For those who have stacks of splits out in the snow long term.

[EODMSgt]

Question for those in snow country who have stacks of splits for future years (not the upcoming burning season) exposed outdoors and buried under snow. How has the wood held up after two-three years? If I CSS and store for future use where the stacks will be exposed in the snow, and the stacks get buried under four feet (or more) of snow, has it really had any impact on the wood? I primarily acquire Elm, Maple, Beech, Paper Birch, and Oak. Looking for responses from those who have actual experience in this.

Points to consider from my perspective:

1. For the last decade, I have always tried to get all splits into the wood shed by first snowfall however after this past winter (going on 209 days with snow on the ground) and burning 8+ cords (three more than usual), I a) don't have enough room in my 8-cord shed for all the splits and b) I finally want to get a couple years in advance CSS.

2. Not a big fan of tarps or most other covers. Too much of a PITA from my perspective and we get a LOT of high winds so tarps don't last.

3. Yes, I realize a wood shed is the best way to protect splits. I already have an 8-cord firewood shed and am considering building another, however I am also considering moving in the future to acquire more land so I am looking for an interim solution.

4. The splits would be 16" stacked 2-deep on PT boards up on cinder blocks so they would get a lot of air (linear stacks, not Holz Hausen style). Pic below is obviously rounds however the split stacks would be set up the same way (minus the tarps). I don't want to try and keep the area around the stacks cleared of snow (as I did this past winter as seen in the pic).

Again I'm mainly looking for input from those who have had their split stacks buried in snow and how it fared for future use. Any input would be appreciated as it may make the decision about just building another shed easier.

 

[begreen]

209 days of snow on the ground!

Top covered is better if possible. You can use overlapping layers of bark if that is available after splitting. I have used locust and doug fir bark this way. Another option would be permanent row covers like metal roofing or heavy pond liner. A couple straps across the top should keep them in place.

If the stacks are there for the long haul they may be ok uncovered for a year, but it depends on the wood species. I wouldn't do this with alder, it will get punky, but it should be ok with oak. We have an uncovered pile of hardwood that is mostly madrona + some maple and it went through about 20" of snow this winter. Looks good, though this was only for about 30 days. This wood will get transferred to our woodshed a season in advance of burning.

 

[peakbagger]

I expect I am north of you and top cover my stacks. It makes big difference especially in wet spring like this one. once water gets in an open stack it takes days to dry out, with a top cover its dry in three or four hours. I use two methods. Method 1 is lay some pallets on top of the stack with a slight tilt to the back or side and then use either use exterior plywood, old plastic signs or old metal roofing and lay it on top of the pallets with some overhang on all sides. . I then run some screws down to the pallets through whatever is on top. It rarely moves. Method 2, skip the pallets on top and screw uprights to the end of the logs 3 on the front 3 on the back. Then screw 3 cross pieces from front to back with the top of the upright level with the top of the cross piece. Now lay on plywood, metal or plastic and put in a screw on each end of the upright through the top covering. Works fine even in heavy winds. The key is to scrounge top coverings when you find them. Many lumberyards will have damaged and odd steel roofing they will sell for discount, it works great,. In all cases I make sure there is air gap at the top of the pile. Moisture tends to turn to vapor and rise up and condense on the covering unless there is an air gap.

The down side with both methods is stealing wood from the stack is PITA. I have a two cord woodshed that has a roof so when its empty I break down the stacks in their entirety and move them to the wood shed. I usually need to break up another stack at some point in the winter and refill the wood shed.

 

[Bad LP]

A very good friend for years just top covered with a combination of tarps and pallets. His wood was always put up on pallets for several years prior to burning as he loves his oak. He burned 8 cords last season.

A couple of years ago he made a more permanent solution with framing and plywood and he was just complaining that his bottom layers were rather wet from dripping off the drip edge.

I agree that tarps do suck unless you get some heavy duty ones. What really works great is .045 roof rubber. .06 is too heavy and harder to handle.

I get blowing snow into my shed but I wouldn't call it troublesome for me.

 

[begreen]

I got some used pond liner for free. It's heavy and works great.

 

[Montanalocal]

I live in central Montana at 5,000 ft, next to the continental divide. I have many years worth of pine stockpiled. I stack it close together in a big clump, because it is all cut dead and dry. I have never covered anything except what I will burn in the coming winter, mainly to keep from having to dig through the snow to get to it. Our snow tends to be quite cold and dry.

The third picture is an old gray split that has been on the pile for a number of years, showing a moisture reading 14.2

Admittedly, we have a much, much drier climate that you folks back east. Summers are extremely dry and any moisture they pick up is driven out by fall, so this may or may not work for you.

 

[EODMSgt]

I live in central Montana at 5,000 ft, next to the continental divide. I have many years worth of pine stockpiled. I stack it close together in a big clump, because it is all cut dead and dry. I have never covered anything except what I will burn in the coming winter, mainly to keep from having to dig through the snow to get to it. Our snow tends to be quite cold and dry.

The third picture is an old gray split that has been on the pile for a number of years, showing a moisture reading 14.2

Admittedly, we have a much, much dryer climate that you folks back east. Summers are extremely dry and any moisture they pick up is driven out by fall, so this may or may not work for you.

Thanks for the input, this is more in line with the info I'm looking for.

I know the pros and cons of top covering and what to use, etc., and the stacks I am talking about would not be used for the upcoming burning season but one or two years down the road. I was looking for info from those who have had their stacks covered under snow (as in completely covered - top, sides, etc.) for the duration of the winter and if it adversely affected the wood for future use.

