How to Season and Treat Firewood

Cured firewood burns cleaner and more efficiently.

Firewood burned in the home to produce heat will be more effective if first cured or dried. Wet firewood stored outdoors burns slowly, produces less heat, and produces more smoke than properly dried firewood that has been cut, treated, and stored appropriately. Curing firewood before bringing it into your home will also kill any insects that may have made a home within your firewood stacks. Treating firewood is often done at a facility with wood-treating kilns, but there are steps that can also be taken at home to aid in the process.

Things You'll Need

• Wood logs
• Chainsaw
• Axe

Instructions

1. Cut your wooden logs into manageable pieces using a chainsaw. The optimum length is just a few inches shorter than the size of your fireplace or wood stove. Split the cut logs into firewood pieces anywhere between 3 and 6 inches in diameter.

2. 

   Crisscross stacking patterns allow wind to dry out inner logs.

   Stack firewood pieces in an organized pile in a location that is exposed to significant sunlight, because the sun's rays will be primarily responsible for drying it. Stack logs in a crisscross pattern that will allow the wind to blow in between, drying logs that are on the inside of the pile.

3. Allow the wood to dry in its pile untouched for at least six months. Purchasing firewood in the spring season will allow it to dry over the summer to be burned at the start of fall.

4. Mark a few logs of wood from the inside of the pile with a distinguishable paint mark. Weigh these samples at the end of six months. After a week, weigh them again to see if the drying process is still occurring. If the logs are continuing to lose weight from water evaporation, continue the drying process before moving the wood to a shed, barn, or inside a home.

5. Heat your firewood in a kiln at a wood seasoning factory to speed up the drying process significantly. A moisture meter can indicate the relative moisture contained within your logs. These can be purchased from an outdoor goods store or used at a kiln company. Moisture content over 30 percent is not ideal for efficient wood burning.

References

• Wood Heat: Preparing Your Fuel Supply
• Iowa State University: Harvesting Firewood
• Wood Heat: Good Firewood
• Firewood Center: Firewood Information
• Kiln-Direct: FAQ--Firewood HT/Drying