BrotherBart said:
"Seasoning" is just the process of drying the wood. If the stuff is dry in the middle then it is seasoned and will be fine in that shed.
Tell me where I'm wrong, but "seasoned" is much better defined for herbs & spices than fuel-wood prep. From posts here, it's really fuzzy.
Since MC has so much effect on dimensions & other properties of lumber, folks in the lumber industry approach this scientifically. From reading in the literature, it seems to me that for our purposes there are three things going on:
1) fermentation of sugars and other nutrients, which may affect moisture retention; sure smells great.
2) transpiration & evaporation of "loose" water (inter-cellular water). Radial shrinkage occurs here; typically done when down to 20% MC.
3) transpiration & evaporation of "bound" water (intra-cellular water). Shrinkage does not occur here.
The latter two are referred to in the industry as the drying process; can be air-drying or kiln-drying or a combination. But it's simply DRYING, and it involves the entirety of the wood, not just surfaces.
So "seasoned wood" has whatever meaning one wants (as seen in various sales scams), but nothing exact enough that it can be legally enforced.
OTOH, "dry" says it all, if specified a percentage MC. That MC is generally the worst- in the center of the pieces. So, you could say "20% MC" and be understood that "it's getting there." Once you understand that it's on a dry basis.
Sorry, but as an engineer, I try to avoid fuzzy or circular logic. Vice facts.