Can firewood get too old? (2023)

Can firewood get too old?

The CSIA states that you can keep firewood stored for up to 3 to 4 years without any issues of the wood going bad if you follow these recommended procedures for storing the wood.

Firewood can be stored for approximately four years without any issues. Burning slightly older wood is better because green, freshly cut firewood does not burn as well. To get the most of your firewood over time, store the wood raised off the bare ground in a sheltered location.

The outer edge of the wood known as the sapwood will become punky or rotten, but the inner heartwood remains solid. Generally, if the heartwood is still solid a little rotten sapwood on the outer edge will not render the wood useless.

The answer is, yes. Timber that is too dry can ignite and burn quickly and aggressively, using large volumes of air, which in turn can increase particulate emissions. It's about getting the balance right. A small percentage of water is actually beneficial for wood burning, between 12 – 20%.

#3) Rotten Wood

If a piece of wood is rotted, don't burn it in your fireplace. Rotten wood is less dense than solid, unrotten wood. And with a lower density, it won't produce as much heat when burned. Furthermore, rotting typically occurs from exposure to water or moisture.

Store it away from potential fire hazards. Firewood is meant for burning, so the last thing you want to do is store it in a section of your garage where there's a chance that it can catch fire. This means storing it away from your workshop, where things such as torches or welders could send out sparks.

You can dry your firewood in a seasoning shed during the summer for use in the fall and winter. These structures are designed to dry wood more quickly than leaving them outside.

You can get blastomycosis by contact with moist soil, most commonly where there is rotting wood and leaves. The fungus enters the body through the lungs, where the infection starts. The fungus can then spread to other parts of the body. The disease may affect the skin, bones and joints, and other areas.

You recognize that wood is rotting when it crumbles and falls apart, but also by its brown or black color and the deformation of the possible layer of paint. Poor paint, cracks are the most common causes of mold on wood.

Poisonous Wood

Burning poison oak, poison ivy, poison sumac and poisonwood creates smoke with irritant oils that can cause severe breathing problems and eye irritation.

What happens if wood is too dry?

Overly dry wood can be more brittle, meaning nailing, sawing, or other aspects of installing or woodworking can lead to splits, cracks, knot loss and other damage, particularly if working across the grain. Trying to carve or turn overly dry wood can also lead to more splintering on the surface.

Watch out for any wood covered with vines. Burning poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak, or pretty much anything else with "poison" in the name releases the irritant oil urushiol into the smoke. Breathing it in can cause lung irritation and severe allergic respiratory problems, the Centers for Disease Control state.

A full cord of firewood can last as little as 5 or 6 weeks or as much as 10 or 12 weeks. If wood is the sole fuel-type you're using to heat your house in the wintertime (no gas or electric heaters helping reduce wood usage), you can expect a full cord of wood to last no more than six weeks.

You can use dead trees for firewood, but you should take into consideration the type of tree as some make better firewood than others. Specifically, hardwood trees are often better than softwood species as firewood.

Mold spores are a completely natural part of our environment, and actually pose an important purpose of breaking down dead organic matter found in forests – so some mold is actually good! But, if your firewood is rotting and there is visible mold and mildew on the log, it's best not to burn it.

To Cover or Not to Cover

Ideally, firewood should remain uncovered so it can be properly dried, but this is not practical when rain, snow and ice can quickly coat winter firewood. A good cover over the top of your woodpile will protect it, and be sure the cover is slanted to shed moisture away from the pile's base.

Carpenter ants and termites may also be found in firewood that has been wet or stacked in one place for a long time. Termite colonies are in the soil, so only workers are found in the wood. Termites form mud tunnels and this mud can be found in wood that they are attacking.

Firewood is best stored outside. It should be stored neatly, with the outside of the wood exposed to the air. If possible, you should place the wood on top of plastic sheeting or in a wooden log store. Avoid tree cover if possible and don't leave the logs in a heap.

All firewood should be stored at least five feet or more from the foundation of the home. Do not stack your wood against a wooden building's wall. Keep the main stack of wood outside of your home. Only bring inside the house, the wood you need to burn for the next two days.

The easiest way to cover your firewood is to use a tarp. After you've stacked the wood, place the tarp on the top of the stack. Cover only the top and let an inch or two hang down. Do not cover the sides of the stack, since you'll need airflow to dry the wood out.

Which way should firewood face?

It is advantageous for the opening of your woodshed to face the north mainly because the pad usually placed at the front of the shed is likely to remain dry especially if you compare it to the other parts of your woodshed. The reason behind this is that the front will always have access to direct sunlight.

Fresh wood requires at least six months of seasoning time before it is dry enough for optimal burning.

Punk or punky wood is a soft, rotted area, usually in the center of a tree or log. This condition is usually caused by fungal infection, and may not be easy to identify from the outside. Punky wood can interfere with woodworking projects such as turning.

So what does dry rot smell like exactly? Well that depends on who you ask but dry rot is usually identified as having an earthy soil like smell. It's also been known to have a mushroom like odour to some people – a smell which will usually get stronger the more the dry rot spreads.

Typical indications of dry rot include: Wood shrinks, darkens and cracks in a 'cuboidal' manner (see picture) A silky grey to mushroom coloured skin frequently tinged with patches of lilac and yellow often develops under less humid conditions. This 'skin' can be peeled like a mushroom.

Drill several 1-inch holes into the wood to help it retain water and attract insects. Water is necessary to promote fungus growth while insects chew additional holes in the wood and break it into smaller pieces that decay faster.

White vinegar will stop wood rot because it is a fungicide, which has antimicrobial properties. As wood rot is caused by fungi that require an acidic environment ranging from 0-5.5 (pH), white vinegar solves the problem by changing the pH level in the wood.

It can range from whitish to gray or yellowish in color. Wood with white rot will feel spongey.

Green Wood

When a living tree is cut down, the timber needs to age or "season" for a minimum of six to nine months before burning. Freshly cut wood, called green wood, is loaded with sap (mostly water) and needs to dry out first.

What's the best way to store firewood?

Firewood is best stored outside. It should be stored neatly, with the outside of the wood exposed to the air. If possible, you should place the wood on top of plastic sheeting or in a wooden log store. Avoid tree cover if possible and don't leave the logs in a heap.

Since your trees are already dead, the curing process will have already started, and the wood should be dry enough to burn in a shorter time period. Hardwoods like oak will burn better if seasoned for more than a year.

Fresh wood requires at least six months of seasoning time before it is dry enough for optimal burning.