I wouldn't go for 1 year but I have no problem taking red oak from fresh cut logs to 20% in 18 months. Timing and handling are essential. You need to start in April with it stacked by the end of May. Top covering with side protection is necessary from day 1. The absolute key is to never let a drop of water get on it. One short summer rain equals a few sunny days of drying lost. Get a few extra rainstorms and a few more cloudy days every week and your wood will be heavier come August than it was on June 1. The April start helps get a good deal of the easy water out of it before the summer heat comes and starts does its work on the bound water. Then the November after 2 summers its there. Cubes work fine. A shady location will do also. (You can't see my cords from Google earth). During the second winter you might even see your wood gain some moisture back if you are inclined to weigh it. No big deal, just bring it inside a few days before burning and it will lose another one or two points of moisture if you give it some warmth from the stove.
Paul, with all due respect, covering the sides of a wood pile is not only not necessary but it will really slow down the drying of the wood. Air circulation is the biggest factor in drying wood. As for a short summer rain hitting the sides of the stack, we simply never give that any thought. The simple reason is that wood is not a sponge and will not soak up that rain coming from the side. After the shower, most times the wood is back to its previous moisture content in a matter of hours. Now if you have some of those 2 or 3 day rains and have not top covered the stack, you then can be asking for some problems. But, with those 2 or 3 day rains, by leaving the sides and ends open, that wetness will be gone usually within 24 hours or less. And if you have to bring your wood indoors to dry it, that just tells us that the wood really needs one more year and that extra year will be beneficial in that you will get more heat from the same amount of wood because it is drier and you don't have to cook that moisture out of the log to get to burn. Put it all together and it works. Having said all that, yes, we have burned some oak after only 2 years. But that has happened only twice and no doubt won't happen again. EDIT: Paul, this post was not aimed at you but was written with the new burners in mind. I always hate to see them read about short drying times but then have problems with creosote and problems with getting the fires to go. So please, no offense is meant for anyone.
