Being OCD, of course I stack. If I could organize my wood alphabetically, numerically and by shape and color, I probably would.

I believe stacking is always the way to go. But I also believe air doesn't flow through tarps. The tarp just holds moisture under it.

Shifty, you opened up a conversation that has divided families, broke up friendships and caused people to be institutionalized. Cover, pile or stack, oh my! Stack it!!!

I have always left my stacks uncovered for six months to a year and then put it in my shed. Left exposed is part of the seasoning process but I could be wrong 😂

Mice and Snakes in that pile...😊…..lol. Maybe even some Wood Frogs.🤣 I stack my wood and cover the just the top, and I keep it off the ground with pallets. Keep the rain off, Sun and air will dry. Stay Safe out there in the wood yard, Thanks Dan !

thank you friends for all the comments are positive for me it is my second year in this business I am learning about firewood Thanks for your videos back 40 firewood

Here in maine we leave it completely uncovered and the wood seems to dry out way better, I've found that putting tarps on the top causes chipmunks and squirrels to get into it and nestle in under the tarp more often

I bet if you pile it on top of pallets rather than on the ground, you would be surprised. Thanks for the test and result! Great vid

When I sold more wood I just split and tossed in a huge pile , because it was moving on soon. My personal firewood is stacked and tinned. This past burn season I had 3yr. Old Oak. That was stacked and top covered. Very dry, excellent burn and heating. ... Just my experience. Later 40ty🍺🇺🇸

We choose to always stack. Looks neat, takes up less space, air flows through better, and easier to get a idea of how much you have. Thanks for sharing 40 👍🏻👍🏻

Stacked on pallets, air space between rows, t-posts at the ends, tin on top. Occasionally will tarp if a big snow is coming, then uncover when its over.

Well I am a tree Service so I like to watch your wood progress witch is pretty damn good 👍 as far as your landscaping projects they are cool and landscaping is alot of work I know I use to run a landscaping business. I would definitely not go any closer to your home if you have a basement. That could be a huge problem if there ever was to have a leak in your water feature to your homes foundation. Keep up the good work shifty and god bless you and yours. 😇

I have used old wire type corn cribs with a roof to store firewood for years. I use a 42 foot ear corn elevator to get the wood into the corn crib. Also, you can salvage wood with mold spots by taking a pump up sprayer and mix 90% water, 10% bleach and lightly spray the moldy wood. It will kill most of the mold and bleach it white. The chlorine will eventually air out and evaporate. 🤠👍

After splitting my wood I put it on pallets then cover it during winter and uncover it in summer leaving it in piles don't dry very good.

gotta keep it off the ground and uncovered during the spring, summer and fall.

I mostly stack my wood when it is green on the outside for about a year uncovered then I stack it in my wood shed

I’m an uncovered stack guy. That’s the way my dad did it, so that’s what I know. Come fall, we move it under cover and when we need more during the winter months, I just wait until there’s been a couple sunny days, or just take off the top couple rows. The wood below is dry. Never had a problem. Also, I’d like to see the stream project videos mixed in as you go.

Sun does not dry wood as much as airflow will. Note that your washing will dry on a windy but overcast day. Hard top covers are best if you live in a wetter climate, if springs and summers tend to be dry, you may consider leaving it uncovered. As always, it all depends on where you are whether you are right!

Stacking is the way to go. Looks neater and dries better 👍

My wood pile from fresh cut white oak, black walnut and pecan dried enough to sell and burn in three months. It was at 15 to 20 percent moisture. Im by the shore in north Carolina plenty of wind and sun.

Stacked in rows is the way to go for me anyway, good luck with the pond and keep us updated

I stack mine let it open all summer then cover it over the winter. We stack as we split or within a few days of splitting

I agree to only tarp the top. Going to ground holds in ground water. It's just a tent keeping in the moisture.

Them are some very interesting finds!! I've never stacked nor covered my wood piles!! All I do is split and throw in big piles. Of çourse these are out in the open!! Hope all is well my friend!! Stay safe 🍻🍻😀!!

