Seasoning wood

[gobucks07]

How long should wood typically be "seasoned" before burning? If I cut trees (green) thru say June-July will it be ready to burn by fall burning season?

Also, if wood starts to rot from being on the ground can it be split and stacked and seasoned to burn later? I have a lot of down trees with some that are getting soft on a side....

 

[WoodTick007]

How long should wood typically be "seasoned" before burning? If I cut trees (green) thru say June-July will it be ready to burn by fall burning season? No

Also, if wood starts to rot from being on the ground can it be split and stacked and seasoned to burn later? I have a lot of down trees with some that are getting soft on a side....

Kut them into rounds and let them season where they are..... and when splitting just throw the punky wood into the firepit

 

[PA Plumber]

I don't know if you have tried a search on this or not, but there is a lot of reading on firewood, preferences, when to cut, how to stack, etc.

Getting the wood off of the ground helps delay rot. Of course some are more likely to go "soft" than others.

I have had pretty good luck with the softer maples being ready by the following heating season. Up off the ground and a sunny place help a lot. Oaks, Hickory, and I would guess Beech, need at least a year to be properly seasoned.

 

[Logjam]

Type of wood?

All depend on the type of wood you are seasoning. Most hard woods that are green will take 8-10 mnths of good drying time (off the ground) at least in this neck of the woods. if you think you have wood that starting to rott. Best is to split it ASAP, and throw into a big pile where it is. This way you'll get most of it off the ground and be ready to stack later. Just my.02

 

[Jimfound]

Hey gobucks

the answer to your question is largely dependant on the species of wood. I can say almost across the board that if you cut in June-July (green) then you are definitely pushing it if you wish to burn in the fall.

A good a good rule of thumb is one calendar year from splitting to burning (for green wood). Storing in full sun and wind will help, but still a year is typical season time.

I just cut up an old oak tree last weekend that had been dead standing for who knows how long, and on the ground since december this year. I am burning it now. It burns great...outside 1/4" is punky but the rest is hard like algebra...of course, thats not green wood. You'll know if the wood is crap when you cut it.

 

[NYH1]

After my firewood is cut and split I usually wait until the following year to burn it. In other words what I'm going to cut and split this summer 2007, I won't burn until the winter of 2008/2009. Most of my firewood is cherry and maple.

I have gotten away with burning some wood that I cut and split in May or June and burned it the following February and March. That summer was very hot and I store my firewood in my garage. If it's 90 degrees out side, the garage gets to be about 110 degrees plus. That seems to help dry it out. I still should have waited a whole year though.

 

[blis]

Thumbrule should be to cut the wood year before youre going to use it, that way you always have dry wood to burn...

 

[Mr. Firewood]

this year I am going to push it some, I want to be done splitting at the end of may for 07/08 and my new processor is about 1/3 done, wont be long and it will be workin!

 

[hbbyloggr]

this year I am going to push it some, I want to be done splitting at the end of may for 07/08 and my new processor is about 1/3 done, wont be long and it will be workin!

Good luck with your new machine. What are you running for power?

I'm going to start processing for the fall when the ground thaws,and it stops snowing ??????????????? Who knows when that will happen here in NH !

 

[Mr. Firewood]

powering it with either a 3cyl 18hp Kubota diesel or 20 hp Briggs twin... for splitting and when I want to saw I have a 13hp Honda to spin a 30" carbide saw blade to cut 12" wood... yea I know not the biggest but it will split wood and cut too

 

[CSalsman]

If the tree is alive when you cut it, leave it alone until all the leaves turn brown and curl up before you cut it into logs and split it. It makes a difference. If you cut and split it, it will dry out much faster than laying on the ground whole.

If it's dead, but still has the bark, it wont take long to dry out if you cut it up, split it, and stack it right.

If it's standing dead and the bark is gone, why, that's the best there is! It's ready to go.

 

[ropensaddle]

well I agree with drying time ,however I burn green wood just cut red oak,
white oak, really anything I can fit in my outside furnace as my flew is
not going out or near my roof!! I usually sell seasoned wood and burn green trash wood and keep a little dry wood to mix with green to keep coals til mourning this works best for me!!! Green wood will burn slow a little less hot but I heat with wood only and don't like to crawl out of bed at four! When gets real cold put a few dry sticks of hickory in there and if need emergency heat a whole pine knot will get er cookin lol.

 

[Mr. Firewood]

I find that used tires work best in my OWB for quick heat in the morning if I let the temp get too far down, pine is ok but the tires are better, smokes like a detroit diesel engine though

 

[drmiller100]

wow.

