Outdoor Wood Furnace Info
All-Purpose OWF Discussions => Fire Wood => Topic started by: brohnson on August 04, 2012, 04:07:20 PM
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I have a endless supply of trees......well maybe not endless but it will last my lifetime! :thumbup: I am going to cut down trees in 10 foot logs and than store them for next year so they are dry. The question is is it easier on me and my chainsaw to cut the 10 foot logs up when they are green or should I just leave them in the logs and cut them up next spring when they are dry?? I work for a private country club that site on 2500 acres and its all hard wood trees and they are starting to cover our 22 miles of roadway so I get all the trees I want to cut because right now when it rains or roads will be wet for the next day and a half because of the canopy and its starting to affect the condition on our roads. Yay to me......I guess????
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Green wood usually cuts faster and doesn't dull the chain as fast as dry wood.
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Also it will dry faster if you cut it up into smaller pieces. It would take a long time for a decent size (diameter) log to dry if there is no where for the water to go. If you can do it, I would recommend splitting it as soon as possible and then stacking it to let it dry.
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Studies by the Canadian government have shown that most, something like 95% of drying happens from the ends once the wood is cut to length.
Splitting does not add that much to the drying. Some of course. A green tree in a 10 foot length will be green a year later except for perhaps a bit on either end.
I would not wait with birch. That will rot quickly and should be cut and split soon. Red oak takes a long time to dry, two years once cut but will not rot in tree form for many years.
Green wood is much easier to cut and split. White ash has the least amount of moisture when cut fresh and will sit in log form a couple years. A bit harder on a chain than other wood.
That study on wood drying is available on line through the Canadian government website.