Any way to speed the seasoning process?

by Lip
(Indiana)

Hi, Matt. I just took down two trees, one Maple, and I think the other was a Maple, also ( it had four trunks ). We're splitting it this weekend. Other than kiln drying, is there any way to get it ready to burn by this coming January? I have room to stack it in most any manner, or can even lay it out in single rows. We're getting lots of hot sun and good winds here this summer. I have plenty of other wood, but would like to integrate burning the Maple with it. Also, is Black Locust a good species for firewood? Thanks.

Answer


Lip,

You can expedite the seasoning process but it is a little more labor intensive. Here is what I recommend:

-Stack the firewood so that it will get the most possible amount of sunlight and wind. This means that you shouldn't put two stacks in front of each other as they will block sunlight and wind from each other.

-If you really want to go crazy, cover the wood completely when it rains and leave it exposed on sunny days. This will speed up the process some. If that's too much work, it's best to cover only the top of the firewood stacks.

-Some other ideas include having loose stacks of firewood and splitting the wood into smaller pieces. If you were to stack the firewood "log cabin" style, it will take up much more room but the wood will dry a little quicker.

Hope some of these ideas help. Obviously, all the normal rules of seasoning firewood such as keeping the firewood elevated also apply. Black locust is a very good firewood species.

All the best,

Matt