Seasoning firewood quickly

[susieb07]

So I know the best way to season firewood is split without the bark well in advance but a major house renovation among other things have put us way behind with getting our wood ready for this winter. We have a friend that does tree service so free wood is plentiful. My question is this: if a tree has been down for a year, still in log form with the bark on, how dry would it be if it were split now? Does anybody have suggestions for getting wood dry quickly for this winter?

Thanks a bunch!

[homesteadforty]

It certainly won't be prime firewood and you may need some good dry stuff to get it started but it should be usable.

[poorboy]

Originally Posted by susieb07

So I know the best way to season firewood is split without the bark well in advance but a major house renovation among other things have put us way behind with getting our wood ready for this winter. We have a friend that does tree service so free wood is plentiful. My question is this: if a tree has been down for a year, still in log form with the bark on, how dry would it be if it were split now? Does anybody have suggestions for getting wood dry quickly for this winter?

Thanks a bunch!

Iffin its red or black oak it will burn quite well,
Way to season wood quickly?
answer, Place on top of hot fire..

[caberjim]

It depends on the species, but usually not very dry. Wood does not dry well or quickly unless it is split. Most wood still needs 4-8 months of seasoning once it's been split unless its something like poplar or a soft maple. Oak generally needs well over a year of split drying to get the moisture content down to a safe level. There are a few species you can burn green, but even that's not recommended. If you're burning wet wood, you get less heat and a lot more creosote. Your best and safest bet is to buy some well-seasoned wood and prepare the rest for next year, maybe Jan/Feb at the earliest (you can pick up a cheap moisture meter to test the new wood). It's still cheaper than heating with electric, oil or gas.

If your stove is in the basement, you can stack some new wood down there and it will dry faster.

[Donkey]

ive cut into logs that have been down several years and it was as wet as the day it was dropped. species and time of year it was cut makes a huge difference.

i would buy a cord or two and burn wet and seasoned together. it should buy you a bit of time

[stranger]

wood will rot in a log before it will season. Ash is one hard wood that can be burnt soon after it's cut.. you could always keep a pile stacked near the stove if you have the room. everytime you burn an arm full, put a fresh arm full in its place.
just a weeks supply in the house ahead of time will take out some of the water. the best time to drop trees is in Dec after all the leaves have dropped and before the tree starts taking on water for the next year.

[Cabin Fever]

Originally Posted by Donkey

ive cut into logs that have been down several years and it was as wet as the day it was dropped.....

Originally Posted by stranger

wood will rot in a log before it will season....

I agree with both of these statements regarding downed logs (>10" diameter). Uncut smaller logs/branches can dry without rotting, but it takes a long time.

Best way to get firewood to dry is to cut it short (~12" lengths), split it fine, stack it in a crisscross pattern with lots of air space between pieces, stack it in full sunlight and keep the top of the pile protected from the rain. Even then, I would not burn it this winter (unless it is ash).