barrier, your firewood will dry as long as there is some air movement. But if the stack is sheltered from the prevailing wind... well... good luck

People confuse firewood seasoning with firewood storage... and most hardwood firewood does not store well in heavy shade. Even with good air movement, and depending on when it was stacked, 18 to 24 months is as long as I would want it sitting in heavy shade... any sign of moss, mushrooms, mildew and whatnot is a sure sign it's been sitting there way too long already. Firewood stores best in an open, breezy area, with lots and lots of sun... and, contrary to belief, it stores best without any sort of cover.

Storing firewood in an open area where sun exposure can be maximized, without any sort of cover, will minimize all the things that accelerate the rotting process... insects, molds and mildews, rodents, mushrooms and whatnot. If such an area ain't available, the second best choice for "storage" (not "seasoning") is a woodshed... after a few months of "seasoning" you move the firewood to the woodshed for "storage". Honestly, until I joined this board, I'd never heard of anyone putting unseasoned firewood under any sort of cover or roof... 'round here woodsheds are for "storage", not "seasoning". Heck, if someone saw me putting a cover or roof over green firewood they'd likely call the loony bin.

 

[NDtreehugger]

From what I have found,

I had some Elm in a garage for years it did season and was some of the best wood I ever had, Took years.

One year like this year we had too much rain so I stored 3 cords in the garage kept the doors open there was lots of heat in the garage and the humidity was horrible, the wood did season but not all the way.

Direct sun will heat the pile a warm breeze will carry the moisture away from the wood.

The best wood you can have no doubt is sun dried. I need to expand my wood storage,
This winter I will be removing 10 trees to have sun for the wood pile. If I ever stop needed the wood storage space Ill have a nice garden.

I second the motion, cut them trees down.