# Drying time for Ash



## muncybob (Aug 3, 2010)

I am in the process of bucking/splitting a large ash tree. Just used the MM to get an idea of moisture on a 24" diameter round and I'm getting around 39%. I thought it would have been less than that from what I have read...but maybe anything under 40% of a live tree is considered low moisture content?
I think I heard that ash does dry failry quickly once split/stacked? I noticed my cherry which was split/stacked early this year is about ready.


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## thewoodlands (Aug 3, 2010)

http://mb-soft.com/juca/print/firewood.html


Scroll down to Regarding Seasoned Wood. 

zap


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## oldspark (Aug 3, 2010)

I like to let ash season for at least one summer but ifyou have to burn it quicker it might get you by with no problems. The 39% is only a little over the 35 % they claim so in the ball park. That is using best drying practices which by reading some of the posts on here can have a huge effect.


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## muncybob (Aug 3, 2010)

Thanks Zap, I knew that was somewhere but could not find it. So, appears the 39% reading is about in line with the chart in the "green" state....perhaps it will be ready to burn late winter/early spring next year since we get a lot of wind in our area....if we have a similar winter as last year I won't need it this upcoming heating season and it will go into the shed{yet to be built  }.  Now, if I could just get some oak or locust!


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## smokinj (Aug 3, 2010)

Its been a really wet season trees are holding more moisture and very heavy tops lots of foliage...


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## thewoodlands (Aug 3, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

> Its been a really wet season trees are holding more moisture and very heavy tops lots of foliage...



Up here smokin it's been a dry summer, great for seasoning. 


zap


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## smokinj (Aug 3, 2010)

zapny said:
			
		

> smokinjay said:
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Central P.A. normally gets are weather about 24 hr's later. Oh its pouring right now.


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## muncybob (Aug 3, 2010)

We have had a dry summer until about 2 weeks ago, now we seem to be getting just enough rain to make me cut the grass on a regular basis again. I plan to take this Friday off so please keep the rain out there until next Monday  !

I'm glad we don't have the 90 degree heat that much now...I don't last long cutting wood in those temps!


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## smokinj (Aug 3, 2010)

muncybob said:
			
		

> We have had a dry summer until about 2 weeks ago, now we seem to be getting just enough rain to make me cut the grass on a regular basis again. I plan to take this Friday off so please keep the rain out there until next Monday  !
> 
> I'm glad we don't have the 90 degree heat that much now...I don't last long cutting wood in those temps!



Your getting Lucky the tomato field across the road has standing water most of the time...There forecasting 90's all week but the rain keeping it down. 
Its always headed northeast.


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## Battenkiller (Aug 3, 2010)

Personally, I don't find that ash takes much less time to completely dry.  It may start out lower in MC, but it takes a long time to give up that extra 15%.  Ash, cherry and locust are all well known "emergency woods" - woods that can be burned green in an emergency - because of their relatively low green moisture content.  Still, all of them benefit greatly from long drying time. Cherry is probably the fastest drying of the three, not ash.  That is due to its ring-porous grain structure and its lower density.


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## oldspark (Aug 3, 2010)

By one summer I ment one drying season which to me is April through October. In our area silver maple and ash is probably the quickest drying wood we have, after hearing you guys talk about cherry all the time I wish we had it here.


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## muncybob (Aug 3, 2010)

Battenkiller said:
			
		

> Personally, I don't find that ash takes much less time to completely dry.  It may start out lower in MC, but it takes a long time to give up that extra 15%.  Ash, cherry and locust are all well known "emergency woods" - woods that can be burned green in an emergency - because of their relatively low green moisture content.  Still, all of them benefit greatly from long drying time. Cherry is probably the fastest drying of the three, not ash.  That is due to its ring-porous grain structure and its lower density.



We have lots of cherry...splits easily and dries fairly quick! I'll see how it heats this winter.


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## firefighterjake (Aug 3, 2010)

The speedy seasoning time of ash is a bit over-rated in my own opinion . . . in my first year of burning I had access to ash tops that had been cut several months previously . . . I cut them up, bucked them and when large enough split them in early to mid-Summer . . . and left them until late Winter/early-Spring (about 7-8 months of seasoning) . . . even then they were marginal when burned . . . they worked and heated the house, but there was a lot of sizzling and hissing . . . 

The same wood burned in September and October of that year (another 7-8 months) burned incredibly well though . . . showing me that while old-timers may say ash can be burned with little to no seasoning, it most definitely burns best when seasoned a lot longer . . . and I suspect this is the case for most all wood . . . since I have yet to see any Magic Trees which can be cut, split, stacked and burned with only 2-3 months of seasoning.


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## Skier76 (Aug 3, 2010)

I burned some standing dead ash last year a few months after it was cut. The to part of the tree burned fairly well. The bottom part was still a bit wet for my liking. But mixing it in with some dryer wood usually did the trick. 

I've got a good amount of ash that's been seasoning since last fall. I can't wait to see how it does this winter.


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## oldspark (Aug 3, 2010)

. since I have yet to see any Magic Trees which can be cut, split, stacked and burned with only 2-3 months of seasoning.[/quote] Dead trees would be the only ones I have ever found to do that


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 3, 2010)

The ash I cut last winter looks pretty good right now and if it were needed, I would not hesitate to burn it this coming winter. But, most of it was dead too so that helps to dry it faster. 

