covering wood?

[hisliptree3]

toady i split and hauled alot of fresh oak to a spot on my back 40. i stacked it on wood pallets, and covered it in plastic is that a good idea to protect it?  ;D or is it a bad idea? :( all i hope is im not making a big mistake, anyone know if plastic will cut it?

[Al_Smith]

Yeah it will hold the moisture in this time of year .After the sun beats down on it until cold weather sets in it will deteriate and next spring you'll find it over at the neighbors in a heap .If it's green oak I personally wouldn't bother with covering it all this year .Wait until next fall .

Oak takes years and years to rot .One winter in the elements won't hurt it a bit .Of course others have opinons on that subject too . ;)

[John Mc]

I agree with Al... no point in covering oak right away if it's green. The thing yo want now is air flow. After it dries out a bit, you could cover just the top of the stack. Even then, I'd leave the sides open... it lets the air carry the evaporated moisture away.

[doctorb]

Agree with the above.

[thecfarm]

I don't think it will matter much this year,but have any old tin to cover the top? I'm not a big fan of tarps or plastic when it comes to wood.

[hisliptree3]

thank you for the replies! i will let it dry for a bit and soon cover it with tarp instead.

[John Mc]

If you do cover it with a tarp, cover the top only. If it's Oak, it's got a good bit of water in it, and will hold on to that water for quite a while. You want any moisture that evaporates off to get carried away, not get trapped under the tarp.

Yo mention that you will "let it dry for a bit"...  Oak takes a good bit longer to lose its moisture than many other species of wood. I don't know what part of the country you are in, but if as you say it was "fresh" oak it almost certainly will not be ready to burn this year, and possibly not even next year unless you've got some very good drying conditions, and a long drying season (you don't get much drying when your wood pile is frozen solid).

[Collima]

Covering from rain is good.  Air flow is more important.

[SwampDonkey]

Normally fresh cut firewood is not covered out on the woodlot. It's already in a damp environment from the woods, less sun, so leave it uncovered so the air can get to it. Rain water doesn't soak into wood like sponge anyway. Cfarm has a good idea with the tin roofing laid on top, probably out of the wind so it won't blow away. Or just throw a couple big chunks on top of it.

[Al_Smith]

Over the east of me about 125 miles in Holmes county Ohio they cut a lot of oak and other fine hardwoods .In the drying yard they sticker the stacks and have like a portable tin roof they cover them with .

The stacks kind of look like they are little garages .Top is covered so the rain runs off but with plenty of air flow over around and through the stacks .The top evidently is some how tied down to the stacks lest a big wind come alone and blow them clear to Cleveland .

[Ironwood]

Cover tops, tin is best or old rubber roofing strips. 

Ironwood

[isawlogs]

  If you can get your hands on the tin from a pool , those cover two rows of wood and are quite long to boot. I prefer covering with tin if it is to be stacked out side.

[CRThomas]

toady i split and hauled alot of fresh oak to a spot on my back 40. i stacked it on wood pallets, and covered it in plastic is that a good idea to protect it?  ;D or is it a bad idea? :( all i hope is im not making a big mistake, anyone know if plastic will cut it?

I just pile my on the ground till I can get to splitting and bagging. I got a chunk out of the middle this pass summer split it so I could check the middle it was 9 percent. Stock piling in the spring to let it lay will help a lot in my area with hot dry days. Take time and use the weather it will save you money with a little labor. But if you dry wood to 0 percent even in a building it will go back to what ever the air percent is in given time my area average 15 to 16 percent. I sell a lot of Ash if you are splitting it and it's about to beat you away from the splitter. Percentage wise that's about bottom out your going to get. Later my 2 cents worth. Of what ever