 

[hbbyloggr]

I find that used tires work best in my OWB for quick heat in the morning if I let the temp get too far down, pine is ok but the tires are better, smokes like a detroit diesel engine though

I hope you're not serious. With all the bad press about the OWB's out there a comment like that is irresponsible. Find some wood to burn.

 

[ericjeeper]

On No not the tire deal again

We have already decided that OWB stands for outdoor wood boiler ,not outdoor whatever boiler. I fell this is going to take this post and take it dearly off topic.

 

[Mr. Firewood]

wow.

I thought I hit the wink smilie button but I guess I didnt. NO I don't burn tires in mine., I just posted that to see what kind of reaction it would get..... I only burn seasoned quartered oak and maple

 

[hbbyloggr]

I thought I hit the wink smilie button but I guess I didnt. NO I don't burn tires in mine., I just posted that to see what kind of reaction it would get..... I only burn seasoned quartered oak and maple

Good Boy http://www.arboristsite.com/images/smilies/wink.gif

Now I can sleep at night.

How's the splitter coming? Up and running yet?

 

[builttoughf350]

i dont make much money off firewood and really dont care to... dont get many orders for it either.

ive just got a small splitter and bring home some of the wood from trees i remove for customers, the junky stuff goes into my firepit for bonfires, and the oak, ash, birch, and some maple gets cut into 16" split and stacked to be sold.

just for reference- i split some oak+maple last spring around april to early may- my friend needed wood in november. i told him i didnt know if it was "Ready" yet but i dropped off a couple handfuls for him to burn in his fireplace- he said it burned fine so i delivered a cord and a half to him, which he said all burned fine also. thats only 6 months of drying time...

we did have a fairly dry season last year, alot of very hot dry days, so that might have helped quite a bit.

a couple weeks ago i split a cord and a half and stacked it, this year its mostly ash which dries faster than oak in my opinion and have a bit more to cut and split then ill probably be done splitting for this winter. i plan to cover it this year, either tarp or plywood across the top to keep the rain out of it. i feel this should be perfectly fine for this year.

as for bonfires, a friend of mine grabbed wood from the wrong pile one time, a dead oak tree i split a few days before, and threw it onto a decent fire we had going... to my surprise it took and burned perfect... get the fire hot enough ANYTHING will burn!

 

[Mtnman4ever]

i dont make much money off firewood and really dont care to... dont get many orders for it either.

ive just got a small splitter and bring home some of the wood from trees i remove for customers, the junky stuff goes into my firepit for bonfires, and the oak, ash, birch, and some maple gets cut into 16" split and stacked to be sold.

just for reference- i split some oak+maple last spring around april to early may- my friend needed wood in november. i told him i didnt know if it was "Ready" yet but i dropped off a couple handfuls for him to burn in his fireplace- he said it burned fine so i delivered a cord and a half to him, which he said all burned fine also. thats only 6 months of drying time...

we did have a fairly dry season last year, alot of very hot dry days, so that might have helped quite a bit.

a couple weeks ago i split a cord and a half and stacked it, this year its mostly ash which dries faster than oak in my opinion and have a bit more to cut and split then ill probably be done splitting for this winter. i plan to cover it this year, either tarp or plywood across the top to keep the rain out of it. i feel this should be perfectly fine for this year.

as for bonfires, a friend of mine grabbed wood from the wrong pile one time, a dead oak tree i split a few days before, and threw it onto a decent fire we had going... to my surprise it took and burned perfect... get the fire hot enough ANYTHING will burn!

I use a trap to cover my fire wood wha tI do is get a bunch old Swiming pool covers they have a black sideanda Silver side . I put them over the wood and tie tem tightly sat a slight angle to allow water to run off placing the black side up and theb silver side down along with haveing bushes to shelter them I built a bit more ofa shelter with a the tarps . I get trhem for free asa favor for doing a bit triming and prunning as a side job the property owners get new ones every year so i have bunch of them and it seems to be alot wrmer under the tarp and the is air circualting so i think the wood is drying faster . i do not sell a lot maybe 40 cord so i do have a huge blakc sqaure shped thing on our land .


My customers seem, to think it dries the wood better . I also keep it off the gropund with pallets I just makea floor of them and srack my wood
leaving it on the ground will cause it to rot, how fast depends on specis
from what i understand the wood actaully strarts drying as soon as you cut it down as it no n longer has a watersupply as in roots if you limb it and the leaves are gone it will dry faster yet as leaves will give the wood some moisture. part of why you see litle trees sprouting on a blow down
.