Yes, generally I segregate Oak stacks. That being said, if I need a small amount more to complete that stack, I'll add in something else to complete it. I'm not too fussy, too many things going on in my life to fuss over each split. Besides, Mrs. Mt. Man does a lot of baking/cooking on the propane cook stove, and doesn't want to use the best wood during the day as it makes the house too hot. Unless it's subzero.
I just looked at the OP's picture again. The largest splits (next to the stove) aren't all the same length, nor are they stacked with all the ends even. And that box of kindling is cock-eyed. Leaves a little to be desired OCD-wise.
I pull out pine and other softwood and anything punky for shoulder season. I also have separate bins for kindling. Most of the rest is oak anyway.
That's all that I'm thinking of also... "..the moistures under 18, think I'll be burning some pi-IiIiIine, hey hey hey, let's burn today !" use your imagination.
Seriously you guys??? I’m just gonna be tickled if this year I have enough dry wood to last the season before it starts. I’ve never been close to accomplishing that before. Almost got a rack full that won’t be to embarrassing to show you. I’m thinking I might have all I need for the season after this weekend, but that’s just a wild ash guess because I’ve never kept track how much I use
I try to separate them to an extent, but I can tell what kind of wood it is even after it's in splits. I save the locust, shagbark, beech, sugar maple, oak, and ironwood for the cold nights.
I keep the stacks organized as far as what was split/ when. It's mostly Lodgepole so it's not difficult. I do have 2 cord of Osage set aside, and 3/4 cord of Black Walnut with some Ash mixed in. But it would be tough to mistake either of those for Lodgepole.
All of my wood is scrounged...hard to keep it all one length...That's one thing I am not particularly OCD about, as long as it fits in the stove. My outside racks are mostly a mix of ash, maple and cherry. I have 2 cords of red oak and black locust separated ready to burn this season, and 2 more for next year. My indoor woodbin as of early October. That's always mixed wood. I choose what I want to stack by the stove according to the temps. Premium oak all nighters get pulled out and set aside for reserves. Most of these have been on reserve for 3 years now. I can't push myself to use them yet. I guess i will have to this year before they get too dry.
I also have large oak splits reserved to one day be “all nighters” . My oldest splits are still only 2-2.5 years old though so I have not yet encountered anything that is “too dry”. I keep waiting and checking periodically but last I checked they were still at 27% on the interior.
Birch gets stacked separately, because I use it for kindling. Oak as well, because of drying time. Black locust because I save it for deep cold weather. Shoulder season wood, poplar, boxelder, ailanthus, basswood, catalpa, is mixed in its own little shed. Pine is in the porch off the living room for fireplace use. Maple is separate because... why not. Apple and cherry have their own stacks. I do have some mixed racks of different species, scrounged wood that I got in small quantities. So yeah, OCD. I think I got it from my mother.
This is my biggest sort. Or if I think I’ve found some kind of hard maple (super dense boards from pallets) I sort in the big stacks, anything that is predominantly oak, it gets put away because I would hate burning something of limited quantity around me out of ridiculous abandon when I’ve got plenty of other wood that works best for the situations I have on a regular basis. If it dips below freezing for a bit it’s going in. Better to burn it in the evening because if it’s clear out and burning in the morning, the thermal solar gain potentially gets high. Having a little oak goes a long way in the night.
There's no such thing as too dry for firewood. It does give and take moisture. In the case with oak, it just takes a long time to give up moisture due the the cell structure. I get a lot of scrounged wood, so I fully understand the odd cuts sometimes. I'm not OCD about the length of the splits, as long as they fit in my stove. At this point in the year, I try to burn all the uglies and shorts, as well as just a bit too long cuts. Those get put in diagonally in the stove. Criss cross applesauce style. ( Thanks FHC, I picked that one up here ) I let the stove burn the evidence of imperfect firewood. Speaking of which, I need to pick out about 5 pieces of artisinal firewood for my wife's wicker basket that stores firewood by the stove. Someone stole a few splits. You know what they say, happy wife, happy life.
Haha Well this is why the majority of us are here sometimes, such a selection of choosing which wood goes into which bin can be a moot point. If you see 3-4 of us standing by together admiring a split, it’s as if you stumbled upon a wood college and those are the esteemed alumni. But really I’m joking, the good and plenty of us here do such collections since it’s going somewhere it’s not an aimless thing to collect for heat. Those kindling bins have purpose and that’s as good as we like it to be. Burn your kindling if you see it add up on a regular basis, helps to cull the piles down and if that forms on a mindless thing then it’s never a problem for you. I’m just as guilty of filling kindling bins with cedar shakes and panels here, come in plentiful amounts during the summer when most fences or roof/sidings are built. Cut offs are just the best kinda kindling because usually it’s not this long thing to saw down to. Hatchet, small round of wood and a chair with these cut offs, you’re ready for a couple weeks of burning in no time.
