Definition of "seasoned"?

[djbobbins]

What does anyone work on for a definition of seasoned?

 

I have been burning eucalyptus for a couple of years and - for the bigger stuff in particular - can see a definite improvement in the stuff that is going on the fire now, but was felled and stacked in 2007.

 

I've also got some ash which was only felled about May this summer but appears to burn reasonably well, and a load of alder stacked which has been felled for about 12 months and also burns, but with a bit of reluctance.

 

I was told as a nipper that wood is best between three and five years from felling, but a bit surprised to see a website for a company in Lancashire saying what a hard job it is to produce seasoned logs. The log-ic (get it?) was that wood needed to be felled in about Feb for burning the next winter.

 

So - does my three year assumption work (perhaps better for some woods than others)? Or is 9 months plenty? Will my alder and ash get any better for being air dried for another couple of years?!

[testcricket01]

i would have said once its dryed out properly id say thats when its seasoned.

[djbobbins]

In fact, I tell a lie, just found the webpage again and it says that logs burned in December could have been cut as late as September...

[djbobbins]

i would have said once its dryed out properly id say thats when its seasoned.

So when it becomes sonorous? (i.e. sounds a bit like a glockenspiel when hit together?!)

[Joy Yeomans]

seasoning only means reducing the moisture level to an acceptable level to burn - i.e. =<25% around, getting to this level can be speeded up with many methods

[Big Bolt]

Alder best to leave only for a year no-longer , i suppose the big boys in f-wood havent got the room or time to let it season for long as room and turnover takes president ,could be wrong .

[Frank]

Seasoned means aged. Log baron has it right ( that's why he's the log baron)

 

How long certain woods take to get to an acceptable moisture content (less than 25%) depends on lots of factors. How soon it is split, how/where it is stored, is it dried passively or being forced. Lots of different factors. You cant just say a certain wood will take a year etc. You can force dry wood in 24hrs.

[Rob D]

Wood drying is based on three factors - temperature, air flow and relative humidity. Also on surface area of the wood. Split wood dries much faster than wood left in the round.

 

Wood can be dried in a month if done right or the same wood could take 10 years if done wrong.

 

So time really has nothing to do with it at all

[firewoodman]

toungue in cheek and a good argument setler/agrivator is the following statement

 

seasoned = 3 months.....dried for a season=seasoned

4 seasons in year

12 months in a year

12 months divided by 4 seasons = 3 months.. one season

 

or seasoned.... had salt and pepper added (as asked by a customer)

 

seasoned to me means when it is dry to a suitable MC

[chestnut]

some woods burn well even when green - like ash - so seasoning is almost irrelevant - sweet chestnut on the other hand (which is what we sell) needs a good 3 years of proper seasoning

but if you left birch out to season for three years - it would have probably rotted away - or in the case of the laurel probably re-rooted itself

 

if it's dry and it burns - sell it