Finishing Up Next Year’s First Row of Firewood

Do you remember that post I wrote where I showed you what the beginnings of next year’s store of firewood looks like? Well, I figured I’d show you how much more wood I gathered from the rear four acres of our property. Basically, I finished up the row, which equals a bit over a cord. The row is 27 feet long, by 16 inches wide, by about 5 feet high. A cord is 24 feet long, by 16 inches wide, by 4 feet high. As you can see, I’m rolling in firewood. Although, let’s remember what a wise man (me) once said, “One can never have enough firewood.” And, “A true man loves firewood like no other object.” And, “A boy becomes a man when he sleeps on a bed of firewood…” Okay, I’ll stop.

Anyway, I took down a few more maple trees and some ash trees and this is what I’ve come up with:

Of course, this is only half the pile. The other half can be seen here. Not bad, but not good either.

I need to get at least two more rows before the snow starts falling. What I’m finding is that while the wood I collected this past spring is fairly dry, it’s not as dry as I’d like. I had a feeling this would happen. For firewood to really generate energy, it needs to dry for about two years. Six to eight months isn’t going to cut it if you want the most bang for the buck. I know people up the road who are getting green wood delivered now. They are crazy people and are people who will burn way too much wood, simply in an effort to keep what wood they do have burning, lit.

The wood I collect this autumn will be satisfactory for next winter. What I’d like to do is get next year’s firewood all set up and then start working on next next winter. Then, I’d be in good shape. And for all those out there who say that wood seasons over winter, I say you’re crazy. Wood needs summer heat to dry. Even though the humidity is very low during the winter months, that low humidity does nothing to season wood. It’s the summer that gets the ball rolling. I should know – I had some wood in the back shed over the winter and when I checked on it come spring, it was almost dripping wet. Cross ventilation and everything. Weird.

So, the time to squirrel is now because as they say, “A boy squirrel who doesn’t have a bed made of firewood will never become a man squirrel who loves wood like no other object.” BAM!