Nice post Smaug. Unless it's an oddity, for the most part I can no longer remember when/where I scrounged the wood I am currently burning. It's been too long and too many trees ago. I do however, like your description of 'ordering the wood' you need for the situation. When I go to the woodshed in the morning, I normally choose some white birch, ash, or red maple to get things going. As the day progresses, maybe some silver maple and standing dead red oak splits. For the evening and night, some nice beech splits. I usually only keep a handful of splits near the stove at any one time. I'm outside multiple times a day at a minimum just with the dog so it's no big deal to grab an armful of wood each time I take him out. I've tried having racks on the deck but for me, it's just easier to grab what I need an armload at a time from the shed. I heat 95% by firewood and this system has worked for 11 years so why change?
This section of the big shed is a deli for sure. Started out with some elm splits, now has maple, oak, gum, hickory, catalpa and dogwood rounds and splits.
Jeff, the entire right side of your first pic looks like it is cribbed stacked; why did you do that? Just curious. You deal with gum?
When I burn on my own, I tended to be a little picky but now not as much. However sourcing my wood, I usually like to keep things in variety such as fruit woods. Apple, Plum, Cherry are the norm I find in a search, others outside of this aren't common but I like it for BBQ. Oak isn't rare but it either isn't given up easily (someone is selling their logs) or you just have to know where to go. Being patient has paid off so when I get those long burn woods, I savor them. Others like pine, Douglas fir, alder, cottonwood, those woods that meet in the middle are those quick fire woods. I also like to burn fruitwood and birch for the smell.
I don't normally deal with gum, but the folks that have given us all the hickory had a black gum they wanted taken down also, so I decided to bring it home instead of junking it. I think it was 2 logs only. This is the other side of the shed. It is all hickory. It is 6'x14'×8' when we finish the last stack. Our other shed that we have small rounds/mixed wood was full.
If I had to make a comparison, I would say that my woodpile is more like a buffet than like a deli. Just like a buffet is "all you can eat" ........... my woodpile is "all you can burn!"
My woodpile is more like my kitchen cabinets the day before I head to the grocery store to restock. A little of this, some of that, what am I going to pair this with tonight, if I don't use this soon it'll go bad, whoops, that should've gone in the chuck-it bucket a while ago...
I sell it so i have stacks all over the place, i love going out at night and trying some of the different dead woods i get. My dog Tito loves to come with me. I do have my private stash of 3 year old hickory that i save for thise single digits. I can hold a 1/2 of a face nect to the stove and more on the screen porch. I usually need to do daily walks with 2 firewood slings cus im always too busy taking care of everyone elses wood. I absolutely love the thrill of the score and creating beautiful efficient burning wood.
My wood stove eats a buffet everyday , a little of this and a little of that , then back for seconds and then dessert. When done It starts over. All hardwood but seems to be a mixture , I don't sort most of it just burn it azz it comes off the pile. Works for me this was so far.
Couldn’t tell if that was sarcastic or not. If it was then my apologies. Everything on the right is 2-3 yrs old and very dry. All under 18%. Everything on the left is green and has only been there for a year.