How long does wood keep

[Caw]

Tarps are temporary but much better than nothing. I have 12 cords racked up in my yard now covered with tarps and while it's a pain sometimes, the wood I'm using this year is 2 years old and bone dry. I intend to build more of a permanent lean-to roof structure but covid/kids/not having thousands extra I don't want have gotten in the way lol. One day!

 

[fire_man]

The rodents where chewing holes in my tarps . That's why I had to put plywood & OSB underneath, plus it sheds the water really well.
Fortunately plywood prices were low.

I have never been able to scrounge rubber or steel roofing in my area.

 

[JAJA]

Not everyone can build a shed (build codes suck) but you have to make do. I started this year each row gets its own plastic tarp boards nailed to it top row or two hoping that does better than no cover

 

[Sawset]

I wonder if stove wood looses some of it's flammable "volatiles" over time. Currently burning some of the oldest stuff here. It's heavy, but seems brittle. It split really easy - very little effort there. I can see marks where someone (me) tried splitting some, to no avail (50yrs ago). Nice big heavy red oak pieces. And they fly into flames and burn like dust giving off marginal heat.

 

[ToastyRanch]

I wonder if stove wood looses some of it's flammable "volatiles" over time. Currently burning some of the oldest stuff here. It's heavy, but seems brittle. It split really easy - very little effort there. I can see marks where someone (me) tried splitting some, to no avail (50yrs ago). Nice big heavy red oak pieces. And they fly into flames and burn like dust giving off marginal heat.

Interesting. I’m wondering if that’s basically the same problem one encounters when endeavoring to burn kiln dried wood or bio blocks/ bricks? Just trying to get started with wood burning later this season in a new (to me) house and trying to figure out what combination of things to burn is going to make for an adequate burn. Hoping that very dry (5%) moisture plus wetter wood (25-30? not sure what I’m going to be able to purchase) will average out to a decent burn rate if intermingled? Anyone got any suggestions or help pointing me to the right wiki? Thanks.

 

[Osage]

I wonder if stove wood looses some of it's flammable "volatiles" over time. Currently burning some of the oldest stuff here. It's heavy, but seems brittle. It split really easy - very little effort there. I can see marks where someone (me) tried splitting some, to no avail (50yrs ago). Nice big heavy red oak pieces. And they fly into flames and burn like dust giving off marginal heat.

Have burned hedge posts that we built fence with in the middle 60's. These posts were bought at auctions so they were already old. They still burn hot and produce alot of btu's. Even the bottoms that were in the ground burned good.

 

[Caw]

Have burned hedge posts that we built fence with in the middle 60's. These posts were bought at auctions so they were already old. They still burn hot and produce alot of btu's. Even the bottoms that were in the ground burned good.

User name checks out!

 

[sweedish]

Wood in log form keeps a very long time. What I have been burning these last few years is stuff piled when they cleaned out the ditch. A mix of ash, boxelder, aspen, poplar, pin and black cherry. Granted, some is not packing as much of a punch as it once had I’m sure, but it’s still overall ok. My wife is 40, and she remembers snowmobiling and the wood piles/ditch being cleaned when she was in high school.

 

[creek chub]

Find a construction supplier near you that sells concrete forms. Get their old ones they throw away. They last for ever. I tie them down on the top of the piles with masonry string. They work great and free

 

[Woodsplitter67]

As long as the wood seasons soon after it was fell and doesn't start to rot all of the BTIs are there... The only time you lose BTUs is when the wood starts to rot.

 

[fire_man]

The only time you lose BTUs is when the wood starts to rot.

And when you get those darn powderpost beetles