# When should I cover my firewood for this year



## tumm21 (Aug 18, 2011)

Ok, So I posted about my pignut hickory about a month ago.  To bring you up to speed, I split and stacked my hickory in early March.  Obviously, not much drying time from then to October when I will start to burn.  But its all I have.  I have about 5 cords on pallets basicly 2 rows deep and across my property line.  I have not had it covered at all yet.  Should I play it safe and not let any more rain get or should I let it stay a while longer uncovered.  Im trying to make the best of what I have.


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## golfandwoodnut (Aug 18, 2011)

I would not cover it until late October, the rain will not hurt it.  I just cover to keep the ice and snow off.


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## PapaDave (Aug 18, 2011)

My experience has been that you can wait until later this month or early next when there hasn't been any rain for a few days. Best would be if those same days were also at least a little sunny and windy.
On the other hand, you could do the same thing asap if you wanted. Cover just the tops of your stacks, as you may already know.


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## SolarAndWood (Aug 18, 2011)

If I lived in N Jersey, I wouldn't cover it until it was in the firebox.


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## firefighterjake (Aug 18, 2011)

In the first year I stacked outside I waited until mid- to late-October . . . about the time the first snow hits . . . which is what I would have continued to do if I had not built a woodshed . . . but it's your wood . . . I would guess that just top covering the pile now wouldn't hurt things as you would still get the wind hitting the stack.


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## hemlock (Aug 18, 2011)

I'd say whether or not to cover your wood and when is largely dependant on your local climate.  If you are prone to having a long, wet autumn, I'd cover it around late September/early October.  What I try to avoid is the wood getting rained on for a spell, and then freezing.


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 18, 2011)

If you have a really wet fall then I'd cover after Labor Day but we usually don't cover until just about the time the snow starts to fly or just before. Think I did it last year right after Thanksgiving.

And be sure to cover only the top of the pile.


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## CTYank (Aug 18, 2011)

I'd cover it yesterday, top only, of course. Why? Look into a pile that's been left uncovered, days after any significant rain. Pull a couple of rows off the top, and notice all the WET spots where the splits were touching. Then guesstimate the amount of water that's been driven back into the wood.

Water burns lousy. I can't understand the religious fervor about uncovered wood outdoors, except maybe in the Mojave.


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## thewoodlands (Aug 18, 2011)

tumm21 said:
			
		

> Ok, So I posted about my pignut hickory about a month ago.  To bring you up to speed, I split and stacked my hickory in early March.  Obviously, not much drying time from then to October when I will start to burn.  But its all I have.  I have about 5 cords on pallets basicly 2 rows deep and across my property line.  I have not had it covered at all yet.  Should I play it safe and not let any more rain get or should I let it stay a while longer uncovered.  Im trying to make the best of what I have.



Our first year burning I top covered it the beginning of Sept. (bad move, it was the best month for drying that year) listen to these guys. Last year I think I covered the tops in the middle of Oct.


zap


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## TreePointer (Aug 18, 2011)

These days, I keep an eye on the extended weather forecast.

The stacks that will be burned this winter get covered (just the tops) after the last long stretch of hot, sunny weather.  Here, that's usually some time in late August to early September.  After that, there are usually the remnants of hurricanes/tropical storms that come through the area and dump water for a few days straight, and I don't want that on the wood.  

Sometimes I'll even remove a tarp when I know that we'll be experiencing a long stretch of sunny weather.


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 18, 2011)

CTYank said:
			
		

> I'd cover it yesterday, top only, of course. Why? Look into a pile that's been left uncovered, days after any significant rain. Pull a couple of rows off the top, and notice all the WET spots where the splits were touching. Then guesstimate the amount of water that's been driven back into the wood.
> 
> Water burns lousy. I can't understand the religious fervor about uncovered wood outdoors, except maybe in the Mojave.




Good to know we live in the Mojave desert! Never have noticed that quirk in our wood piles and it would take a huge amount of water to "drive" it back into the wood. This is not lumber, it is firewood and it is not a sponge.


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## velvetfoot (Aug 18, 2011)

I guess it depends on how you're going to cover it.


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## hemlock (Aug 18, 2011)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> CTYank said:
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I've had wood become "wet" again.  I don't think it is the rule, but it can happen, depending upon the climate.  Last year I left one of my piles uncovered, and it got hit with what seemed like a non-stop rain/freeze cycle that seemed to cause the wood to become "waterlogged", for lack of a better word.  The wet/freeze cycle "locked" the water in, or so it seemed.