Even studs for a house will get mold on them

That pondscape looks like a ton of work

The more you touch the wood the more time and money......I spilt wood commercially, 50 cords a month....big piles 50 cords per pile....never had one problem after it sat for 8 months

We prefer open & always has seasoned perfectly. ENJOY YOUR CHANNEL here in Hartland, Michigan!!! Stay safe & healthy!!🌟😊👍🇺🇸

Stack only. Leave open for at least 3-4 months, up to 6, then cover with tin. Make sure if you have overlap that the flow of water doesn't go into the wood, EVER! Good channel so far, thanks for sharing.

Hi Dan - it's Big Rodders in Ireland. Many folk consider it's sacrilegious to have any covering touch any part of split logs. The most I have is a top covering with a good air gap. I have a place in Donegal on the western seaboard, renowned for its rain and wind. For years I have seasoned and stored softwoods in a 100 X 6 X 6ft uncovered pallet corral into which my 9 to 12 inch split pieces are just chucked. Time, wind and rain seasons them perfectly with no mold or creosote in the flu.

England here: I find that any stack, loose or organised, tends to sweat if closely covered with a tarp or sheet, particularly a plastic one. It will sweat from moisture content already in green wood or from general moisture in the air, even sometimes in summer. It's all about that air flow being able to allow evaporation and be blown away. I have a loose stack in the garden by the house, but it's in a wire mesh cage measuring about 6' x 6' x 6' 6" high. There are pallets on the ground (paving flags) and a corrugated tin roof on the top, slightly pitched to get the rain to run off. The roof sheets are a few inches off the top of the pile and over hang the front edge by about 6 inches to allow the rain to drip well clear of the stack. It dries just fine and stays dry and usually splits made early year are ready to burn come October or so. It's the breeze whistling through the sides of the cage that does the job as much as any rise in weather temperature. I just filled it over the last month or so with a mixture of Beech, Birch, Sycamore and Willow, with an odd bit of Cherry and Hawthorn. Willow is very wet when freshly cut and split (over 50%) but conversely it dries quicker than most people think if given air flow and covered not too closely. The open grain will soak up moisture like a sponge if uncovered or on bare ground, but if stored with air flow and covered and on pallets it dries very quickly too, because of the open grain. It's not the hottest or slowest burn, but very good for mixing with slower, harder timber. It burns brightly when properly dry. I have a very similar cage alongside work premises but four times larger - about 12' x 12' x 6' 6", also with a palleted base and corrugated sheet on top. That holds about six cords when full to the brim.

I have left wood in piles to season and never seen mold and discoloration like that. Mine were out in the open with full sun, so maybe the shade added to the problem. As for covering, I wouldn't. Maybe keep just a small portion of the wood you are using for the stand covered incase you need to refill the stand right after a rain. Just opinions and suggestions. Love the videos.

As much as I dislike the stacking part of firewood I think it's the best way to go!

I guess I doing it right by stacking, I just covered some for the firepit and a stack for my son. 3ft house wrap is what I used.

I see you stacked on pallets. The tossed pile does not look like it has pallets under it. Makes a huge difference. Uncover all spring, summer, fall and if no wood shed then tarp just the top to keep snow off. If not then make sure bark is up that helps the moisture not to be reabsorbed when raining. Working on my firewood for this year, need to get a couple years ahead. Seems this past year used so much in garage and fir pit and it was not replaced. Wish me luck

Tarped or not, wood is not going to season well in a pile since there is not much airflow into the center of the pile to carry away moisture. Stacking is better since the ends are exposed to the air. Wood is going to conduct most of the moisture out to the ends. So it is best if the ends are exposed to fresh air.

Morning Dan. Thanks for the followup after so much time - good comparison. I might offer that tarping anything minimizes any air flow - and may, I think, capture and hold moisture. Having a cover , like the top of a shed, keeps the elements off the pile but also offers space for air flow. So I think tarping the wood, whether stacked or loose piled, will have a negative effect. I think stacking will offer more wood in a smaller space and also looks nicer (:))- I'm thinking the amazing Amanda probably prefers you to stack it :)). Thanks again - have a good one pal!

How you need to dry your wood and how long it takes really depends on the climate you live in. I live in Utah in the high desert with a low humidity and high temperatures. I dried wood for this winter in only 2 months underneath a tarp. Took off all the bark, criss-cross stacked and put under a tarp. It got so hot under the tarp I guess that all the yellow jackets that tried to build any form of nest died 😅

Stacking the best way. Love the bar! Cool 😎

I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME LANDSCAPE VIDEOS

Thanks, as usual Dan. Really appreciate you circling back to this, I almost forgot about it from last year. I was hoping there would be less mold/ mildew in those piles, 😂! Thanks again! -Brad

We typically stack. But you're right - it really depends on the situation. Nice job.

