# Too Old To Burn



## soupy1957 (Aug 10, 2011)

There's been a great deal of discussion about when wood is READY to burn.  How dry it must be; what's the best kind, etc...

But standing out in the backyard this morning, well before sunrise, I was wondering about that wood that I have out there that is over 2 years old.  

I wonder when wood is TOO OLD to burn?  Fungus, mushrooms, rot...........when does the discriminating eye say, "nope; I won't stick THAT in my stove!"

-Soupy1957


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## pen (Aug 10, 2011)

once it reaches 7 years, 312 days, 4 hours and 2 mins it's done for!

Lots of variables here soup.  Keep it dry (out of the way of ground moisture and reasonably covered for being outside) and it will last a long time.  

pen


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 10, 2011)

Soupy, if you've followed any of my posts you'll recall that we burn a lot of wood that is 6-8 years in the stack. I thought I burned all the older wood last year but I found a little bit that is still there and it has to be 8 years or more since it was split and stacked. It will burn just fine. I've heard of some folks burning wood 20 years old. I was at a friends house a couple days ago and he has some that is at least 20 years old. He'll burn it too and I saw no punk on any of that wood.


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## laynes69 (Aug 10, 2011)

If it remains solid and not spongy I will burn it if its dry. Of course certain wood will rot quicker than others. I have removed wood that dad cut probably 20 years ago and left it on the forest floor. It was laying in mud and covered in moss for years. Because it was locust, it was solid as the day it was cut and bone dry in the middle because its so dense. Kinda like finding a half buried treasure. We are lucky to have many trees like that, those don't all get cut at once.


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## nate379 (Aug 11, 2011)

My Dad burned a cord or so that he cut in 1980-1981.  Been stacked in teh basement the whole time.  Switched to coal so had to use it up.


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## BrotherBart (Aug 11, 2011)

When you are down to basic cable, ya burn whatever you have. No matter how old it is.


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## fossil (Aug 11, 2011)

The way I feel some days, it may not be too much longer before I'm too old to burn.   :smirk:


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## pen (Aug 11, 2011)

fossil said:
			
		

> The way I feel some days, it may not be too much longer before I'm too old to burn.   :smirk:



My 110lb, 80 some year old grandmother keeps her old fisher located in the basement stoked up for about 2 months a winter.  I think you've got a while yet fossil 

pen


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## fossil (Aug 11, 2011)

pen said:
			
		

> fossil said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



In all probability, your grandmother has taken a good deal better care of herself through her life than I have through mine.  My aunt & uncle over in Burns Oregon are 90-something now.  They heated their home with wood (in a _really_ old stove) until just a couple of years ago.


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## pen (Aug 11, 2011)

fossil said:
			
		

> In all probability, your grandmother has taken a good deal better care of herself through her life than I have through mine.



I'll drink to that!

pen


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## fossil (Aug 11, 2011)

Seriously, though...I bought a bunch (2+ cords) of wood from some folks who were moving just like 3 years ago.  A mix of NW softwoods, all well seasoned, but included in that was maybe 1/2 cord that had been split ~20+ years ago and stacked in the guy's uncle's bone-dry cellar.  Burned like a champ.  Rick


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## BrotherBart (Aug 11, 2011)

fossil said:
			
		

> The way I feel some days, it may not be too much longer before I'm too old to burn.   :smirk:



I hear ya on that Sailor. I seriously believe that I cut, hauled, split and stacked my last half cord of oak a few weeks ago.

As George Strait sings "Too many years and too many beers have just about washed me up.".


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## Adios Pantalones (Aug 11, 2011)

If it;s been kept dry it could be a hunnert years old and be fine.  If it's more than half punky I'll toss it in the woods.  If it's a bit punky then I can usually smash that off and be left with something usable.  The only reason I don't save the punky stuff is that it sponges up water so easy- if I had a wood shed I might even burn it.


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## Sisu (Aug 11, 2011)

fossil said:
			
		

> The way I feel some days, it may not be too much longer before I'm too old to burn.   :smirk:



Just test yourself with a moisture meter.


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## joefrompa (Aug 11, 2011)

I've only burned one winter so far and I've got about 3 cords of pine drying right now for this winter.

From what I understand, pine is a wood that won't last too long unless it's really well sheltered. I.e. it won't last 5 years

It seems to me like there are peak times to burn all woods that have been outside - for oak, that appears to be between 2-5 years. For pine, maybe up to 2 years. 

Guess it's just up to your knowledge of the wood and the conditions.


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## davmor (Aug 11, 2011)

I think if the wood is stacked up off the ground in a well ventilated area it will last a long time. The longer it dries the better. I know many people who cut green wood in the spring and claim it is dry enough to burn in the winter. If you take a look at my chimmney when my stove is working there is no smoke. Different story with theirs. To each their own, I will stick with my program, been working good so far.


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 11, 2011)

joefrompa said:
			
		

> I've only burned one winter so far and I've got about 3 cords of pine drying right now for this winter.
> 
> From what I understand, pine is a wood that won't last too long unless it's really well sheltered. I.e. it won't last 5 years
> 
> ...




Pine will keep a long time....but not if it gets wet. Then it will go bad really quickly. 

If pine does go bad in a couple years then I'm in trouble with this knotty pine we just put in the house.


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## woodchip (Aug 12, 2011)

But when I worked in a Garden centre a few years back, they sold bags of coal in the Autumn. 
They all had best before end November 2005 on them.
Deadwood sat happily in a seam underground for 65 million years turning into coal, and once it was in a bag, it went out of date within 6 months. 

So my estimate is 65 million years and 6 months  ;-)


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## Backwoods Savage (Aug 12, 2011)

Well, after that length of time woodchip, I wonder if it has to be tested with a moisture meter?


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## billb3 (Aug 12, 2011)

It might be too old if the tree roots won't let go of it.


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## jharkin (Aug 12, 2011)

2 years ago I replaced a section of rotten oak sill beam on the house.  The salvageable chunks of the bad section went into the woodpile.

If the historical society is right, that wood was 214 years old as it went into the stove.  Burned just fine


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## Battenkiller (Aug 12, 2011)

woodchip said:
			
		

> Deadwood sat happily in a seam underground for 65 million years turning into coal, and once it was in a bag, it went out of date within 6 months.



Yeah, once you dig it up and that air hits it, it goes bad real fast.


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