Too much wood?

[JeffHK454]

In the summer/fall of 05 I fell into a nice bit of fire wood, a little too much in fact.


A local landfill undertook an expansion that required an area of land to be cleared of all trees. I lucked into permission to saw any dropped trees I wanted into firewood. I ended up with about 16-18 1ton dumps full of various hardwoods, mostly Ash,Mapel,Locust and Hedge Apple. I split about half last winter and was wondering if I should leave the rest whole to slow the seasoning process. I burn about 3 1/2 cords on a normal winter so it looks like I have about 4 years worth of wood!

Can wood be kept this long in a split state in a good moisture range for efficient heating? Can wood "over" dry?

I was going to split it all and put it under cover with open sides like I store all of the "next" years wood.

If kept off the ground and allowed to ventilate properly will this wood stay in a good condition for burning in 07,08 and 09?

I've been heating with wood for a couple years and this was a first for me.

Thanks, Jeff

 

[okietreedude1]

I think Id put an ad in the paper to sell some of it. The harder woods like the locust and hedge should last a while. The maple I doubt.

 

[Tio]

Put an ad in the paper and sell it.

Last winter I was getting on average about $150 a cord for hedge.

Probably too cheap, but I didn't have to deal with the brush. Just shoved it in a pile and burned it in the pasture. Didn't have to deliver either.

Nobody seemed to want the black locust. Don't know why. Fine burning wood.

I still have about four cords or so of that, and about ten more take-downs coming up this fall.

 

[RoosterBoy]

hi Jeff with the price of oil and gas id hold onto it and stock pile as much wood as you can to save of fuel.

if you cover the top and keep it off the ground it will last for many many years this is what i am doing i burn 2 cords of wood a year i have 12 cords now so I'm all set for oil prices to rise i am keeping it covered and off the ground it's all different hard woods

thanks
Jason

 

[Tio]

Always having a surplus, I always think sell, sell, sell!

But roosterboy is correct.

Stacked off of the ground and covered it will last until you burn it all.

As for being too dry to efficiently heat your house . . .?

Who cares about efficiency as long as you are not paying for heating oil?

Keep your pipe clean and don't run your stove too hot and you will be fine.

When I was young, my Grandpa would burn anything that burned. When he burned pine, he threw a handful of table-salt into the stove every so often.

Said it kept the creosote down.

Don't know for sure if it worked or not, but come time to brush out. . . mostly white flakes instead of dark sticky sh*t.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I think that you are right in thinking to keep some of it in rounds unsplit will slow the aging process-especially the Locust and Ash will keep that way. Maple should be split and burned-it can get "pithy" (soft). Split what you need and then some for the immediate future, but I'd keep the rounds stacked horizontally on top of each other (bark-to-bark) not standing upright on top of each other (cut side to cut side)-all kinds of junk grows on them that way! Hope that this makes sense-good luck! Your problem is a "good" problem to have-lots of wood!

 

[Gark]

IMHO, burn the maple soon as you can but save the other for future years. I would split and stack the remainder for future soon as you can and store it covered and off the ground (as previous replies say). The drier you can get and keep the future fuel, the better. Any bugs and microbes need water with their wood and without it, they dessicate or move out. A good problem to have for sure- "too much wood".

 

[DeanBrown3D]

Its no good, it will be aweful by next year, not worth keeping. Let me come over and take it off your hands and save you all this future trouble!

 

[gslam88]

Well I would sell the extra.. in my area we get $100 for a half to just south of me $300 a cord... people are already calling for it and already making deliveries...

Pete