the way i have always done it so far is just to stack everything all together as tight as i can get it and i try to get everything done stacking by about apr or may at the latest and i usually only got enought room for about 2yrs worth a wood
Stack by species and age. Mainly because I process alot if one type at once. Like next week I have a couple of cords of maple to split and stack. After that I have a some downed ash needing processing.
Oak and hickory are kept separate for 2+ years to dry. Sometimes mixed in and if only one year ill restack in one year wood if only a year dry. Black locust kept by itself. Separated if green or dead. Most other common "one year to dry" woods are mixed. "Exotics" ie mulberry, apple, honey locust etc. are keep in their own stacks. Fast drying shoulder season wood separate but mixed with one year unless scored in quantity. Nugget/shorts same basic plan. Dead ash ill stack by stself most of the time, depending on what time of year it was CSS. Can get to be a PITA when space is limited and you hoard as much as i do.
How can i get myself into that mindset??? My OCD or "CDO" (in alphabetical order) trumps my common sense. Casual burners get mixed hardwood. Stove burners get better btu wood if i can do so. A new regular had some wood he got over the Summer and is drying in his shed. I was pointing out the oak and locust telling him to pull these and let dry longer than the rest. He didnt know how to ID the different woods.
You joined the forum and got an education. Cant tell you the number ive learned myself since i joined FHC! I feel the same and hate to admit it!
I separate wood into three categories, shoulder wood, winter wood and kindling. Being on the 3-4 year plan and having the wood in a shed the last 3 years prior to burning, allows me to not think to hard about what I have where. We each have to figure out what works best for us considering what we have to work with.
I stack in IBC cages, so most of them only have 1 species in it. When I switch to a new tree, the tote might have 2 types in it, but not often. I have a numbering system for them YY-##, and have a dry erase board in the shop where I write down wood type and when filled.
I stack by shoulder wood & winter wood as well. Shoulder being anything like Pine, Silver Maple etc. Winter is Oak, Hickory, & Hard Maple. 2-3 years drying on Winter wood & 1-2 on everything else.
I typically stack everything as it’s cut because I get hardwoods that will be fine even if they are mixed with R/W oaks. There are exceptions. Silver and other maples will get separated as will any softer species and get their own stack.
I stack by age but have a decent sized staging area around my woodstove inside. Any odd pieces that are not quite ready to burn seem to season quickly after a few days/nights a few feet away from the stove.
I stack by age. I burn mostly the same type of wood throughout. I'm about 3 years ahead. Burn roughly a stack (my size stack, a burn season worth of wood pr stack ). I burn the same kind of wood all the time, so no need to stack by species.
