How's your "seasoning" season going?

[Steve_in_SEMich]

My inventory for the upcoming burn season is fine, but I'm only 1/2 ready for next year. It's been so damn hot/humid, I've been able to find many other priorities to work/play on. Usually, 3-4 weeknights and a cool weekend day per month are used for splitting/stacking. This year, just once in May & June. I've been able to bring home plenty of rounds and gather some nice Ash from our own property, but only split 2 face cord. I'll have to get after it once the humidity and temp drops down to an acceptable level. I mean, a guy can only drink so much beer to keep his core temperature in the safe zone.

 

[Wood Scrounge]

it's been dry and hot here, I have a cord an a half of beech that looks like it would ignite if I stared at it long enough.

 

[USMC0802]

I have 2 cords of red oak that have been seasoning for two summers to go through and then I'll get into a pile of 2+ cords of mixed walnut, locust, etc that by the time I get to it, it will have seasoned for about a year.

I have a pile of rounds to split next weekend, but not enough for all of next winter yet. I'm hoping to have enough rounds piled up by January/February to split soon after that to have 4-5 cords drying for 2011-2012 and then the rest of the spring I can cut for the following year before it gets stupid hot and humid again.

 

[nixon]

I'm ahead by a bit over 2 years right now . 5 cords in the shed with close to 3 stacked outside ,and covered . So, seasoning season is good for Me .
I've got another 6 cords in work for about 3 years down the road ,and a tri-axle load of oak that I'm awaiting delivery on . My goal is to get about 4-5 years ahead ,and then kind of ease up a bit .

 

[cat-face timber]

This year we have had hot and dry weather here compared to last summer when it seemed as though it rained 9 out of 10 days. I have an excellent location to season my wood that is wide open to the sun and wind but last year was tough. This year has been the complete opposite.

Here are some of my stacks that have been sitting about 14-15 months with 2+ more months to go before heating season typically starts.

Nooooo, that wood will not burn for you!!!
I can take care of that for you!
You can send it to me, and I will "take care" of it.

Just kidding,

That wood looks great!
I will keep you are yours nice and warm!

 

[3fordasho]

My seasoning season is going so well, that for the first time this year I've been slightly paranoid about a woodpile arsonist. Be it a true villain, a cigarette tossed, or a disturbed child that would likely have red hair and a bowl haircut playing with matches. My wood pile is so dry, even with 2.5 months to go, that I fear for my safety.

Actually, this has been a recent concern of mine as well. With close to 20 cords out back, much of it plenty seasoned, if one of those stacks caught fire somehow.. it would not be pretty. Anyone else worry about this?
I also have a neighbor to the north who's not so happy that I cut off his free wood supply They're also not so carefull with the fireworks after they've had a few (dozen).

 

[woodbooga]

Got about 8-9 cords fully seasoned. About 2 cords in the barn unburnt from last winter. Lotta white birch and red & silver maple in there. Good hardwoods for mildweather burning.

Out back, there's 6 or 7 cords. White oak will be 2 years seasoned before it sees a bed of coals. Got a lot of deadfall/standing dead red oak that's dried plenty in the year since cut. Ditto with the fresh fell red maple and ash.

Got a lot of pine, hemlock, and punkmaple for Sep-Nov. and April-June heating.

Weather's looking good the next couple days. Going to probably get to a red oak blowdown I've been eyeing. Looking forward to filling the forest air with the enchanting aroma of oakwhiff and laying some salmon-colored on the ground.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Overall, it's been good seasoning weather here.

Yesterday, on the other hand, was not so good. I got over 4" of rain yesterday, with a lot of it coming more or less sideways:

 

[7hpjim]

not to bad seems to be drying pretty good, stacked this spring
http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af131/hupacl394/101_2644.jpg
http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af131/hupacl394/101_2643.jpg

 

[ct greenman]

I have 3.5 cord stacked it should be ok for this winter. The wood is a mix of Ash,Beech,Oak and maple.

 

[J.W Younger]

I have about 12 cords stacked(may fall over)with 8+ ready to go.Much better drying weather this year than last.
Ever notice how the stacks lean towards the side that drys faster?

 

[Outlander]

We didn't have a seasoning season this year. It has been a soaking season. Set new records for rainfall here in SW Iowa. We have the heat and we have the humidity.

The standing dead elm I felled and split in May hasn't dried much this summer but we put 2 cords in the woodshed today. It was stacked in a perfect place for drying and it isn't to wet. Now that it's in the shed it should be ready to go by Jan. The other 2 cords will go into the shed next weekend. I have 3 cords left over from last year in the same shed so I should have enough to get me through the winter.

I have some Red Oak that I was hoping would be ready this winter but I'm not counting on it now. Last summer wasn't to bad for seasoning and it was looking good. It doesn't look much different now. I have about 4 cords that I will put in the shed but will wait until 11-12 unless we have a really long, hard winter. It will be the last to burn.

I'm hoping this heat and humidity breaks so I can get started on some more standing dead elm for next year's supply. I have a neverending supply of trees to fell, lots of Elm and Red Oak, I just need weather to get it down, split, stacked and dried.

 

[vwboomer]

I was splitting some kindling today and decided to test split some of my stacks.
Since 75% of my drying space is around the walls of my shed, it's not ideal. The outside row dries ok, the inside doesn't.
The particular stack 60%ash, 30 beech and 10oak. After a year and a half anything over about 6" split was 28-35%. And wood lice everywhere.


My winter wood is up on the top hill in a slightly breezier sunnier location. I couldn't really get at much of that due to close stacks but the ash seems to be about 20-25.

I wish I had better solutions but my yard doesn't permit it. My best stack is about 2.5 cords of oak for next year with good wind/sun exposure.

It's been a horribly wet, humid summer which isn't helping. Still though, I'm anxious to get to the burning part of the year

 

[05mxdiesel]

This year has been amazing for wood drying but everything else has suffered. I have not cut my grass in 6 weeks, its been so dry. Next spring I am going to reseed a bunch of my yard because most of the grass died. I just wish my wood was out in the open and not under a roof. The p.o. of my house had a carport added on to my garage for his motorhome with blacktop under it and that is where my wood is, doesn't get a lot of sun.

 

[Marc]

Little rain, lots of humidty. Could be better. The 15 or so cord of sugar maple and white ash from last year is the back up pile, and maybe some to sell to neighbors and friends. ~ 4 cords of ash, cherry, maple and some oak from two years ago is this winter's fuel. One to two cords of red oak cut last winter stacked separately as well, that stuff was quite wet. Won't be ready for another year at least.

 

[KD57]

It's been so dry and hot here, triple digits for over a month and .8" of rain since April 19th, all my trees start to season as I start the face cut, then fully cured by the time it hits the ground. It looks like 4 year old deadfall by the time I get it bucked up and split.

 

[Adam_MA]

This year has been WAY better than last! Last year, we had rain just about every other day. This year, the wood I cut and split this spring seems like I could easily burn it this winter, but this years wood has been cut, split, and stacked since last spring. All of it is very light grey, and nice and dry. I have this years and next years wood all stacked, and the following years wood is in rounds, waiting on the cooler weather to split.

I feel for you folks who have had a very wet year, we were in the same boat last year!

 

[woodhaven]

This has been a great year for seasoning around here. Lots of hot windy weather with rain maybe once every two weeks. I was late getting my wood this year, didn't get it until june and it looks ready to burn now. I have started cutting off a woodlot to get a head start on next year but I bet the maple I cut last week and split today will be ready to burn this winter if need be, it is already starting to split on the ends.