What's the best way to season firewood?

15 years ago

I need some advice on the best way to season firewood in preparation for burning it this winter.

Is it better to leave it out in the elements through the seasons or is it better to leave it in a shed away from the elements and allow it to dry that way?

This may seem like a naive question, but after stacking wood in the shed this past winter, it never changed color, however, the wood that was left outside of the shed turned gray and appears dryer.

Thanks in advance for your response.

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Comments (5)

old-vt-crafter
15 years ago
I have done both. Now all I do is stack it outside and put a tarp over the top and down the sides about a foot. Sometimes it turns grey and sometimes it doesn't. But when you burned the non gray wood last year did it "sizzle"? If not it was just fine. But now that I think about it, none of my wood is gray by October when I light the stove. But it's always dry enough to use.
breezy_2
15 years ago
It depends on a number of things. How loosely it is stacked (so air can get through it) how long it is left to dry, whether it is in a shed with little air flow or simply outside but covered.

I think a well built log raxk where the wood can be stacked rather loosely with a top cover so air flows through the wood well and a good 6 months would cure it well. We often order a load just before season's end so it can sit and cure throught he spring and summer for winter use. We then order a mixed load at the begining of the season and use the well seasoned wood from the previous season to start the fire and add less cured wood for longer lasting burning. When we have let wood just sort of lay out in the elements, it burned up so quickly when used that a cord would not last a month in moderate conditions.
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gzec
15 years ago
If the shed is open on one side, (for plenty of air movement) is in the sun and the wood is cross stacked, and not tightly packed together, it must be better than outside.
Outside works well in an open area that gets a breeze and sun. Also cross stack it off the ground 5-6 inches and cover the top with something inpervious.
It also depends on the type of wood. Ash quick to use, oak not! What kind of wood do you have?
kandkwi
15 years ago
I looked this up once and the definition of "seasoned" fire wood was this. Cut the tree in the fall after it sheds it's leaves. Leave it lay in the woods over winter. In spring it will bud and leaf out then the leaves will wither and die. At this point you cut, split and stack over the summer and you will have dry and "seasoned" wood come heating season.
smlprop
9 years ago
use plywood, cut a 4X8 in half and put on top of a stack, keeps off wet weather but lets plenty of air circulate, also heats up in sun.