All about the preparation of firewood in questions and answers

Winter is approaching and many homeowners are anxious to stock up on firewood. Our tips site has collected the most common firewood questions to answer and give you helpful tips..

A stock of firewood is necessary not only for the owners of houses that are heated with solid fuel boilers and stoves, but also for those who have a bathhouse with a traditional stove. And just a small supply of firewood in case of a family holiday with barbecue will not hurt anyone.

1. When is the best time to harvest firewood?

Starting in mid-autumn. The trees are already preparing for winter, the movement of sap along the trunk and branches has practically stopped. Such wood dries faster, and the leaves do not interfere with harvesting. In winter, you can also harvest firewood, the frozen blocks are easier to split, the logs are even. In addition, the firewood sawn in autumn and winter will dry out perfectly over the next summer and will be just right for kindling..

Important! Agreeing on legal felling of trees is necessary in the local forestry. You will be allowed to cut and remove trees damaged by pests, wind-blown trunks, dead wood, brushwood. Do everything legally so as not to get a fine for illegal deforestation.

2. What tree species are best for logging firewood?

One of the leaders in popularity is birch. The tree is widespread in our country, and the wood itself is quite dense and burns well. Oak and beech burn for a long time, give a lot of heat, but it is more difficult to find them, and to buy them is expensive. Often homeowners use trunks and branches of old fruit trees cut down on their own plot for firewood – cherries, cherries, apples, pears … This is medium-density wood, burns well, gives a pleasant aroma, which makes it a suitable choice for barbecues and sauna stoves. The category of medium density also includes conifers – pine and spruce. Alder and aspen practically do not give heat and are used mainly in fireplaces, for beauty.

3. What the process of harvesting firewood looks like?

In the forest, of course, you will need to use a chainsaw to prepare the logs and branches for transport to your site. Do not forget to clean up after yourself in the forest, do not leave the branches just wallow! Already in the yard it will be necessary to start sawing logs and branches into logs with a height of about 40-50 centimeters. And then start splitting. The portal wrote in detail about how to chop wood correctly.

4. How can you facilitate the process of chopping wood?

You can use a wood splitter, you can make it yourself, buy, rent or borrow from neighbors to use it. In addition, there are craftsmen who chop wood in old car tires, fastening them together or pulling them on a block of wood. Poles will not fly in different directions, very convenient, say those who used this technique.

Important! It is convenient to carry large logs and logs with a tick-borne, grapple grip. It is especially useful if the blocks are dirty and wet..

5. Chopped firewood should be immediately placed in a woodpile and how to store it correctly?

Experienced homeowners advise leaving the chopped wood just in a pile in the yard for at least a week. Of course, if weather forecasters do not promise prolonged autumn rains. In the pile, the wood will be blown by the breeze and will begin to dry faster. After a week, you need to start putting them in a woodpile, which is placed in a separate shed under the roof, along the fence, covering it with waterproof protection. As we already wrote, it is impossible for the chopped firewood to come into contact with wet ground.

Important! It is not recommended to store firewood under the wall of a bathhouse or other wooden building. Wood pests can move to these structures. In addition, it does not meet fire safety regulations..

6. How long do different types of wood dry and how much wood can be stored?

According to experts, the birch must be chopped into logs right away, otherwise the logs will start to rot from the inside. The same goes for alder. If the oak is not chopped immediately, it will be much more difficult to do it in a year, the tree will become even harder. On average, if firewood was harvested in December-January, stored in a woodpile on the street, then in June they can be transferred to a firewood in order to start actively using it in the fall. There are user reviews that firewood, stored in a dry place for 7-10 years, only got better. This suggests that the entire procurement and storage process was carried out absolutely correctly..

7. How can you make it easier to carry firewood to the stove, into the house?

Of course, it is inconvenient to carry the logs with your hands, and you no longer use ticks on the poles. Many people load firewood simply into buckets, others cook devices, as in the photo above, others carry them in baskets, together, and small debris and chips are in cardboard boxes, which can then also be burned.