New to heating with wood? That’s where we come in! Enjoy the warming glow of your wood stove all winter long by taking the steps necessary to ensure your firewood is prepared to burn. From seasoning your firewood to storing it away for the winter months, we are here to guide you every step of the way so you can enjoy the efficient warmth of your wood stove.
Why is it Important to Use Dry Wood?
Wood that has not been seasoned, or what many call “green wood,” is the main culprit to an inefficient burn. Because of its high moisture content, green wood produces plumes of smoke, wreaking havoc on your stove, venting, the atmosphere and even your health, making it all the more important to plan ample time to season your firewood.
How to Tell When Firewood is Ready to Burn
There are multiple ways that you can tell your firewood is ready to burn. While some include additional instruments, such as a moisture meter, other tests rely on the look, feel and sound of your firewood. Here are the best indicators your firewood is properly seasoned:
Moisture Meter
The most reliable of all the tests you can conduct, measuring the moisture content is a simple way to ensure your wood is dry enough for use. To use a moisture meter, you will first split the wood, then insert the probe ¼ inch down into the freshly split side. Firewood that is ready to burn will have 20% or lower moisture content.
Color
When chopping and stacking your firewood, take note of its initial color. This will serve as a baseline in comparison to months down the road after drying out. Once you notice your firewood’s initial deep hues are turning to light tan or grey in color, this is a good indicator that your firewood is seasoned. The less moisture content in wood, the lighter in color it becomes.
Sound
There is also a difference in sound between seasoned and unseasoned wood. Dry wood will make a solid, crackling sound when you hit one against another, whereas wood with high moisture content will make a thudding sound.
Feel
The feel of the wood as compared to when you first chopped it is another good indicator. When wood is first chopped, the bark is solid, and the wood is heavier. As the wood dries out, it will become lighter, and you will notice the bark start to flake off.
How to Season and Store Firewood
Ensuring perfect dry, seasoned wood is all in the planning. If you are using softwoods such as fir, cedar, spruce and alder, chop and stack the firewood at least six months before you plan to use it. On the other hand, if you are using hardwoods such as oak, ash, birch and cherry, plan at least one or two years ahead of time.
Normally, most wood stove owners chop and stack wood in the spring months and use the summer sun to help dry out thewood to use in the fall and winter months. With these steps, you will enjoy a hearty supply of firewood ready to burn when the cold approaches.
Chopping Firewood
Smaller chunks of wood dry out faster than logs. As a general rule of thumb, you will want to chop the wood so it is 16 inches long and six inches thick. However, this can change depending on the size of your stove.
By splitting the firewood, you are creating more surface area to reach the sun and wind, which are key factors in drying out your firewood.
Stacking Firewood
After chopping your firewood, you will want to finda dry area outside to stack it, preferably in the sunlight. Be sure to provide enough air circulation to prevent mold from forming, including at the base. Stack the firewood in a crisscross pattern to promote airflow and keep the bark facing upwards to protect the exposed flesh of the wood from any rainwater or other moisture. For particularly rainy days, you can cover your stack with a tarp.
Pro-Tip:Do not stack directly on the ground. It is best to keep your wood stack elevated to prevent any of the wood from rotting or producing mold. You can elevate your stack by building a base of wooden pallets or building a wood or metal structure to house your firewood.
Storing Firewood
After drying your firewood, it is ready to be stored for future use. Be sure to store your firewood at least five feet away from your home to prevent any critters that may be hiding in it from getting into your home. Stored firewood can last up to four years if properly protected from the elements.
There you have it! By properly planning and preparing your firewood, you will be able to enjoy the rolling fire of your wood stove all winter. If you are new to the world of owning a wood stove, we recommend brushing up on some of our expert recommendations to extract the most value out of your wood stove.
FAQs
To test your firewood, split a log and stick the meter's prongs into the wood on the freshly split side. For accuracy, test several pieces of firewood from different places in the woodpile. If the moisture content is below 20% it will burn cleanly and efficiently.
How do you know when firewood is ready to burn? ›
Once you notice your firewood's initial deep hues are turning to light tan or grey in color, this is a good indicator that your firewood is seasoned. The less moisture content in wood, the lighter in color it becomes.
