Leon wrote:


Down here we generally burn oak and hickory for heat, I clueless how
green it is as I have it delivered. But it burns. Mesquite for
cooking. If my wood has been in the rain I'll put it in front of the
fireplace to dry faster.

In this part of NY, oak can be common, but not in my immediate area. Almost
all Maple, Beech and Cherry. In the eastern part of the state (and maybe
other parts - I don't know), Hickory can be common. Both are great
firewood, but I just don't have any of it on my property.

I keep about a day's worth of wood in a little craddle beside the stove for
the same reason. I tarp over the wood that is stacked outside, and I have 3
months worth stacked on the front porch at the beginning of each heating
season (not enclosed, but does have a roof over it). For the most part, it
really does not get all that wet once it's stacked. It's surprising though,
how little water is actually absorbed into wood from rain or snow, once it's
seasoned. I've gone through heating seasons without tarping over my outside
wood stacks and to be honest - there's not a lot of difference between the
tarped over wood and the stuff that was not. Mostly just the mess that you
bring into the house if the wood gets a snow build up on it. Not so much in
terms of how it burns.

--

-Mike-