Very informative video great job in letting people know about wood characteristics

Great educational video :) I have found that leaving my wood uncovered all summer the sun and wind do there job much better then I cover just before the snow comes, usually only popular & birch that I cut green we don't have a lot of hardwoods up north in my country,

Like you said, I only tarp in late fall to keep the snow off. Otherwise it's always stacked and uncovered. Great video!!!!

I had the same problem with my dtaxks being too close. So every year I stack further apart than the year before.. Yard work content in with firewood. Works for me.. Also my daughter Lily had fun on the live stream too..

I live in the desert and I remove the tarps in the spring when I am finished burning wood for the season. I do it as much to save the tarps from the sun as dryness. Uncovered wood looks better in the driveway too. We only get 10 inches of rain a year so I have only been "caught in the rain" a few times. Mosquitoes you talk about tell me your area is wetter and you will need to work harder at drying. I like the tin covers I see on Ytube. Wet wood can be passed by for the next year. It looks like you need to stack. I stack along a long wall for my own use. That just works for my couple chords.

Interesting to see how each way dries. I personally can't keep a pile long enough in the yard to mold but started stacking everything to keep yard clean and able to hold more wood and better estimate on what you have. Awesome Video Dan

I've always stacked out in the open, with the ends of the wood facing directly into the west wind. I've never covered any of my stacks for decades, and I've never had any issues. Even with snow in the winter time, the moisture content has always been very consistent after the appropriate amount of drying.

Staking is definitely better in my opinion. It is dry here in Idaho. I got stock of wood not covered just stacked for six years. Also had pile on the ground. The pile of wood was about half rotten the stack was all good.

I was always a "stacked" guy. I started using IBC totes and I longer have to restack when stacks fall over the summer. IBC totes also make the wood portable with the tractor forks.

Great video on firewood cones below.

The only real benefit of stacking is it minimizes pieces touching the ground and that will allow less rot to set in. I collect chunks or whole limbed trees and stack them as much as I can. Chunks or small pieces of rounds takes about 18 months to cure, about 24 to 30 months if whole logs. Western Colorado anyways...stacks are usually in the sun 60% of the day.

Great subject Dan! We see a tarp as a good shield to protect from the rain. But we should see it otherwise. It's the perfect barrier for the moisture to be kept inside too! There is a tremendous amount of moisture coming out from the ground. And it's coming 24/7... 365 days a year! As opposed to rain, which occurs a few hours a week. Which BTW can be evaporated within hours when the sun comes out. Your practical experience says no tarped wood pile! Although covering the very top of a stacked pile might be beneficial. Thanks for sharing that with us.

Good video on why not to pile it up. I leave my stacked rows open and they dry out great. Keep up the great videos. I look forward to the live streams each week. Great group of followers.

Thanks for revisiting this subject Shifty, always an interesting debate. I have always stacked on pallets, in a crisscross pattern, which allows for plenty of air flow. I have also always tarped my wood stacks year round, never had any issues of trapped moisture. But I think I am going to be pulling the tarps off until next winter. It seems from the comments most wood hounds go the uncovered route for the most part, so I'm going to give it a try.

I only sell 1/3 cords or bundles. My bundles stay in my shop and everything else stays outside in totes (stacked neatly) not covered and I just took a reading yesterday and the moister meter averaged 14% from some wood that was already seasoned and stuff I cut up a couple months ago was reading anywhere from 18-26%. I'm fortunate that where our shop is, its usually windy and its been rather dry in our area. I usually hate the wind up there but in this case it definitely helps. We had a good soaking rain the other night and nothing but the top row was wet but at the end of the day everything was dry.

Loose is faster to pile but if it’s green wood and you want to do the CUSTOMER’S JOB (seasoning/drying) the wood 🪵 you better stack it in single row’s where it can get plenty of sunshine ☀️ AND cover the top 1/4 of stack with metal siding or tarp.

