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FAQs

  • What’s the best time of year to buy firewood?

    Buy firewood in late winter through early spring for best prices and quality. Avoid peak season (September-December) when demand drives prices high.

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  • How can you tell if firewood is dry?

    Dry firewood shows cracks in end grain, sounds hollow when knocked together, weighs less, and measures below 20% moisture with a meter.

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  • What size should firewood pieces be?

    Firewood should typically be 16 inches long and split to 4-6 inch diameter. Measure your fireplace or stove to confirm the right size before ordering.

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  • How should firewood be stored?

    Store firewood elevated off the ground, 20-30 feet from your home, in a sunny location with only the top covered to allow airflow.

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  • What’s the best firewood for outdoor fire pits?

    Cherry, apple, and oak are best for fire pits, offering pleasant aromas, beautiful flames, and minimal sparking for safe, enjoyable outdoor fires.

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Proper firewood storage distance from your home balances convenience against pest risk and fire safety. While having wood immediately adjacent to your door seems practical, this proximity creates several problems that outweigh the minor inconvenience of walking a short distance for your fuel supply.

The recommended minimum distance is 20-30 feet from your home’s foundation. This separation significantly reduces the likelihood of insects living in your woodpile discovering and migrating into your house. Termites, carpenter ants, wood-boring beetles, mice, and snakes commonly inhabit firewood stacks. When wood sits against or very near your home, these creatures can easily find cracks, gaps, and entry points into your structure.

Fire safety also demands distance. While properly stacked firewood rarely ignites spontaneously, external fire sources can threaten wood stored too close to structures. Wildfire ember showers, grill accidents, or other fire sources can ignite woodpiles, and wood stacked against your house creates a direct path for fire to reach the structure. Insurance companies and fire safety experts universally recommend keeping combustible materials well away from buildings.

For maximum convenience while maintaining safety, consider a two-location strategy. Keep your main woodpile 20-30 feet from the house in an optimal seasoning location with good sun and airflow. Maintain a small secondary holder on your porch or near your door with just 1-2 days’ worth of wood for immediate use. This provides door-side convenience without the risks of storing large quantities near your home.

Never stack firewood directly against your home’s siding, even if it seems like the perfect covered spot under an eave. This violates virtually every guideline for pest prevention, fire safety, and proper wood seasoning. The apparent convenience creates far more problems than it solves.

Choose storage locations that also facilitate good wood seasoning: sunny exposure, elevated off the ground, and good air circulation. These ideal seasoning conditions rarely exist immediately next to your house, providing another reason to maintain appropriate distance.