I cut Bur Oak all the time that has a layer of punk on the out side and do not cover my wood, stacked in single rows it sits for 2 to 4 years (even more in some cases) and the punk migrates very slowly if at all to the center of the splits and or rounds. The key is the wood not staying wet, if it drys out quickly it will not rot, here in Iowa with the winds we have the single rows take care of that.
Mine dries gooder all summer, then over the fall, winter, spring cycle, it gets wet and slightly punkier. Slow process. I'm slowly working on moving into the shed the last of some Oak I finished from a log load back in November of '11, and it's starting to get a little worse.
Nice looking stacks NW! Your starting to develop a serious hoarding problem... Nothing wrong with that punk ring, and yes, that oak will still need to dry for several years. I try to keep any of the punky stuff topcovered and as dry as possible and when its seasoned, bring it undercover a little longer than normal to dry out that punky stuff out real gooder.
Worry not North Woods. That inch of punk around oak is very common and will do no harm so long as it is kept dry. Just so you know it has to be kept dry you'll be fine and no harm done in the stove either. Now about those bucks! Those are some dandies indeed. Are they Wisconsin deer?
Nice stack & racks Your in trouble, the wood addiction has you! LOL It's real bad too. You will have no problem getting ahead now.
All my mounts in the new house are in the basement (my man cave area) except a 1/2 mount bear that is still at myarents and a pronghorn that is at the taxidermy shop yet. They are wisconsin deer I have deer mounted all have been officially scored 126", 154", 159", and a 174" non typical those are all net scores.
I had a load of white oak that had VERY soft and punky sapwood. If you keep it dry, itll be fine. When it gets rained on, it soaks up water like a sponge and dries slower than a normal split. Id top cover any punky stuff for sure, or at least plan to let it dry inside or in a shed for a bit before using it
