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FORESTERS'
TIPS, TECHNIQUES,
AND
TRICKS OF THE TRADE | | |
 DRYING FUELWOOD
The moisture content of freshly cut wood is around 55 to 65% on a wet basis, i.e. over half is water.
Now everyone knows
that dry wood is a better fuel than wet wood, if only because it ignites better. But less well known
is just how much benefit
there is in allowing fresh wood to dry.
Thus, if cut wood is stored in a well-ventilated and covered area for a month or two, then the moisture
content will drop to
around 25%. This drying process enables large savings to be achieved on the amount of wood required
for any particular
heating purpose. In fact, if wood is not allowed to dry, you could easily use as much as 50% more wood
to obtain the
same amount of heat. What simpler means of natural resource management could there be?
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