Campfire Tales: The Great Maine Bonfire of 1826

[@toddyuill3924]

Great story Thats what the pioneers did on our property we have a creek on the south end the only way there is across a black spruce swamp you can still find the trail through it and to this day we still call it the hey road

[@atv950]

Could i cut my fire wood now junk it ,split it and burn it this fall

[@ERLong-ww7yn]

Absolutely. Winter cut wood that is junked and split and stacked to air dry will be at 10% moisture or less in early September. Just cover your ranks with a bit of plastic making sure the plastic doesn't hang down to the ground. If it does that, the plastic will trap moisture inside the pile. You just need a top covering to shed the rain.

[@atv950]

@ERLong-ww7yn thanks for the reply.. i usually fall my wood in August at the full moon, but i find it doesn't get dry enough it dries some more in the basement but takes all winter before it gets just right .

[@atv950]

@@ERLong-ww7yn is it a good time to fall for next year's wood?

[@ERLong-ww7yn]

@@atv950 one trick I used to see the old guys do when cutting wood in the summer was they'd fall the trees while they were in full leaf, but not limb them immediately. They'd let the leaves wither and dry, and in doing so, the leaves help suck moisture out of the wood. I would say cutting wood past early September for winter use is pushing it. In a dry year, wood can be cut in September if it is split and piled immediately. Wood cut and left in long lengths will dry in about 12 inches on the ends, but then that dried wood prevents moisture from escaping from the center of a log. I've seen hardwood and softwood logs cut two years, and the center of the tree would be as wet or wetter than a fresh cut tree. The key to drying is expose as much surface area to sun and wind as quick as possible. Hope this helps.

[@atv950]

@ERLong-ww7yn awesome thanks a lot