Just a quick question from all you Seasoned Pro,s here. If I cut lets say birch,spruce type trees down this winter and stack them (Off the ground) till next fall will the dry much? Also is it better to leave them uncovered of toss a tarp over the pile?
They are like 12"Dia and full tree lengths yes was just wanting to cut & pile at home while fields snow covered and frozen
I believe birch will rot quickly of left in logs. I have heard people say they run a "zipper" down the log on a couple of sides. Esentially running there bar down the log to cut the bark to allow moisture out so it doesn't rot. I haven't any experience with this though, only heard of it. Wood doesn't dry well in log form, if much at all. It's best to split ASAP if you need it to dry.
I'd split them at least in half. Rounds that big will not season very quickly. I always recommend anything over 6-8" diameter to be split at least once. Trust me, it makes a huge difference.
They will dry if off the ground, and split. Having top cover will help a lot as well. If you leave birch in rounds or logs, and unsplit, it will rot, and it will rot fast. Split the rounds and they won't rot, but just dry.
Thanks Guys for the Info I am just trying to find something to keep busy with once these Nasty cold temps let up if the snow does not end up waist deep..
I tried the log pile storage and it did not do any drying over 1.5 years time. The bark let go, but that was it. I had ash, oak and maple in the piles. As mentioned, the wood won't start drying until cut, split and stacked off the ground.
Great advice Scotty. I have been wondering if there was a rule to splitting rounds. I have been tempted to leave some rounds (4"-6") alone and not split them and let them season to use them for longer burns in my fireplace. Next time I get my hands on some small rounds I will let them season on their own without splitting them.
The spruce will be fine. The birch may be ok, but I'd definitely unzip it and cut/split asap. It will rot fast once winter is over. No need to cover the logs unless you plan to cut in winter and don't want the pile freezing up on you - the bark covers them better than any tarp can.
The best "moisture meter" is to get on the "Three Year Plan" as advocated by a very esteemed member here!!!!!
I agree and have seen it in person a un split round stays wet and will sit in the stove like a log so I split them down till they approx 3-4"dia then leave them alone
True and i agree I just want to actually check how damp the ones on the concrete floor are verse farther up in the pile
If you have a smartphone or a tablet, but one of these from home depot. They're about $20. Walmart.com has them too. Measure Meter | RYOBI Phone Works Ryobi Phone Works Moisture Meter-ES3000 - The Home Depot They work awesome, provided you can follow the directions to install the app.
Yes, that method works, but it still won't tell you exactly what the moisture content of the wood you will be burning is.
I'm burning 3yr seasoned oak right now, and the small rounds (3-5") still sizzle. The split pieces are pretty much sizzle-free. Split wood most certainly seasons quicker than rounds.
Try and keep your stack off the floor, even if it's something as simple as using long skinny logs or limbs as runners. That little bit of airspace under your stacks makes a world of difference, trust me...
Thank you but till I found this site I figured was doing things properly . We have our wood in a pile maybe 12feet across ,8 feet high in middle and 30 feet long in one of the drive sheds (with concrete floor) There is a bunch of different types in the pile including Maple, Birch and even cut up 2x4s(pallets) .I am finding what is on the floor to be damp or perhaps just a different type of wood as it does not like to burn but splits real nice.
