How to Season Firewood

How to dry firewood quickly explained

In this article we will answer questions such as how long does it take for firewood to dry and how to season firewood quickly. It’s worth looking into aging your firewood, because well dried wood burns much better and this way you can make the most of your fire pit or fireplace.

What is wood seasoning?

Wood seasoning, also called wood aging or curing firewood, means allowing the moisture to evaporate from the wood.

Should I season freshly cut wood?

Yes, you should season freshly cut wood before using it for firewood. You should use well dried wood especially for fire starters. Green wood can contain up to 50% moisture, which is too much for burning. Aged firewood burns cleaner, is easier to ignite and safer for your chimney. Using well seasoned firewood is one of the ways to reduce smoke.

How to season firewood

There are two main ways in which to season or dry wood:

Drying wood with a kiln
Air drying wood

Here is how do you dry wood slices naturally:

Wood seasoning is a simple, though lengthy process. You need to split the wood before drying – smaller pieces will dry faster than large wood logs. Then stack your firewood in a way to keep the air circulating in between. The rest is just waiting – allow 6 to 12 months depending on the type of wood.

Now let’s look into more details such as how to speed up the wood drying process, whether you should cover it and other common questions.

How do you dry firewood fast?

Drying firewood fast means relatively fast, as it is always a process which requires time.

How do you speed up wood seasoning?

Here is what you can do to speed up your wood drying process:

Remove the bark
Chop the wood into smaller pieces
Put your wood in a sunny and windy place
Put it on a base off the ground or on a firewood rack
Position the logs with the ends facing the wind
Stack the wood in a criss-cross with spaces in between to allow a good flow of air around them

How long should you season firewood?

How long after you cut a tree down can you use it for firewood?

Usually it takes 6 to 12 months to season firewood. The time needed to dry wood depends on the type of wood and the conditions in which you store it. Softwoods require less time, 6 months may be enough, while hardwoods may need a year or even more.

How to check whether your firewood is dry

If you are buying seasoned wood, you can check information about the moisture content. The seller should provide some quality assurance information as well. You can also ask the seller how long it has been seasoned.

How to tell if firewood is seasoned?

There are things to look at if you want to find out if your wood is well dried. This is how to check if your firewood is seasoned:

Weight – seasoned wood is lighter in weight
How it looks – seasoned wood is lighter in color and bigger pieces have visible cracks
Sound – if you take two logs and tap them together, dry logs will make a clear knocking sound
Smell – green wood has a stronger aroma and dry wood doesn’t
Bark – it comes off easily from dry logs
Moisture meter – -you can also check the moisture content using a moisture meter, like this one:

Digital Wood Moisture Meter

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Firewood seasoning FAQs answered

How to tell if wood is dry enough?
What moisture content should firewood be?

Wood is dry enough for burning when it contains a maximum of 20% moisture.

What is the fastest way to cure firewood?

The fastest way to cure firewood is to dry it in a kiln.

Why does firewood need seasoning?

It needs seasoning because dry, seasoned wood burns easier, cleaner and longer.

Is it better to burn seasoned than unseasoned wood?

Yes, definitely. Burning seasoned wood is more efficient and it produces less smoke. If you burn unseasoned wood, you will get less heat from it. Wet wood is also difficult to light and it’s difficult to keep the fire going if the firewood is too wet. If you use unseasoned wood in a fireplace or wood stove, it will increase the build up of dirt and creosote, especially inside the chimney.

Moreover, in some places it is illegal to burn wet wood.

How do you season firewood outside?
What is the best place to season firewood outside?

The best place to season firewood outside is in a sunny place under the roof.

Can seasoned wood get rained on? Is it OK for firewood to get rained on?

Yes, it’s OK. For green wood getting wet, then dry and wet again speeds the curing process. When firewood gets rained on, it gets wet only on the outside and the core remains dry, so it will dry again quickly. Well seasoned wood will burn even if rained on, although it will produce more smoke, so it’s not recommended to burn wet wood, it’s better to dry it first.

However, bear in mind that too much rain and humidity for an extended period of time will cause the wood to deteriorate and rot faster. So it’s better to protect your firewood from too much rain.

How long does it take for firewood to dry after rain?

Seasoned wood after being rained on will dry out outdoors within a couple of days, depending on the conditions (sun, wind, humidity). If you place it in a sunny and windy spot, it will be ready for burning fairly quickly.

If you bring it indoors in a warm place, it will take only a few hours to dry seasoned firewood.

Can you kiln dry your firewood?

Yes, in theory you could, but it’s not worth it. The cost of operating a kiln to dry your firewood would make it too expensive, so it’s better to air dry your firewood.

Can you dry firewood in the kitchen oven?

Yes, you can but it’s not energy efficient.

How do you dry firewood in the oven? If you do decide to dry firewood in an oven, here are instructions how.

Can you dry wood in a microwave?

Yes, you can dry wood in a microwave. However, bear in mind, that it would take an enormous amount of energy to dry freshly cut wood for a fireplace or a fire pit. It wouldn’t be environmentally friendly and your energy bill would increase. If you need to dry smaller pieces of wood, e.g. for craft projects, here you will find a manual on how to dry wood in a microwave.

Can I season firewood over the woodstove?

No, for safety reasons it’s better not to do it as it could catch fire. What you could do instead of placing your firewood on the stove, is to place it next to the stove (at a safe distance) to speed up the drying process. However, bear in mind that wood seasoning takes time. It would be more practical to age your wood somewhere outside of the house and dry indoors a smaller amount of firewood which e.g. got rained on or to warm it up before lighting it, so it doesn’t consume energy from the fire to warm up.

Can you dry firewood with a heater?

Drying firewood with a heater is possible, but it’s not energy or cost efficient, so it’s not worth it.

Will firewood dry in a pile?

Yes, but the pile needs to build in a way that there is an airflow between the pieces of wood.

Can you dry firewood in a garage? Will firewood dry indoors?

Yes, you can dry firewood in a garage, it will dry indoors.

Can I burn wet wood?

No, wet wood won’t burn.

Can you burn fresh cut wood?

It is not recommended to burn fresh cut wood, it’s difficult to burn.

What happens if you burn unseasoned wood?

Unseasoned wood won’t burn well and will produce a lot of smoke.

Does firewood need to be covered to season?

No, it’s not necessary to cover firewood to season it.

Does firewood dry under tarp?

Yes, firewood will dry under tarp as long as you use it as a kind of roof to protect it from the rain. But don’t wrap the whole pile, leave the sides open to allow air circulation.

Natural Birchwood Firewood for Fireplaces or Campfires

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