I like oak and maple bark off, if it is going to spend any time stacked in the basement. I don't like the powdery frass the bark grubs produce, and I've had grubs mature into beetles and start flying around. No thanks. If the wood is getting stored outside, I've got no problem with the bark, but I like to have a half cord or so downstairs in case of a blizzard. That wood I like to have barkless.
Any bark that comes off easily, we remove, the wood seasons MUCH FASTER with the bark removed. It is amazing how much moisture is under the bark. Bark may produce BTU’s but in my experience it also produces much more Ash than the heartwood If it isn’t a big struggle, the bark goes Doug.
