How To Store Firewood Outside In Winter

Properly storing your firewood is one of the most important aspects of taking care of your firewood. The winter season poses a unique challenge, there is a lot more frost, snow, moisture, and less sunlight which can ruin or speed up the rotting of your firewood. Let’s take a look at how to properly store the firewood during the winter season.

Make sure that the location where you are keeping your firewood is protected from the outside elements as much as possible. It should get plenty of sunlight and wind. if it snows a lot or rains in your area, cover the wood stack with a tarp until the harsh weather conditions end.

firewood storage outside in winter

How To Properly Store Firewood Outside During Winter?

There are a lot of factors that you need to keep in mind while storing your firewood, especially during the winter season. Some of these factors might change depending on the climate of the region you are located in.

Seasoned Or Unseasoned?

Whether you are dealing with seasoned or unseasoned firewood can make a huge difference. If you are dealing with the latter, chances are that the seasoning time for the firewood will increase significantly due to the lack of heat and sunlight for the firewood.

On the other hand, if you are dealing with seasoned firewood, all you need to do is to protect the logs from outside elements such as rain, snow, or frost. With unseasoned firewood, you also have to keep in mind any fungus, mold, or insect infestation during autumn, summer or spring. Unseasoned firewood is much more prone to rot and infestation due to higher moisture content.

Split The Woods

If your firewood has not been split beforehand, make sure to split them into at least quarters. This will increase their surface area and will make it much faster for them to dry. Splitting the firewood will also make it easier to store and handle the wood.

While cutting or splitting the firewood, you should keep in mind the dimensions of your fireplace.

Dry The Firewood Properly

If you have some time to prepare for the winter season, try to dry off the firewood as much as possible. The drier they are, the better they will be for burning and storing. Dry firewood has a much less chance of being infested with insects or start rotting. They will also generate much more heat and burn for longer.

The Location Where You Keep The Wood Is Important

This might be the most important factor you need to keep in mind. Although firewood needs sunlight and good ventilation for the best results, you need to be aware of any environmental damage which might occur due to rain or snow.

If you have an indoor place such as a garage, a storage shed, or a barn that receives a good amount of airflow and can protect the firewood from rain or frost, it will be the ideal choice to go for.

On the other hand, if you have no choice but to store the wood outside, try to make a firewood rack that can protect them from moisture while also providing ample ventilation and sunlight. You can either buy a rack from the hardware store or build it yourself. They don’t cost a lot and you can choose the size which suits your needs.

Provide Proper Elevation

If you cannot arrange for a wood rack, leave about a 4-6 inches gap between the ground and the wood to keep away the water and moisture from the ground.

This will further protect the firewood from rain, or snow melting water which can form a puddle around the wood.

Keep It Clean

You should always keep the area where you are storing firewood clean. Garbage around the firewood will only increase the chances of insect or mold infestation. Keeping the area clean can prolong the life of your firewood greatly.

Should You Cover The Firewood Or Not?

This is a very divided question amongst people all over the world. There are pros and cons to both methods, covering the firewood can prevent proper ventilation and sunlight access while storing the wood in the summer. But if you are living in a region where it snows or rains regularly then covering the firewood with a tarp will go a long way in protecting the firewood.

However, if you do decide to cover the firewood fully, with a tarp, it is necessary to remove the cover once the harch water conditions end. Otherwise, you will speed up the rotting process of the wood by trapping moisture under the cover.

However, if the temperatures are below freezing, the moisture is frozen as well, thus it is not necessary to remove the tarp. In freezing conditions, the firewood can not start to rot.

Conclusion

Store the firewood in an area where it receives plenty of sunlight and wind. Protect the stack from any moisture and cover it with a tarp if it rains or snows in your area.

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