SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

FIREWOOD

The early signs of autumn are beginning to show, cooler weather, faint coloring of the leaves and the emerging of "firewood for sale" signs. Many individuals buy firewood during the burning season and find that it does not burn as efficiently as the wood left over from last year. Why? Seasoning. As with any fine wine, wood also has to be seasoned, dried to the proper moisture content, before it should be burned.

The next obvious question is how to determine if fire wood is seasoned. Examining the ends of the wood will give a quick indication. If you have large cracks and splits in the wood, usually the wood is dried. The drier the wood, the larger the splits.

The reason you don't want to burn wet wood is because the heat of the fire will be used in turning water into steam to be sent up the chimney. Also, creosote has the opportunity to build up in the chimney with a slow burning fire.

Wood, to be properly seasoned, should be allowed to stand in a well designed stack for air circulation for approximately one year. Literature shows that wood that has been air dried for three months will remove approximately 85% of the allowable moisture from the wood. Six months will remove some 90%.

Speeding the process of drying wood can be accomplished in several ways. Removing the bark will initially aid in the drying. Allowing air circulation from all sides will also speed up the process. Storing under a cover will continue the drying process during rainy periods. Do not place a cover over the sides of the wood pile. This will not permit the water to evaporate from the ends of the wood into the atmosphere. Wood does not have to be stacked in a building to be properly dried.