Yeah, you guys and your 'dry and arid' winters out west. We have the hardwoods but we sure have the humidity to go with it.

Thanks again.

 

[tadmaz]

Holz hausen's and birch bark on top?

 

[begreen]

Yeah, you guys and your 'dry and arid' winters out west. We have the hardwoods but we sure have the humidity to go with it.

A lot of territory west of the Cascades to the Rockies is high desert and very dry. We'd never get away with stacking on the ground here.

 

[EODMSgt]

A lot of territory west of the Cascades to the Rockies is high desert and very dry. We'd never get away with stacking on the ground here.

True, the Pacific Northwest is a whole different animal. You're probably like us in that if you were to stack directly on the ground, the bottom layer might as well be in a swamp.

Still, aside from the stacking on the ground, if Montanalocal's pine has held up that well after several winters of being covered in 'dry' snow, I think I will be ok. I may just leave the future year's wood in rounds (as I did this past winter), stacked off the ground, and then CSS in early spring to let it season. (Except for any oak I get, that will get split and stacked separately to start it's many-year drying process.)

 

[johneh]

My stacks are never covered and sit out here in the snow
all winter we get enough snow so you can not see the stacks
I have never had any problems with it this way every body
around here does it this way and have for as long as I have
been on this farm 40 years

 

[TedyOH]

My stacks are never covered and sit out here in the snow
all winter we get enough snow so you can not see the stacks
I have never had any problems with it this way every body
around here does it this way and have for as long as I have
been on this farm 40 years

Amen....

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[firefighterjake]

I have several stacks of wood seasoning outside on wood pallets (2 rows deep) with no tarps . . . in a typical winter the bottom 1-3 feet are covered in snow as is the top of the stack.

I'm in the process of disassembling two stacks currently (stacked in 2016 -- ash, white birch, beech and some oak). I find that generally the wood holds up well and is well seasoned with the bark falling off a lot of the ash and white birch splits. Occasionally I'll find a punky piece -- sometimes it's a piece that was marginal when I stacked it originally or a small white birch round that is a bit too punky for my tastes -- but these are few and far between for me.

Seeing as I stack outside for a couple of years and then move the wood into the shed where it sits for another year or two to dry out even further, I have very few issues with unseasoned wood. If I was not so far ahead . . . or if I was planning on burning wood in an outside stack this year . . . I would top cover, but for the way I burn wood this current method works well enough for me.

 

[maple1]

Definitely top cover. Will keep all that moisture from your multiple feet of snow from settling into your wood pile. Not sure about there but here we have lots of freeze/thaw cycles that by the time winter is over can leave the innards of a wood pile frozen solid in ice. Which takes a long time to thaw out, let alone dry out.

Tarps aren't that difficult, there are tricks. I'm also in the wind on an exposed hilltop. I just make the tarp as wide as the stack (I double stack, so about 36"-42" - can actually buy them that wide here specifically for that purpose), lay it out on top of the stack, then put another layer of wood on top. Holds it in place, and keeps the sun off it so it will last longer. Easy peasy.

Also yes get your stacks up off the ground. I stack on pallets that are way up off the ground on concrete blocks. The higher the better. I would also split right away, before stacking.

 

[SpaceBus]

Definitely top cover. Will keep all that moisture from your multiple feet of snow from settling into your wood pile. Not sure about there but here we have lots of freeze/thaw cycles that by the time winter is over can leave the innards of a wood pile frozen solid in ice. Which takes a long time to thaw out, let alone dry out.

Tarps aren't that difficult, there are tricks. I'm also in the wind on an exposed hilltop. I just make the tarp as wide as the stack (I double stack, so about 36"-42" - can actually buy them that wide here specifically for that purpose), lay it out on top of the stack, then put another layer of wood on top. Holds it in place, and keeps the sun off it so it will last longer. Easy peasy.

Also yes get your stacks up off the ground. I stack on pallets that are way up off the ground on concrete blocks. The higher the better. I would also split right away, before stacking.

Do you have any wood sheds? Do you clear the snow from around your stacks?

Right now I've got the wood I'm seasoning at least 6" off the ground on sleepers (saplings in this case) between two large trees. The tree canopy I think will keep them fairly dry and snow free in the winter, but the rain here is more of a mist or drizzle, so any exposed surface will get wet after a while. This was discovered shortly after the wood was stacked on pallets with a tarp over the top. At this point I feel like Jake has the best system with a shed that holds a season or two worth of wood. I have very little open space right now, and progress is slow with mud season still in full swing, so a shed will have to wait either way. For a while I thought crates made of pallets would work, but they take up too much space, despite the benefit of being able to move them with the tractor.

 

[maple1]

No shed here and no on the snow clearing.

The sides of my stacks stay relatively dry. I orient so the end of the stack is facing prevailing wind. I can look out most rain events and see at least some dry wood.

 

[georgepds]

Northeast Massachusetts here

I just cover the wood in the winter, mostly to keep the snow out

I bring in a weeks worth at a time, and let it dry for a week under the stairs (2 bins, use one, let the other sit) to get off any surface moisture. My house is 20% RH in the winter, so that helps

The logs light directly with no kindling ( 1/4 super cedar lit with a map torch)

These days the wood is two years old when it comes into the house.

I visit the Pyrenees once a year in the fall ( rural France, mountain country). There everyone top covers their wood, mostly with sheets of plywood held down by stones or splits.