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## muncybob (Aug 18, 2011)

Mine gets covered this year as soon as the woodshed is completed. 

From this year on I'll be waiting until a nice stretch of windy/sunny weather in October...try get wood in shed just before the next batch of wetness hits us. In this way I get the advantage of Mother Nature at her best while the wood is in the wide open area and the temps are cool for the manual loading part.

Of course, all this has to be planned around any football games I plan to watch!!


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## cptoneleg (Aug 18, 2011)

CTYank said:
			
		

> I'd cover it yesterday, top only, of course. Why? Look into a pile that's been left uncovered, days after any significant rain. Pull a couple of rows off the top, and notice all the WET spots where the splits were touching. Then guesstimate the amount of water that's been driven back into the wood.
> 
> Water burns lousy. I can't understand the religious fervor about uncovered wood outdoors, except maybe in the Mojave.





OK I did that just now rained 2" 3 days ago,  all dry no wet spots, I think that Woodpecker wants our wood to rot so bugs move in and he has more to eat.


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## mainstation (Aug 18, 2011)

Bow season opens Oct 1st and Rifle season opens Nov 7th
the answer is sometime in the middle of those 2 dates.


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## DexterDay (Aug 19, 2011)

cptoneleg said:
			
		

> CTYank said:
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Same here. I rotate the stock, and have never seen my Splits "Wet" even at the bottom of the stack. Especially DAYS after any rain... Within a day or 2. My wood seems to be at or below the Moisture Content is was, before it rained. I am Anal about checking the wood and seeing how everything is developing (Yes I cut a new split every time) 

Wood is not a Sponge.... Most "Lumber" is Pine... It is a softwood that "May be" more susceptible to Outside Moisture, in the form of rain.... 

50 years experience and better from some of these wood burners. Let your wood sit for a couple/few years...


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## gibson (Aug 19, 2011)

I cover mid-September, which is about 1 month before I'm going to use it.  The elements are part of the seasoning process.  I'm taking about 1 yr seasoned wood that I bought c/s/d last February.


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## stejus (Sep 8, 2011)

I start covering when we have big rain events (Irean, Lee).  Once the sun comes out, the tarps come off.  Come late Oct when leaves start to fall,  top covers are on full time for this years burn stacks.  Next years stacks stay uncovered.


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## RoseRedHoofbeats (Sep 8, 2011)

The only absolute, universal rule is before it snows. Because stacking wood in the snow SUCKS. 

~Rose


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## TreePointer (Sep 8, 2011)

stejus said:
			
		

> I start covering when we have big rain events (Irean, Lee).  Once the sun comes out, the tarps come off.  Come late Oct when leaves start to fall,  top covers are on full time for this years burn stacks.  Next years stacks stay uncovered.



+1  

That's exactly what I do.  Toward the end of August and the beginning of September, we usually have the remnants of the season's first tropical storm/hurricane blow through the area.  I get this years wood covered before that.  Otherwise, it's all uncovered (except the emergency stack in the barn that's there year round).


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## Dix (Sep 9, 2011)

I left everything (5 - 6 cords) uncovered during Irene, and it's uncovered now. 


I've got a few semi good drying days left before we get hit with more rain. Everything is getting covered this weekend, tops only, but with the ability to drop down the sides if need be, on either side. I can easily peel some of the plastic back to increase air flow when we get a few dry days, but looking at the weather map, that might not be possible. 


I've got 4 - 5 more cord coming in, and it's all getting top covered after it's stacked.


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## gyrfalcon (Sep 9, 2011)

RoseRedHoofbeats said:
			
		

> The only absolute, universal rule is before it snows. Because stacking wood in the snow SUCKS.
> 
> ~Rose



Um, yes, but so does wrestling with snow-covered tarps.  I haven't been able to see the difference in the amount of hassle, so I don't bother covering mine even in the winter.  But I do live in a very windy and snowy location, so even with the tops covered, there's a lot of snow that gets into the stacks anyway.  So the only difference for me is the extra work of fighting with the snow-laden tarps, and I just don't bother anymore.


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## ValentineHill (Sep 9, 2011)

If you're going to cover, pick a time before the leaves start falling and definitely before any snow/ice/frost.  If you can, try to wait until the end of a good long dry spell too. Around here we had about 8 days of dry, sunny, windy weather after Irene came through, so I left it all uncovered until the night before the rain started up again. That way I'm at least not trapping huge amounts of water under the tarps, water which will have to evaporate somehow!


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## Valhalla (Sep 9, 2011)

Uncover when seasoning, then...
Cover when just ready for and during burning season.

Unless you have a shed or barn.


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