9 tips to building a good wood stack

Gathering firewood is one of those jobs best done year-round, so you always have a dry, well-seasoned supply. If you’re lucky, you’ll have a dry shed where you can store it. If you’re thinking of just throwing it in the door, it’s important to know that it can take up to 25% more space than wood that is neatly stacked. If it’s going to be outside, there’s an art and a science to stacking so it will dry out to become good quality firewood.

■ CUT

and split wood into the smallest possible size. This way, it fits easily in the firebox, and more surface area is exposed, allowing it to dry faster.

■ FIREWOOD

needs sunlight and air to dry. With an outdoor stack, face cut ends into the prevailing wind, so there’s always airflow down the length of the wood; if you live in a valley, stack wood partway up a slope, so it gets more exposure to natural airflow.

■ BUILD

a stack on a base rather than directly on the ground. Lengths of old corrugated iron or wooden pallets work well.

■

A POST

or tree at each end of a stack will help to support a pile, and you can tie a cover to them.

■ AS

you stack, keep the wood as level as possible, with a random mix of different-sized pieces, so you create natural passages for air to move through.

■ PLACE

wood with the bark side facing up, so if any rain gets through an overhead cover, it provides protection.

■ ROUND

wood needs to be staggered – the row above sitting in the gap of the row below – for good stability.

■ CREATE

a roof with a tarpaulin or, better yet, a sheet of black plastic which helps moisture to evaporate out of wood faster.

■ DRY

wood means fewer bugs living in it. However, it can attract wood-eating wasps. Take care moving around or taking wood from a stack in autumn when they may still be nesting.