By Jersey Firewood

11/16/2010 The best time to prepare firewood to keep your home warm during the winter season is at least a year ahead. Seasoned firewood burns more efficiently, gives off more heat, and burns clean. Here are simple ideas which you can follow to determine if what you are buying is seasoned firewood. Or you can simply prepare one yourself.

• Wood that is not fresh-cut could still have 45 to over 50 percent water stored in it. Moisture content this much in your firewood will not help to keep your home warm and comfortable. Frustration would be the best word to describe your experience when you have unseasoned firewood instead.

• In seasoned firewood , water content should only be around 20 to 25 percent after it has been cut or chopped, stacked, and kept dry for a year or more. No matter what type it is, firewood can be prepared and dried under the sun and with the wind while stacked outside your house. When properly exposed for seasoning and the drier it becomes, the better they burn when used.

• When you choose the right seasoned firewood for home use, it will save you the discomfort of having to deal with creosote, the acidic water brought by the unseasoned firewood not burning properly, that can build up around your stove or chimney. When your firewood is dry, it does not create any creosote but will only serve to keep your home and family warm and totally comfortable with the clean and steady heat it brings.

• Seasoned firewood appears dark brown or dark gray with cracks of different length all around it and the texture is brittle, but when chopped to pieces will show light or whitish color inside. This shows how dry it really is. A fresh cut or unseasoned firewood will appear green on the exterior, with softer, moisture-laden center, lighter edges, and its bark still tightly attached.

• Preparing your firewood well starts with the simple process of cutting it. The diameter for seasoned firewood is ideally 6 to 8 inches. Lengthwise cut should be 16 inches for the face cord to 18 inches long, depending on the size of your stove or chimney. The proper measurement will hasten the drying process of each piece when stacked and exposed to the sun and wind.

• In stacking, seasoned firewood is either covered with plastic sheet, an oiled canvass cloth, or wide plywood in case rain happens. The edges are still exposed to allow the moisture from each cut wood to escape. Pallets or scrap wood are sometimes used to raise the stack from the ground to protect it from more moisture and rotting. Air flow from underneath the stack is also encouraged this way.

• Spaces in between each piece of the seasoned firewood allow better air circulation and sun exposure, ensuring that by the time they are going to be used, they are thoroughly dry enough to burn well and clean. A good amount of space between the stack of firewood and the wall of the house also maximizes air flow and sun-drying.

Whether you choose to buy or cut up and prepare your own stack for the winter season, it is best to remember these basic things about seasoned firewood and put them to good use. Your home will be more comfortable and warm when you know what's best.