9 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Storing Firewood

Keep smoky fires and bugs out of your home by avoiding these common firewood storage mistakes.

There’s nothing better than a warm fire on a cold evening. But your cozy night by the fire or bonfire party can quickly burn out if you don’t store your firewood correctly.

Using proper storage methods is vital to creating the perfect fire, as well as keeping your party bug-free. Here are nine common firewood storage mistakes you should avoid to prevent fire smoke and pest infestations.

1. Leave the wood uncovered

One of the top priorities of firewood storage is ensuring that the wood remains dry. Since wood is usually stored outdoors, it should not be left exposed.

For effective dry storage, the firewood stack should be kept indoors or under a tarp to protect it from rain and snow.

Wet wood is harder to ignite, burns faster, produces less heat and produces more smoke, which can ruin a cozy night around the fire. Insects also like to hang out in damp wood, which can lead to unwanted guests if you bring wood into the house for a fire pit.

Firewood should only be stored inside if it has been oven dried. Other types of wood may contain insects or mold and require further drying outdoors.

2. Storage near the house

It may be tempting to place a stack of firewood next to your home for easy access, but wood attracts insects and termites. If your woodpile is located close to your home, these pests can easily enter the property, damage your siding, and become a nuisance.

Storing firewood near your home can also pose a fire hazard, as an accidental fire can quickly burn through a woodpile and spread into your home. Although not as convenient, the firewood storage area should be located within a few feet of your home.

3. Storage near trees and other buildings.

Since keeping a woodpile close to the house is out of the question, the next place you look may be next to a tree, shed, or other structure in the yard. However, this can still lead to air circulation problems.

The firewood stack must remain dry, which means it needs proper ventilation. For this to happen, the firewood must be in the open air and not next to something that blocks the air flow.

A storage area with air flow will also keep the woodpile out of shade during the day, giving it more time in the sun to stay dry.

4. Storage directly on the ground.

When wood sits directly on the ground, it is more likely to absorb excess moisture, leading to mold, mildew, and wood rot. Your woodpile can also pick up pests from the soil.

Either stack the wood on a concrete surface or install wooden beams or pallets to raise the pile off the ground. This will ensure proper air flow under the wood and help prevent infestation.

5. Laying too tightly

How you stack your firewood is just as important as where you store it. Improper stacking techniques can restrict air flow, which can lead to dampness and mold.

While you may want to stack logs close together to maximize space, firewood should be stacked loosely with small gaps between each piece. This extra space keeps the parts dry, which will extend burn time and minimize smoke.

6. Stack too much

Your firewood stack should remain four feet high. Anything higher can compromise the stability of the pile, which can become a safety issue. This also ensures easy access to the highest parts. If you have to stretch to reach the logs, you’re more likely to knock something out of place or lose control of the pieces you grab.

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If you don’t have a firewood picker, consider installing posts at each end of the woodpile to prevent it from tipping over on its side.

7. Don’t fold at all

While this may facilitate quick installation, leaving logs in a haphazard pile is detrimental to airflow. Even if a stack of firewood is raised, it can become damp and moldy without proper stacking that allows for proper air circulation.

One popular method is to lay wood in straight horizontal rows, with each layer laid in the opposite direction to the one below to create a criss-cross pattern (think Jenga tower). This method is also great for added stability.

8. Use new wood first

If you’re always reaching for fresh pieces of wood instead of going through the entire pile, you might be preparing yourself for a colony of beetles. Infestations tend to occur in wood that has been standing too long, so always use the oldest wood first.

When assembling a stack, place the newest pieces of wood at the bottom so that the older pieces are easier to pick up. If you want a useful visual element to differentiate between old and new wood, use a piece of lumber to indicate the difference.

9. Application of pesticides

Since insects are one of the main problems with improperly storing firewood, you may be tempted to treat your wood with pesticides. However, this can be dangerous and counterproductive.

Burning wood treated with pesticides can release toxic fumes into the air that can be harmful to your health. Plus, you’ll miss out on the wonderful smoky campfire smell that burning wood usually produces.

Pesticides also tend to be counterproductive in controlling pests because they don’t penetrate deep enough to get rid of the bugs hiding in your firewood, and in some cases, it can cause them to burrow deeper.