Fuel wood dilema

[JasperFrank]

My wood stove needs are settled. And its sort of weird. I found a Mill that gives the cut offs away. And that mill is close by and the way I drive home any way. So its free. All I have to do is cut some of it down to 14 inches to fit the stove.
This is odd in the sense, that I'm not cutting stuff on the property anymore. And I should be. But this is easier.

 

[WinterDeere]

I've done lots of both, and there are trade-offs. Logs rot, much faster than rounds. You get about 2 years, maybe 3 max, out of stacked logs around here... and that's if you have them up off the ground on sleepers.

Rounds will dry and check a bit, not enough to be stove ready, but at least enough to slow the rot. That said, moving rounds is a total PITA, versus just scooping up logs with your pallet forks!

I usually keep between 20 and 40 cords of wood on-hand, with never less than 20 cords split and stacked. But I have precious little time for processing firewood, so I always favor speed and efficiency (moving logs) over preservation (storing rounds).

 

[HawkinsHollow]

My opinion on firewood is the less you touch it the less work it is. I'd leave it be until I was ready to do something with it.