Not sure if it even makes much of a difference, but i usaually put a few courses of black locust on my pallets first and then the rest of whatever wood. I like the idea of the wood clostest to the ground being able to last well. No locust this year. Whats my next best option? This would be for 18/19.
Probably oak heartwood splits. Oak sapwood definitely isn't and black birch and cherry are definitely not rot resistant. I can't comment on mockernut as none has ever come my way.
Not on your list. Most rot resistant is hedge. We have fence posts made of it that are over 50 years old and just driven into the dirt. They look like you cut them last fall if you scrape the outside surface to reveal the wood.
How about another layer of skids to get more airflow? or stone and plastic under your skids to hold the moisture down?
i vote for cedar we have tons of red cedar here, problem is i always pass on it (scrounge) as it has a tendency to burn hot and fast. so i go after other species
Couple of courses of Pine on Pallets. Or double stack your pallets. How long do you plan to have them stacked before you use them?
Pallets are already on stone. Will be outside 2.5 years topcovered and then brought into barn at end of summer. Dont wanna do a second row of pallets and the ones down already are 4-ways. I am overthinking this im sure of it. I have never had a problem but i have always laid locust down first. The only other options are tulip poplar and soft maple.
I think he is asking which of the woods he has (the woods on the list) is most rot resistant, not which wood out of all possible woods is most rot resistant. From the list the oak is most rot resistant, but oak also takes longest to dry. The wood on the bottom of the stack dries the least, because the ground supplies moisture and the effect of sun and wind are less at the bottom. Oak is also the best firewood of the bunch, so by placing the oak on the bottom you are likely to get very poorly seasoned oak. I would find something else to raise the piles up so that none of the firewood has to be too close to the ground. I like the idea of more pallets.
Remember, it's just small sections of a tree, no need to go overboard thinking about an optimal drying scenario. It'll all dry out enough. Just let it get some air. Just might take a bit longer one way vs. another.
I'd disagree that oak is the best firewood on his list as all hickorys have higher btu's, and are more sense than oaks. I'd still say that oak is the best species he has for the intended purpose of rot resistance though.
