I'm always on the lookout for new firewood suppliers I can buy wholesale from. Got to emailing a local guy I could get some firewood from. He went on to tell me how seasoned his wood is and the moisture content is 12%. Then he proceeds to tell me he has been splitting 2 year old logs for 8 weeks and has a big pile of seasoned firewood ready to go. He claims he has been doing it this way for 40 years, at that point there is just no sense continuing the conversation. I say OK thanks, he then says he wants to bring me a load, I declined.
https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/FNR/FNR-79.pdf The article states that all wood, regardless of species and oven dry (i.e. negligible MC or as close to zero as possible) has a BTU value of 8,600 per pound. That means that for the average Joe, the heavier the wood, the more likely it is to have a decent BTU value - and therefore heating value - per cord. Assuming of course that MC is consistent from species to species. Pretty reasonable to make an example that for every cord of shagbark hickory you burn at 20% MC, you'll need almost two cords of white pine for the same BTUs.
I like the use by dates on the wood but I have gone a little more high tech with bar codes. Just scan my phone over the wood and I know which is the best piece to put into the stove.