Great comparison shifty! I have to stack maple, elm, ash, oak, etc in direct sun, under tin to get moisture down as fast as possible. I can get away with loose piles for locust and cherry if I toss it on 1-2 layers of pallets, in the sun, no tarp until late fall. Most of my stacking area has a slope, which is good so the tin on my stacks drains really well. I get them close as I can to 4 x 4 x many ft long then put pallets on top before putting the corrugated tin on, lap the sheets, use those spring loaded clamps every 6 ft or so to keep stuff solid. Keep the lab results comin!

As you know we put up all our firewood in piles and do our best to keep them tight to shed water we get the odd bad piece but they are easy to pull out. I do recommend to our home owners to stack it after receiving to keep it dry to prevent any issues during winter. Piles have work well for us.

I ve found that maple does not like any type of moisture. Not even in log form. For your purposes using a boiler it probably does not matter but for bundles and selling wood covered stacks is the way to go.

Stacking and leaving uncovered is my choice. Rain will easily dry on sunny days. You have to get the moisture out of the wood at the cellular level. Uncovered in the wind and sun will do that best.

Probably best to stack the wood in single rows so air and sun can get to the wood from both sides. And maybe just tarp the top of the single row stacks.

build some bins out of pallet to keep it up off the ground or hell even a floor out of pallets to keep the bottom dry

No, it's not a debate, it's what someone who doesn't want to stack thinks they can get away with. I have a lot of odd and ends that goes in a big pile that I use and I just accept the fact that it will not be consistent throughout for the convenience of tossing off at the end (or beginning) of a batch of processed firewood.

1 cord loose piles I have had the same results with stacking

Definitely better a king in my opinion. I use the steel sheeting but I make sure that I have some slope on my wood pile from one into the other so all the sheets overlap each other but it drains from the high-end to the lowest end and it doesn’t pool anywhere and my wood still gets lots of air, no mould and dry as a bone

I read that wood bring rained on in summer actually helps the wood to season, but then again it was only words and they are cheap

Maybe if your pile was on pallets you would have had better air flow underneath and no mold. The mold on the maple is from the sugars in the sap. I had maple racked green in a shed and it got mold on all of the parts that didn’t have bark.

I stack my wood. Wind n sunlight work best.

My experience with piles vs stacked, the center bottom of the pile doesn't dry it gets moldy and rots

I think a tarp covering the pile is the cause of the dampness and mold! Wood with a tarp over its entirety will stay damp. No air can flow over and through it to dry it and keep it dry. I have found this out the hard way. I only cover the top of my wood stacks. Piles like that I do not cover at all. Also I do not cover any wood from the end of heating season until just a few weeks until the next heating season. Warm wind and sun will best dry wood. And even cold wind and sun. Just my personal experience!

Hey Dan, Earlier this year I split and created a large pile of firewood. Unfortunately, I got busy with other “adventures” and couldn’t stack it for several weeks. As a result, some of the wood towards the center of the pile started to rot. Lesson Learned: stack soon after split! Tom at “Adventures at Home”.

Morning Dan. It looks like, “ Fungus Amongus “ I always stack, even if I don’t cover it.

Have to agree with Tom Waldo, air doesn't flow through tarps.

Its difficult to season green wood over winter you will get that mould and fungus except under the best conditions. Cutting up dry and semi-seasoned logs over winter is the way to go but it takes a few years to build up a stockpile that way. I only cut green wood to season April-August because our wet damp dark west coast winters don't dry wood all

Off the ground and covered is key, hard to do properly when in a pile. To know for sure you need to take any piece, split immediately and test with a moisture meter. Burn if 20% or less.

Great video. I've been wanting to start my own firewood service and was wondering how a pile would dry compared to stacking. Stacking by myself is extremely time consuming so I was hoping a pile would work out as good as stacking.

Great video. would results be different if you hadn't tarped it?

I find those plastic tarps just draw the wet I stack every time really afraid of black mold . anyway enjoyed your video learned more about the firewood business

I believe the tarp is what caused the mold, the moisture that’s in the wood can’t escape. I can see covering in the winter if you’re using the wood. If not I’d leave it uncovered.

I don't cover nun of my wood untill im ready to burn it in the late fall let the weather do the rest it drays out if it rains in a few days .