How to know when wood is ready to cook? ›
Seasoned wood will have the following characteristics:
- Color is darker, with a brown or grayish hue.
- Lighter in weight.
- The texture is coarse and dry to the touch.
- The ends may split easily.
- The bark is easy to peel.
- Produces a hollow sound when hit against each other.
If the ends of the wood pieces are moist, and don't have cracks or checking, that is a sure sign of green or damp wood. A smoldering fire is another sign you are burning wet wood.
How long after cutting wood can you burn it? ›
Storing Tips. However the wood is stacked, expect the wood to dry for at least six months before it is ready for the fireplace. Freshly cut wood can have up to 100% moisture, which means around half of its weight is water. The ideal moisture content for firewood is around 20%.
How to tell if wood is good to burn? ›
To identify well-seasoned wood, check the ends of the logs. If they are dark in colour and cracked, they are dry. Dry seasoned wood is lighter in weight than wet wood and makes a hollow sound when hitting two pieces together. If there is any green colour visible or bark is hard to peel, the log is not yet dry.
Why is my wood turning black but not burning? ›
To start a fire you must start with small pieces and gradually add larger logs as the coals grow larger. Any larger pieces of wood will not burn if you do not do this. They'll char and turn black. Anything that does light up will go out as quickly as it came on.
Can firewood be too dry? ›
When firewood has an extremely low moisture content below 15%, it can start to have negative effects when burned. Some key problems that can occur with overly dried out firewood include: Fast, inefficient burning - Bone dry firewood will burn very quickly and produce less heat output than wood with some moisture.
What happens if you burn wood that is not seasoned? ›
You should never burn green wood. Also known as unseasoned or 'wet' wood, this timber, regardless of species, is counterproductive for burning, and will result in excess smoking and a build-up of creosote (damaging sticky tar deposits) inside of the appliance and flue.
Is it okay to burn fresh cut wood? ›
When a living tree is cut down, the timber needs to age or "season" for a minimum of six to nine months before burning. Freshly cut wood, called green wood, is loaded with sap (mostly water) and needs to dry out first. It's hard to light and once you get it going, it burns very efficiently and smokes horribly.
Unlike most fuels, as long as it is done correctly, firewood can be stored indefinitely, safely, and without degrading.
Does it matter if firewood gets rained on? ›
The effects of rain on firewood
A short, light shower is unlikely to do much harm, but a prolonged downpour can indeed cause problems. When firewood gets wet, it becomes more difficult to light and it burns less efficiently, producing more smoke and less heat.
How to tell if firewood is ready to burn? ›
To test your firewood, split a log and stick the meter's prongs into the wood on the freshly split side. For accuracy, test several pieces of firewood from different places in the woodpile. If the moisture content is below 20% it will burn cleanly and efficiently.
When should you not burn wood? ›
Green, unseasoned wood or wet wood is hard to light, burns inefficiently and produces a lot of smoke. Unseasoned wood will “hiss” when burned, will not show cracks at the cut end, is heavier, and still smells of fresh cut wood.
Is there any wood you shouldn't burn? ›
Wood from toxic trees and woody shrubs - some trees and shrubs are just not meant to be burned (e.g., cherry, elder, horse chestnut, laburnum, oleander, rhododendron, and yew, etc.,) Wood with vines or ivy - these plants are toxic, and burning them is a bad idea.
Can you burn firewood right away? ›
Freshly cut wood tends to contain a lot of moisture and will not burn as efficiently. We recommend seasoning your firewood for up to 6 months before burning. The longer the wood is left out to dry, the better.
How long should firewood dry before using? ›
Firewood needs to be dried from its freshly cut moisture level to below 20%, preferably to 15%. Softwood that is split and stacked in a dry place takes 4-6 summer months to dry to an acceptable moisture level. Hardwoods take at least 12 months to dry after being split and stacked.
What happens if you burn unseasoned firewood? ›
There can be significant dangers from burning unseasoned wood on a fire. If you burn unseasoned wood the water vapour, when combined with other gases and particles go up the chimney, and unless the chimney is kept warm, the condensation creates a creosote substance, which when hardens forms tar in the chimney.
