Alder seasoning

[The Firewood Guys]

Can anyone tell me whats the best way to season proccesed alder, am planning on storeing in a well ventilated barn with a concrete floor

[davetaz]

Same way as any other wood

Once processed, ie split into logs or billets, stack it off the ground so the wind can push air around it and cover the top to keep the rain off, simples!

I believe airflow is the main key to seasoning firewood. I don't store any of mine in a barn type situation so couldn't comment on how good it would be. But what I do know is oak or beech billets will season in under 6 months (down to 20%mc) if stacked on pallets in a windy place with a tarp covering the top.

[rammer]

Same way as any other wood

Once processed, ie split into logs or billets, stack it off the ground so the wind can push air around it and cover the top to keep the rain off, simples!

I believe airflow is the main key to seasoning firewood. I don't store any of mine in a barn type situation so couldn't comment on how good it would be. But what I do know is oak or beech billets will season in under 6 months (down to 20%mc) if stacked on pallets in a windy place with a tarp covering the top.

 

impressive stack,very tidy

[Martin Jenkins]

I find that alder seasons very quickly, much more quickly than ash.

 

I fell the alders, leave the cord stacked in the wood for about a year, bring it to the chopping up area, round and split it, and it is ready to burn very quickly after that - couple of months max.

 

Same advice as davetaz otherwise - I have built a simple set of wood bays, each 2.4m wide by 1.2m deep by about 1.8m high, with a wooden pallet on the ground, old sheep fencing around three sides, and a tarpaulin on the top - the wind whips through it and seasons it nicely.

[The Firewood Guys]

wont be able to put on pallets need to use a loader to load delivery vehicle, All the other hardwood that ive seasoned and sold in the past has seasoned very well, was just unsure because never used alder before,

[Stereo]

Alder will season in no time. I think you have to be a bit careful as it will rot if left out in the air for a year or so. That's what I was told anyway. It's a good firewood though as it splits easily and dries quickly. Plus it coppices like mad and grows super quickly. I have half an acre of alder coppice on the go at the moment. Just felled all the trees last winter and the shoots are taller than me already. Problem is they love boggy ground so we can only harvest when it's frozen solid or in the summer when you get eaten by flies.

[djbobbins]

I had mine sawn and stacked outside (exposed to the elements on the outside face of the stack) for about nine months. I then split any bigger stuff and had it in my open faced log store for about another two or three months.

 

It burns well, however once it is dry it is relatively low density which means either a big pile of logs on the hearth, lots of trips out to the log store or burning a shovel of coal every now and then.

[djbobbins]

FWIW in your situation I would be minded to keep it up off the floor (pallets?) and either stacked with deliberate air gaps, or if it is already down to log size, deliberately loose piled so the air can get through it.

[The Firewood Guys]

yes got quite alot of it processed down to log size already with a slight mix of ash and syc too it looks to be drying well and mc is slowly coming down, all pushed up on a concrete floor in an open fronted barn, thanks all for your advice .............