# Which species of wood seasons the quickest?



## iskiatomic (Mar 25, 2009)

I did a little hunting around the site and really did not find the answer I was looking for. So, now I ask just what species will season the quickest? I am meaning being bucked, split and stacked?


                                                                           KC


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## Jack Straw (Mar 26, 2009)

From all the info I have read on this site and others I would say ash is one of the driest when you first cut it therefore it dries very quickly, but I really don't know if it is actually the fastest


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## NHFarmer (Mar 26, 2009)

Red or swamp maple dries pretty fast


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## gzecc (Mar 26, 2009)

White ash is first black locust is second. They both have very little moisture content to begin with.  They both have very high BTU's. Locust being more.


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## Todd (Mar 26, 2009)

I agree with Ash, but the Black Locust I have took two years to get under 20%. The soft Maples dry fast too.


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## DiscoInferno (Mar 26, 2009)

Most of your lighter woods (walnut, poplar, red/silver maple, pine, hemlock, etc.) will dry reasonably fast (1 season) even when split soaking wet.  But not sure what the absolute fastest is.

I do know the slowest, though: red oak.


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## North of 60 (Mar 26, 2009)

Dead standing 10 year old fire killed pine. ;-)


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## Bigg_Redd (Mar 26, 2009)

iskiatomic said:
			
		

> I did a little hunting around the site and really did not find the answer I was looking for. So, now I ask just what species will season the quickest? I am meaning being bucked, split and stacked?
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> KC



Conifers all dry quickly.  Locust is probably the fastest drying hardwood.


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## Wet1 (Mar 26, 2009)

Bigg_Redd said:
			
		

> iskiatomic said:
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That would shock me if true given that it's fairly dense.


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## Jags (Mar 26, 2009)

White Ash then comes Silver Maple.

Locust is dense but also has a low moisture content, kinda like osage. But I still like to see them season for 18 mo. or so.  But thats just me.


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## Bigg_Redd (Mar 26, 2009)

Wet1 said:
			
		

> Bigg_Redd said:
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It is very dense.  It also is very dry when green.  The actual rate at which it dries might be no faster than other hardwoods but it starts off much drier.


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## TreePapa (Mar 26, 2009)

balsa wood?

ducking and running ...

Peace,
- Sequoia


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## iskiatomic (Mar 26, 2009)

Thanks for the input. My "problem" is the curse of red oak. The good news is, I have all red oak, and the bad news is, I have all red oak. As a first year burner, I have learned a tremendous amount here on this forum. Yesterday, I just started restacking about a cord in a single row and stacked   l o o s e l y, to help speed up drying time. My piles are 7-8 feet deep which consist of 5-6 rows. Obviously very little air getting into the middle of that. This oak was all free, just my gas and labor, it was bucked in late June of '08 the split and stacked soon right after. Working on posting some pics of my piles, Damn, I hate doing things twice.


                                                                                        KC


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