If a homeowner expects to burn firewood that’s at least semi-dry come winter, that homeowner better start cutting and splitting their wood as early as they’re able to during the spring. And by spring, I mean early to mid-April. That’s for Maine. The more southerly a person lives, the earlier they can begin cutting and splitting.
In reality, if a person expects their wood to be dry enough to burn in October, they really should have two year’s worth split and ready to go at any given time. That way, they can skip a year, giving the wood more time to dry. I have about three year’s worth on hand and my wood sometimes isn’t dry enough to burn well. It’s dry, but damn firewood likes to hold onto its moisture, especially when stored in a wood shed. Perhaps it would dry out more quickly if it were stacked outside and left for the sun to beat on all day long during the summer. Since the prospect of me stacking my firewood outside and then restacking it inside doesn’t appeal to me, I stack and store mine right in my very open garage. There’s good air flow in there, but again, I think the sunshine helps dry wood quite a bit.
We own about 12 acres of forest. The land contains tons of trees and for years, I’ve been harvesting what I need and using it for my winter heating. Since I possess the forest, the chainsaws, and the skills, I save a lot of money on my heating bills. They’re pretty much nothing. I used to purchase my firewood split, but due to a price increase about three years ago, I decided to cut my own. While it was once a charming endeavor, as time has passed, much of that charm has evaporated and gone away. I now begrudgingly head into the forest every mid-April to scout out, cut, split, and haul my firewood. Yes, it’s free, but it’s also getting more difficult to manage as the years pass by. What I need is a boy. An 18 year old who would love nothing other than to cut and split firewood for me. Yes, that’s what I need.
Firewood season is a race against the heat and black flies. The warmth of May can be somewhat tolerated, but the black flies can’t be. Since April is bug free, I know that it’s a window between the waning snow and mud on the ground and the waxing insects above. The last thing I want is to be swatting away swarms of biting pests while doing my cutting and splitting, so I work fast and try to finish what I need to do quickly.
I’ll tell you this; it’s easy to become lazy when the better weather rolls around. I know plenty of people who have every intention of cutting and splitting during April, but for one reason or another miss the opportunity. Since they’re fully aware that winter will arrive once more in a few mere months, they ultimately and inevitably find themselves trudging through the ferns and ticks come June and July in an attempt to cut wood that won’t have nearly enough time to properly season by autumn. I learned this lesson well during my early years here in Maine – don’t be lazy. Laziness never pays.
