November 2025 - Magazine - Page 13
November 2025
with reducing the chances of ants or mice from nesting and living inside your stack of firewood.
If you cut down a live tree in the summer will it be dry and ready to burn by winter? Probably not. Firewood typically takes at least 6-9 months to season, preferably 1-2 years. So, if
you cut wood early in the spring while splitting and stacking it right away, the wood will be
dry enough to burn in the winter, especially if you are burning ash which contains a low
overall moisture content even when green. However, some species like red oak take
around 2 years to fully season.
Common Firewood Measurements
Whether you buy your firewood or cut it yourself, it's important to know how much wood
you need, or use every year. Unfortunately, there's a lot of different terms that are thrown
around when describing a measurement of firewood. Words like face cord, rick, bush cord
and even a pickup load are
often used to describe a specific amount of firewood.
However, the only legal
measurement of firewood is a
cord. A cord of firewood
measures 128 cubic feet and
can be stacked in any shape,
but it's typically stacked 8'
long x 4' tall x 4' deep.
Best Firewood to Burn
Depending on where you live,
hardwoods like ash, oak, maple or beech might not be an option. For example, the western
portion of the United States and Canada are dominated by softwoods like fir and pine.
Does this mean these softwoods are inferior to all hardwood species? No, not at all. In fact,
there are a lot of "hardwoods" that are actually softer than "softwoods." So, don't let the
name fool you when it comes to deciding the best firewood to burn.
Mixing a lesser grade of firewood with a top quality firewood choice is always a good idea.
Typically, lightweight woods are great for kindling because they start easily and burn hot,
while more dense woods are better for coaling and an overnight burn.
