just stack and go
I have 40 cords of wood every year. I live in the midwest.. S.E. michigan. You can stack the wood out in the open. The most important aspect is to keep it off the ground. You do not need to cover it if you don't want to. Wood does not absorb any water in the drying process. Any water retained from rain is evaporated the next sunny day. If you plan to store the wood over more than 3 years, I would recommend you have some type of cover over the top. Lighter woods will dryrot over time, but heavyer woods will not. look up the BTU (british thermal units) of the species you are splitting. The higher the BTU the more dense the wood and the less likely it is to dry rot. This is a rule of thum. Dry rot is a variable of disease, wood species and weather conditions... you also have fungus to deal with. Same as dry rot... o.k. enough detail. Just stack and go.. over 3 years, keep covered. more than 5 years... start to deal with P & D. My philosophy.... keep 3 years worth of wood, and split year 4 every year. When I can't split my own wood any more, then my time is near.
I have a 76 year old Czeck friend. SHE splits her own wood. I'll dump off half to one cord... she will have it split the next day! Uses a mallet and wedge. I give her easy wood, but hey, splitting is splitting.
Good luck.