I've stated before that I've burned ash that was freshly cut and split. One winter we were forced into some drastic measures and I had to buy the wood as I was unable to physically do much at all. We did not freeze that winter but we got through it. We had to clean the chimney a few times and if we let the fire get too low it was a struggle getting it going well. But the point is, it can be done, but it certainly is not ideal. 

I agree that a year stacked for white ash is more ideal.


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## oldspark (Aug 3, 2010)

It seemed timely so I went and split a couple of pieces of a White Ash I cut last november wihich was live when cut, these are fairly small splits and they are reading any where from 22% to 29%, this is in full sun in a single row, the round will be wetter and did not check any. If any one doubts the worth of cutting the wood shorter for drying purposes just take a MM and go from one end to another, a lot of the pieces were 15% about 5 inches in and up to 24 in the middle so short is good if you need dry wood as soon as possible. I will not burn this wood this year.


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## lowroadacres (Aug 3, 2010)

One of the questions I have is what are the differences between black/green/white ash for both drying time and for BTU ratings?

As near as I can tell, the standing and lying dead wood which I have been harvesting is Green Ash which doesn't always show up on the "charts" I find on this site and on others.

I welcome any info I can find.  Right now I am counting on using lots of standing dead Ash which will have seasoned 5-11 months as c/s/s wood.

I have been using a little bit of this already in the firepit which is usually a good test as I watch water boiling out and listen for hissing.  It is already pretty good but not ready yet.  Here is hoping for a long hot fall


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## oldspark (Aug 3, 2010)

This one has all three, the charts vary some but this one seems OK for the most part.

http://chimneysweeponline.com/howood.htm


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## oldspark (Aug 3, 2010)

lowroadacres said:
			
		

> One of the questions I have is what are the differences between black/green/white ash for both drying time and for BTU ratings?
> 
> As near as I can tell, the standing and lying dead wood which I have been harvesting is Green Ash which doesn't always show up on the "charts" I find on this site and on others.
> 
> ...


 Sometimes standing dead wood can be as green as live but I think yu will be fine.


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## lowroadacres (Aug 3, 2010)

IF.... and I say IF... I had my may all I would cut would be Ash that has been dead or down long enough that the bark is mostly off of it.  

I will be a while yet before I am in a position to have wood c/s/s for a full year or more but we are improving as we go.

As stated in another post I was beyond frustrated while at a family member's home this past weekend as they told me that they do not have time to go get wood ahead of time and they will not buy wood because they want to get it for "free" themselves...

Sometimes I think that there is a market for consulting or teaching people about firewood basics.

How to cut/split/stack....

How to touch up your chainsaw in the woods....

How to find standing dead wood...

How to test for wood moisture content... With or without a MM!

There are so many people who try wood heating and they get frustrated and quit or we muddle along for years on end because we don't take the time to learn properly or to look for help from those more knowledgeable than us.

Here's to patient hearth.com members!


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## smokinj (Aug 3, 2010)

lowroadacres said:
			
		

> IF.... and I say IF... I had my may all I would cut would be Ash that has been dead or down long enough that the bark is mostly off of it.
> 
> I will be a while yet before I am in a position to have wood c/s/s for a full year or more but we are improving as we go.
> 
> ...



Just keep cutting, before you know it you have choices.......lol


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## woodsmaster (Aug 3, 2010)

I cut a lot of ash last january, split and stacked it in the woods and hauled it out 1st week in july. Tested the middle of a larger split a couple weeks ago and it was 24%. Did the same  a little over a week later and got 21% seems to be drying a lot faster out of the woods in the sun and wind. The trees were dead when I cut them.


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## firefighterjake (Aug 4, 2010)

oldspark said:
			
		

> . since I have yet to see any Magic Trees which can be cut, split, stacked and burned with only 2-3 months of seasoning.


 Dead trees would be the only ones I have ever found to do that[/quote]

True . . . but as you mention later . . . even then sometimes these trees are just an illusion . . . really depends on how long they've been dead and the species in some cases.


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## oldspark (Aug 4, 2010)

Yes Jake I agree sounds like I am waffling, we have talked about the many varibles involved here so vary hard to give good answers to all the new peoples questions, and some times its easy to forget something. I do think the cheapie MM is a good thing for a new person to wood burning.


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 4, 2010)

lowroadacres said:
			
		

> Sometimes I think that there is a market for consulting or teaching people about firewood basics.
> 
> How to cut/split/stack....
> 
> ...


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## smokinj (Aug 4, 2010)

Backwoods Savage said:
			
		

> lowroadacres said:
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lol A lot to be said for the guy who gets ahead and can manage a wood supply.....best I have done in a season is 11 cords. I hope the stacking pays off this year and puts me in around 8 cords. That would be huge!


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## Troutchaser (Aug 4, 2010)

Wow, we're hitting 100deg. here today.  97 yesterday.  Wondering how my ash is drying in this heat.  
Relative humidity is near 100% at night though.  That has got to slow down the drying, no?
Just plain steamy through the day.


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## muncybob (Aug 4, 2010)

It's supposed to get warm and humid here too(I think it is already but alas I'm confined to my office and A.C. at the moment). Unfortunatley for me, the guy with the ash tree laying in his yard is fully expecting me to arrive this evening and cut some more....sounds like I better take lots of water! My wife is trying to lose some weight...I suggested she come along to help...that ought to drop a few pounds!


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## Troutchaser (Aug 4, 2010)

I split last weekend when it was 95 deg. and humid.  Take a towel and water.  Maybe gloves for sweaty hands.
And I wouldn't mention your motive to the wife!
One thing about it.  That moist wood smells wonderful when stacked and baking in the sun.


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