How Long to wait for cutting up tree into Firewood?

[Mousefield]

You can cut it up right away or wait 10 years if you want. Logs kept out of ground contact can last a long time. Each species differs. With hardwoods, when dry, they are a little harder on your chain and bar than when green. I try to chunk mine up as soon as possible and then split when I have time. Chunks will dry more than a long length. Oak needs to cure 2 years before use. Hope this helps.

Up our way it takes about 2 years on the ground or off the ground (left in the open) and logs will start to get rotten, it's our wet climate.

 

[Pilot]

As someone said, it depends on the species and conditions.

We dropped a bigleaf maple a few weeks ago and have just finished splitting it. Split OK when wet, a lot easier than Douglas-fir.

I have been told that maple requires over a year to cure.

Doug-fir, on the other hand splits better when dry and dries faster when cut into firewood lengths. And leaving it in the woods invites bark beetles which carry with them a fungus that rapidly rots the sapwood. In just a few months, the sapwood can be rotten. Still burns, tho. DF can cure in one summer if cut up, kept dry off the dirt and if you start early in the summer, but late spring is even better.

You can get a moisture meter for about $20 or less from Harbor Freight. My DF stabilizes at about 16% moisture and that's as dry as it gets except for a little day to day variation with humidity in the air. That's stored under shelter on concrete, protected from rain, but open to surrounding air.

 

[MossRoad]

The sooner you cut and split the faster it will dry.

That is about the only 100% sure advice given here today! :laughing: :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

If you have a decent splitter, it really doesn't matter when you split it, because the splitter is doing the work, not you.

What does matter, and someone else has mentioned, is wet logs are heavier, so if you wait for them to dry out it will be easier to lift them onto the splitter.

Once it is split, how long it will take to dry depends on a lot of variables:
Species of wood.
Size of pieces.
Starting moisture level.
Relative humidity.
Shade or sun.
Wind or calm.
Lots of things.

I had great success cutting the trees in the fall and leaving them lay all winter, then splitting and stacking early in the summer and burning the same wood in the fall/winter/spring last year. But I would really like to get two years ahead to get a little more drying time. That would be nice.

 

[deepNdirt]

That is about the only 100% sure advice given here today! :laughing: :thumbsup:

If this tree were to be in my front yard I would be cutting it up today instead of sitting here on this puter I'm hoping I can find someone to take it away and I not have to deal with it and this is kind of the reason I asked about the time of leaving it sit, if needing to cut it now while still green will make it easier on the saw then I might need to go ahead and do it, my saw only has a 20" bar so its not going through the trunk in just one pass, it will be a bit of a challenge for me, but the right person with the right equipment could most likely get the job done quickly, to have such a large tree I'm wondering if they would need to wait or could go ahead and start cutting now, if it winds up I do have to cut it myself it will probably not be done until fall when the ground is dryer and temps are cooler,
so far from what I can tell the tree has taken down several other smaller tree's, actually mangled them up pretty bad, so these will have to be cut as well, we try to keep the creek and woods around it cleaned up and hang out some there with the granchildren playing in the water they like fishing for the horny heads, & crawfish etc, so I wouldn't want the tree to lay there for a real long time, So Brin! who is this that will take tree's away for the wood?:thumbsup:

 

[Uncle Doug]

A tree that size is not one that will be cut up over a weekend. I would start with the small limbs and work my way back to the trunk. The trunk will last for years. I still have several 36" oak trunks down in my pasture from Hurricane Ike about 18 months ago. I went thru and cut all the easy stuff first then work on the larger pieces when I have time.

 

[dodge man]

Like someone said, the time it takes to dry varies. Oak may dry as fast as a few months, or it make take over a year. I've cut up a few larger trees, but still smaller than you have. It's not worth the effort unless you have a big saw, which I don't. It's really not worth the effort to cut it up, split it and sell it unless you enjoy the work, or already have the equipment. Around here a truck load of fire wood will go for less than $100, and maybe closer to $50. For me thats not worth the effort to load it and unload it, let alone cut and split it. I cut and split my own, and thats about all the fun I can stand.

A tractor does make the work alot easier in terms of moving the large pieces around and hauling the split wood.

 

[WayneB]

Up our way we burn a bunch of White Oak. Normally, I will cut and split the wood and then it will be two years before I start burning it. Oak takes a bit of time to dry.

Green wood here sales for around $175 - $225 a full cord. I would think you would be better off finding someone to come and cut it up and haul it away. Not fun trying to cut and split the big ones. Just moving a piece of the trunk wood will be extremely heavy, be careful on your back!

Not sure what type of oak you are talking about, but green white oak will weigh in at around 68-70 pounds per cubic foot.

Someone mentioned cutting up the small stuff and work your way to the trunk, good advice.

Good luck with the project.

 

[two_bit_score]

The sooner you cut and split the faster it will dry.

Brevity is the soul of wit.............and in this case absolutely accurate. :thumbsup:

 

[PILOON]

To dry and season, wood needs to breathe and the best way is in cut/splt form as there is more area for it to breathe,
So while cut and split is best, at least cut to lenghth'
In fact you will probably see the sap oozing out of the cut ends.