Drying and Storing Firewood

Firewood should have 20% moisture content or less when burned or a large amount of heat generated from burning the wood is used to dry the wood as it burns. Burning wet firewood is inefficient and increases creosote buildup in the chimney.

The easiest method to dry firewood is to split it, stack it and cover the top (not the sides) with boards or a tarp to deflect rain and snow from the stacked wood.

Firewood generally needs a year to dry out. Firewood in Interior Alaska where winter’s are cold and dry will dry faster than the same firewood in southeast Alaska where the winter’s are cold and wet.

Firewood should be cut to length based on the length of the firebox. As mentioned firewood should be split prior to burning to increase the temperature of the firebox and create a more complete burn.

Generally firewood should be split so the face of the firewood is no more than six inches across. The smaller the pieces the hotter the fire and the more complete the burn.

Firewood should not be stacked beside the house or any other structure as it may introduce wood decay organisms (insects and fungi) into the structure. Regularly monitor stacked firewood for carpenter ants and other insects, especially if the firewood came from insect killed trees.

In cool maritime areas the firewood should be placed on small poles or boards to keep it off the wet ground. The USDA Forest Products Laboratory has several publications on firewood storage and insect pests.

Use firewood cut within a 50 miles of where it is burned to prevent transport of wood decay organisms into the area. Bring firewood into the house the day or day before it will be burned. Firewood should not be stored in the house. Never burn wood treated with pesticides, including wood preservatives.

Wood ash contains calcium carbonate (about 25%) and potash (less than10%). Both calcium carbonate and potash supply essential plant nutrients and will raise the soil pH when wood ash is added to the soil. It is impossible to state how much wood ash is safe to add to garden soil but 20 pounds of wood ash per 100 square feet should not create a problem.

Carefully monitor the soil pH to prevent excessively high soil pH where wood ash is disposed. Do not use wood ash around acid loving plants like rhododendrons, azaleas, blueberries and potatoes.

Learn more about

Also see: