Q&A for How to Season Firewood

I've just been splitting it before drying. I think that it will dry faster that way and it's easier to stack.

No. I have a lot of dead standing spruce, and once cut, it only takes a day or so to dry. In some cases, the wood can be burned immediately.

Hardwood is wood from dicot angiosperm trees. Hardwood contrasts with softwood (which is from gymnosperm trees). A gymnosperm is a plant that has seeds unprotected by an ovary or fruit. Gymnosperms include the conifers, cycads, and ginkgo. Cherries, very obviously, are not gymnosperms. The seed of a cherry is protected by the cherry fruit. Maples are a little more confusing. However, it is also important to know that angiosperms have broad leaves which change color or drop during the winter, and maples do that. So, to answer your question, both maple and cherry are considered hardwood.

You should always season ash. It generally has a lower moisture content than other hardwoods. Six months would give you better results than burning it "green".

It usually takes about a year or two depending on the moisture level of the region where the wood is stored.

We usually cut ours around April and it's perfect by November, so probably at least 4-5 months.

Combustion of any material will release poisonous gases. Be concerned with good venting and draw from the burning chamber. Have a professional check and clean your flue before each burn season. Prepare and maintain the wood stove after the last fire of the season so that it will be ready and functional when you need it.

Anytime you can get cover on your wood pile it is the right choice. Let the base of the stack breath by putting it on pallets then cover with a tarp.

It is best to season firewood away from your house, barn, or any wooden building. That way if there are termites, they won't spread.

You can place some water near your wood stack in the summer. As this water evaporates, the moisture in the air will help to pull the moisture out of your wood. Alternatively, you can spray water on your wood occasionally to speed up the process, just don't soak it.

Yes, but it has pros and cons. In a garage, the wood will not be exposed to rain and/or snowfall. A con is that it will not dry as quickly, due to greatly reduced natural air flow. Additionally, if the garage is attached to a house, you then stand the chance of bugs within the wood entering the house.

By the third year it generally burns like dried rotten wood, resulting in significantly fewer BTUs.

6 to 12 months depending on many factors, including heat, storage conditions, time of year cut, sun exposure, etc. Under ideal conditions, possibly 4 to 6 months.

Water oak is good firewood, just a little harder to split than white oak or red oak. Pecan is excellent firewood.

Assuming you mean a freshly cut oak, not dead and with plenty of moisture remaining, it all depends on you. From experience here in the south, I've felled and split many oaks and it's my opinion that if you have or can rent a log splitter, you can go ahead and split it and stack it to dry out, otherwise you risk termite infection, potentially ruining the wood, and it will take much longer to dry out if it's not split. On the other hand, if you must do this all by hand, with a maul, sledgehammer, and wedges, large oaks can be a pain to split while fresh, the moisture still inside will cause your maul and wedges to get stuck, so let it dry out a few months. But if you have a log splitter, get to it.

Hardwood; however, it is a soft hardwood and therefore not of great benefit for heating purposes. It certainly will burn, though.

Depending on weather, type of wood and whether it's split or whole, it can take anywhere from 4 months to 2 years.

Don't touch wood that has black mold. it will spread the mold spores. Put a 20%+ household chlorine bleach solution in a spray bottle then spray all of the exposed surfaces. Let sit for 24 hours. Then (wearing gloves and face mask) carefully turn to expose the untreated surface and spray that. This will kill the mold.

It depends on where you live. In North America, try Douglas fir, western larch, maple, oak, etc. Just make sure it is seasoned properly.

Yes, as rain can make the wood rot. And you might want elevate the wood off the ground.