Dry Wood Question

[SeanD]

I'm trying to organize the wood I'm cutting up so that I'm using the oldest driest first next year and hopefully plan for two years down the road.

Right now I'm cutting up palettes that I picked up early this spring. They look fairly clean and new. I'm guessing they were made last year. I'm cutting and covering them up now, but they have been uncovered until now. Can I consider them a year dry already or does the clock start ticking once I get them under cover?

I also have logs that I have yet to split from a tree I took down last year. Same question. Are they a year dry already?

Finally, There are some dead trees that I'm looking to take down this fall. Same question. Is it drying while it stands dead?

Thanks in advance,
Sean

[Russell Lampron]

As soon as a tree is cut down it starts drying so the clock starts then. The pallet wood is already dry and the standing dead trees are too.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Sean,
I pretty much agree with Russ. If pallets are a year old they are pretty much dry now. Most species of dead standing wood are pretty dry within a year. If cut and split now they would be fine by next spring. Exception would be red oak. May take several years to dry. Best thing to do is cut and split it then leave it to dry (top covered, sides open} for a couple years. If the tree that has been cut for a year has been resting on the ground it will not be as dry as a standing one. With any wood, the more surface area exposed to the air, the faster it dries so the sooner it is cut, split and stacked, the sooner it will make great firewood. My opinion
Doug

[Dennis H.]

I just cut down some standind dead oak and I can tell you that it was still wet. This tree has been standing dead for a few years, it had no bark on it.
When I cut and split it there was a lot of water in the tree.
It was by no means as wet as a green tree but it was close.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

The positive is that dead oak big enough for saw logs may be salvageable for several years. Good thing as I have over 30 thousand board feet that are dead. Just wish oak prices were where they were a few years ago. Guess I have to make my $'s on syrup now.
Doug

[SeanD]

That's great feedback. Thanks.

I had heard about covering just the top and leaving the sides open and tried it a couple of years ago, but the snow and ice got driven in there. Then when the warm up of the maple season came along, I had damp wood. So I cover most of it with a tarp and that seems to keep all but the bottom of the pile ready to burn.

I hope to have a sugar shack in the near future, but for now, my wood has to stay outside. Do most of you try to get a season's worth of wood into the house before winter?

I haven't hammered a nail on the sugar house and already I'm planning on where to put the wood. Less dreaming, more action needed.

Sean

[Dennis H.]

I tarp my wood pile also, I got some of those blue wood pile tarps form Northern Tool.
With 2 rows of wood the tarp covers the top and about 16" down each side.
Didn't have a problem with snow or rain and it also allowed air to circulate thru during the hot summer to dry.
The only thing I want to do eventually is to put a nice bed of stone down under the wood to help keep the bottom of the pile from absorbing water out of the ground. I don't want to use pallets, too many places for critters to make a home.

[Sugarmaker]

SeanD,
Make plans for your wood storage as you detail out your sugarhouse.
I added a 10 x 24 wood shed on my design and it has worked very well. I try to get it filled with pallets by mid July. May not make it this year because I took time and had it cemented. It turned out great and should be nice for bringing the wood to the evaporator with our small wagons. I took several years to design and build ours and it was worth the wait.

Chris