How to arrange your winter burn pile

I know this has probably been beat to death, but how do you arrange your winter burn pile? We talk a lot about shoulder wood.
I have about 2 cords of 1 year old Ash, 1/2 cord 2 year-old Beech and 1 1/2 cord of 3 year oak. to burn this year. I bring my wood up to the house and it is stacked in 3 16 ft. rows. In the past I have made a row of shoulder stuff on the north and south side and row of good stuff going down the middle. We use the north row first and work south. It has worked fairly well unless we get an early or late snap of super cold weather. Also, if my wife or grandson brings in the wood, they tend to grab whatever wood is closest to the door.
I am wondering if I would be better served to mix couple of layers of the goods stuff every 3 or 4 layers of the Ash. That way I would be burning a mixture all season.

 

Aside from shoulder wood, I'll burn a mix, just like I have it stacked outside.

 

I mix mine all together for the most part. Sometimes I get a lot of one style, so that will all be css and I'll dig into that depending on where in the pile it is/time of season.
Winters can be so different here and my house doesn't take much to heat.
I don't burn wood unless it is going to be below 30F outside for 8 hours or more. Otherwise I'm opening windows and doors.
I'll just let the gas furnace do the work.

 

Mine is all stacked on a deck, right next to the house door that goes through wood stove. I tend to do shoulder season wood on the first row and the last row. And the good stuff in between. Since I stacked all about 6 feet high. If I need some of the better stuff I just reach across and grab it.

 

Yep, shoulder wood first and last with gradually increasing then decreasing BTU wood. It's all very scientific-y.

 

I have almost a week's worth of hardwood and oak on the porch.
I keep a bin at my mom's that holds several days worth so if I can't get up there today she doesn't have to go far. She also has a shed I keep a week's worth in.

I'll replenish from stacks that are not very close to the house so I tend to keep an eye on the weather.

Bigger bins is on my to do list.

 

I am intrigued by a well thought out, BTU conscious wood plan but we just don't get that cold here in Western WA. I have a woodshed in which I mix Fir, hardwoods and some kindling wood. Two buckets of kindling and two wheelers of firewood in the garage and we are good for a week, more or less depending on the temps. I load the Fir first for a quick hot fire then add the hardwood. Ferry more wood or split more kindling as needed. Doesn't get any more complicated than that. If I had a bigger house to heat and more property I'm sure I would really get into it more!

 

No matter how much I try to strategically arrange the loading of the woodshed, ole man winter never co-operates with my plan...

 

There are different kinds of wood???
Crap, I've got to start paying more attention!

I generally just put stuff that needs more drying time further from the side I'm grabbing from and stuff that needs less drying closer.

 

I have 3 one cord spaces for shoulder wood which puts me on the 3 year plan for that. My main winter wood is in 2+ cord spaces and I just keep gong around in a clock wise direction. I have 2 bins for kindling so I am on a two year plan for that. I have about 3 years of good winter wood in the 2+cord spaces.

 

I dry my high btu wood separately from my shoulder season wood. I like keeping my oak separated from the quicker drying hardwoods also so I can let it sit longer. I'll use it in a pinch but I try to let the oak sit 2 years before burning.

When it comes time to burn I've been filling 2 rings with whatever the wood type needed at that time. I burned mostly pine last year and still have a cord of that left over so that'll be my shoulder season wood this year followed by 2 year old red oak. This year I think I'm going to run a single row the length of the porch and use the rings at bookends.

 

You guys are more organized than I am.
Not that it takes much.


I will be CSS some pine very soon, and that will be stacked somewhere for next years SS wood.

The hardwood that I have is a mixed batch, and not separated at all, aside from driest to "not driest".

I can generally tell my Ash from a hole in the ground, maples as well.
This year I actually put Hickory in for next year, so that will be a first.

But generally I do poorly at wood ID, and therefore it all gets jumbled.


As long as we're warm all winter long.. Success.

 

I stack my wood, of mixed species at the time I split it. That stack is dated with a sharpie month/year and goes into the 3 year drying process. When it is time for those stacks to be burned, I grab wood types appropriate for the temps of that week. Most years, shoulder season types include the softer hardwoods, White Birch, Red Maple and some softwoods. As the temps drop, I bring the better wood, and ultimately, the best wood are brought up to the wood boxes on the porch for feeding to the stove.

 

I'm lucky to have a driveway that wraps around down to my basement. I just wheelbarrow my seasoned wood down there and stack it. I use the same system every winter: The finished product is about 54" x 192" x 112" which is about 5 cords . The back "vertical" row against the wall is higher at about 66". The first two "horizontal" rows are kindling wood. I keep smaller chunks stacked around the basement fireplace hearth and some by the big stack. I've never used that fireplace, maybe someday. I run a dehumidifier in the basement, so the wood is nice and dry. It is a work in progress this time of year. By Thanksgiving I usually have all my wood for the burning season squared away. It sure is nice not having to go out in the snow, freezing rain, etc. to get wood. Most of my wood is oak, but there are some other hardwoods in there consisting of ash, maple, beech, cherry, and a little bit of redbud. My wife likes to keep the house about 75 degrees in the winter, I prefer upper 60s. I keep her happy and when I get home from work just change into shorts and a tee shirt. You guys know what I'm talking about: "Happy wife, happy life." or "Happy spouse, happy house. " !

 

Nice and neat!

That last picture - ramp up to your driveway? How does rain water not run down it?

 

I would say it definitely does.....take notice to drain at bottom. These types of builds were more common some years ago.....not so much any more I believe.

 

Great thread!! 1st year with an insert so it's really nice to see & hear how some of you folks are stacking the different woods. Some of your stacks are just beautiful . About 85% of all my wood is Oak, either Chestnut, White, or Red. I've got about a face cord of Cherry and a couple of arms full of Maple.

 

I always like to mix hard and soft wood all season but vary

Nice setup! It is awful nice not to have to go out in the cold for wood, I agree. My wife is the same way, I think they’re all sisters when it comes to heat lol. I’ve met few women that prefer a lower temperature.

 

I throw it all together, and choose what to put in the stove based on what shows up next. It works better than it sounds.