Ive been cutting mostly standing dead at a buddys farm. However, he has quite a bit of live cherry that he wants gone. Do I need to C/S/S it now in order for it to be properly seasoned by next season?
How long for Cherry?
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I let all my wood season at least one year, two years for oak, Ive burned cherry after one year and its been dry. I would c/s/s over this winter for next winter.
I would CSS as soon as you can. Letting it season a little longer won't hurt.
That being said, Cherry seasons pretty quickly so if there is just no possible way to get to it until spring you should still be ok.
That being said, Cherry seasons pretty quickly so if there is just no possible way to get to it until spring you should still be ok.
The stuff we call choke cherry here that grows on the edge of fields will season in 6 months or less if split to a reasonable size...
You've got pretty good advice here . . . cherry seasons pretty quickly . . . but for best results and better wood it would behoove you to buck it up, split it up and stack it sooner rather than later.
Thanks guys, it is choke cherry. Im going to try to get it done before winter sets in too bad. some of it may have to wait until spring.
Our cherry is drying well in 5 to 6 months. What surprised me is the maple I have is drying just as quick(checked it last night) even though it started out higher in MC....I guess due to smaller splts? The maple was c/s/s in April.
Do it now for next year. That way you can burn large splits. Large splits burn cleaner than small splits, and large dry splits burn best. Less splitting, too.
Yeah - my maple surprized me too. Cut split and stack in January (tree was green) and it's good to go this winter. We had a hot dry summer and that really made all my wood great.
Cherry seasons nicely. As long as you get it split and stacked by March - it'll be good next winter. I love cherry. Easy splitting and easy to season. Nice heat - Good wood.
Cherry seasons nicely. As long as you get it split and stacked by March - it'll be good next winter. I love cherry. Easy splitting and easy to season. Nice heat - Good wood.
basswidow said:
I find maple seasons OK, even hard maple. Info from kiln operators seem to indicate the same thing.
Cherry... yeah, gotta love it. I'm sad this year that I hardly have any, it's usually a mainstay of my burning technique. I'll take a large 6-month seasoned cherry split over a 12-month seasoned oak split any day.
Now, keep that oak for another year or two, you have some premium firewood. ;-)
If you at least get it cut to size this fall and split and stack it by spring it will probably be fine. Generally cherry dries fairly quickly
Fast seasoning, great smelling. It got me through my first winter burning full time. My maple also seasons probably even faster. Enjoy!
If I couldn't do the whole 9 yards now, I'd say it'd be ready for next year if it were cut/split and just covered in a big pile for the winter, then moved and stacked first thing when the weather breaks in March/April.
pen
pen
Thanks guys im gonna get on it asap. If ive learned only one thing here it is that good seasoned wood is the key to safe, efficient heat.
mrfjsf said:
True dat! Plus, it's just so much easier that I'd be more willing to buy fuel oil than to burn unseasoned wood ever again.
pen
This is my forth year burning pretty much 24/7.
I personally think that 2 years seasoning is minimum.
My Cherry Splits average 7x7 and 7x8 and that extra year makes one hell of a difference.
Just my $.02
I personally think that 2 years seasoning is minimum.
My Cherry Splits average 7x7 and 7x8 and that extra year makes one hell of a difference.
Just my $.02
Hiram, that is an odd size. Squares. I built my Holtz Hauzen last summer and all of the cherry is reading about 15 on my moisture meter. I cannot imagine it getting much better in another year. Thicker pieces, will of course take longer. I figure I am about 5 years ahead now, so I guess in a few years I will be able to tell the difference in seasoning for long periods. However, much of the wood I cut was not green but dead for many years and already low in moisture. The cherry however was pretty fresh.
GolfandWoodNut said:
The average sizes just came out that way, IDK :cheese:
All my stuff was cut green in June 2008 after a storm took out 18 trees of various species.
What I'm noticing is that the secondaries kick in at lower temps. I don't know if this is because less moisture equals Gasification at lower temps? But that extra year seems to have really made a difference.
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