For me, certain times of year Green Maple sometimes molds even when stacked. Maybe it needs to be split on a dry summer day. Save the other types of wood for wetter spring and fall days.

Good video. In loos pile you exchange assets with time/physical labor. I mean you have to invest to loose pile drying. As you point out air circulation is the key. Humid air is heavier. So the wind needs to blow under the loose pile. At least 2 layers of pallets; I have first concrete pillars of 40 cm, then 8x8s and then a layer of pallets. Tarps are from hell. Especially tarps on loose piles, because you actually create a trap for all the moisture trying to get out of the firewood as well as the moisture from the soil. All that stays inside the tent you created with the tarp. On the other hand rain water goes deeper into the pile in loose pile than stacked; stacked is basically horizontal, so only the top layers get wet.. You want to have a proper roof. I have build a frame for the sheets of tin I have covering my pile. But mark that this way your roof has to be significantly larger that your pile, rain tends to come with wind. As you have the frame for the roof, have walls as well. Mine are made from sheep fence which is maybe 2 mm steel wire mesh with about 4 inch in between the wires. This way you pile is high, not wide. The forces on the frame are surprising small; loose pile basically stays where it is, it does not try to lean to any direction. Just my 0,01 USD worth from the old continent :)

stacked is the best because you can stack it in cords or face cords

Do not try to be idle. Stack all split wood. Let the sun shine on it and the breeze blow through it.

How often do you run moisture checks on your stacks?? I’m sure you’ve covered this before... I like the look of a nice long perfectly stacked pile of firewood! Landscaping - definitely do some footage of that. Might need your expertise up at the tiny homestead eventually. Wish we had a silo pit pool too!

Knotty curly shorty ones go on a pile. Long straight ones get stacked. Nough said

Your problem is the tarp. You don't cover green wood. Leave it open for air circulation then it can dry even after each rain and snow. Also never stack wood under trees because sun can't dry it in the shade. Stacked wood will dry faster but piled wood will still dry if not covered

Lol small round 3” and smaller on the bottom in rows 6” high then split pieces on top of that 4 feet uncovered all year, with a foot between the rows. Never had a problem even with logs that were on the ground for years will dry in 6 months ,ones that have water coming out when split.

Stacking just makes better sense. Air can get through all the wood and sun can hit every end. Piling doesn’t make as much sense and covering it totally eliminates air flow. I stack everything. It certainly takes more time but it looks nicer and produces a better product in my novice opinion

Why do you split the wood so small ? It burns too fast split so small .

I think the way you had the piles tarped would also trap the moisture in the "tent" you created, almost like a sauna which would promote the mold. The metal across your stacks is probably best short of a wood shed, although as you showed the collected water is a problem where it drains. The sun hitting the piles outdoors is extremely important too. I had a stack of wood (non split) that I made in an area with no sun between two trees. No tin or tarps, but the wood just rotted away to nothing, but were like log shaped sponges. Some hardwood, but also sycamore, and even a little walnut. So no direct sun- no direct heat. Just my thoughts.

Off the ground uncovered year round. Frozen wood is good for the drying process also. The water inside the wood expands allowing it to escape when it thaws. Creates more room to wick out. Covering wood doesn’t speed up the process at all and creates other issues. Only cover the wood you are going to use that burning season. You don’t see people tarping their wood cabins made with fresh lumber for the same reason. Uncovered off the ground in single row stacks speeds up the drying process by about 20% compared to off the ground in a pile. So if you can afford to wait an extra 3 months on average don’t waste your time stacking. If you get ahead of your wood needs early you should never need to waste your time stacking. Doing it for cosmetic reasons is of course a totally different thing.

Air cannot move through a stack more than eight feet thick. My battle plan is to Stack it off the ground in a spot with lots of wind. The bigger question is bark up or bark down. I am a bark up piler.

I stack after I split. This year I’m stacking rounds in the woods and bringing them down just before I split to prevent the mold issues. I’ll see if it’s a better method.

I like your new video the moming you did a really good jop yes i what see you do you Landscaping done make a video this buddy 🍺🍺

U gotta pile it on pallets ,never on the ground

I pile mine in a building cuz I got no time nor energy to stack alot of wood just to handle it two more times. 40x60 building

I stack leaving uncovered 1st few months to dry then cover. The water runoff at some spots i just dnt worry bout