The science of stacking firewood

[ATCclears]

The Science of Stacking Firewood - Modern Homesteading - MOTHER EARTH NEWS

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[erudne]

I'm very lucky; my summer winds are very dry and will suck the moisture outa wet wood in a few months.

 

[deadeye]

you could do it like this

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Wood pallets make a nice base and are cheap and get allot of air moving, and give a solid even place to stack. Never been a fan of the ground. The bottom wood rots smells and gets pets so do not ground stack.

I get pallets free from a nearby plumbing supply distributor. This summer I'm going to build a 10 x 12 steel shed kit I have, for firewood, and fill it

 

[Gunner3456]

For me, that article is overkill. I think it's good for really rainy, humid, or cold places, but here in Southern Oregon where it is relatively dry, hot in the summers, and lacking in humidity, the wood is going to dry.

I bought some pressure treated boards to lay on the ground and stack on those. It doesn't matter if I stack in the shade or even in a well ventilated shed. The idea that they have to be in the sun isn't valid. The idea that rain would soak the ends isn't valid. When cut, the ends form a barrier anyway. I don't know if it's a type of pitch or other drying substance, but it's there. We don't get enough rain to offset the other drying conditions.

Just keep it off the ground for the benefit of the wood that would be on the ground, make sure air can get to it, and it will cure just fine in 6 months.

 

[erudne]

I have stacked on pallets in the past, in a wet climate that is vital to keep the wood from rotting. At my home I slpit and expose the wet wood to the summer sun, I have a steady breeze of dry air that even in the winter will suck moisture from the wood, ventilation is important in wet climates as well. In the fall I move my wood under cover and off the ground to a ventilated shelter. Stacking on gravel is better than staking on earth. If my wood is still damp I will mix it with dry pine in the stove to keep the temp up so that the damper wood still burns, lucky for me I have loads of pine.
PS Juniper is a fantastic wood for wood stoves, cuts easy when wet burns like oak when dry

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Not just to protect against rotting but bugs, especially pill bugs. They can be a real downer if you bring the wood inside. not to mention their screams as you toss them in the firebox

 

[erudne]

If one needs a SHTF fuel supply but does not have the space for wood BBQ fuel can be had in large bags that can be used in an emergancy