How to Stack and Season Apple Wood for Wood Stoves

Apple wood is an excellent fuel for burning wood. It is considered a hardwood, which means it is heavy and will burn longer than softwoods. However, if the apple wood is not seasoned, it will be very difficult to burn it properly.

We have had a lot of success drying apple wood because our summers are very hot with little humidity. Seasoning apple wood doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Simply cut the wood pile or dump it into heaps and let it dry or cure for at least a year or more.

However, if you want to dry the wood more slowly, don’t be afraid to run a spray over the top during the summer. Spraying the wood will also help control insects that can damage it.

Apple wood is susceptible to these tiny mites that bore tiny holes into the wood. Your wood will still burn nicely, but you need to watch your stack closely so it doesn’t get encroached upon. I highly recommend burning this wood as soon as you have seasoned it. Apple wood can be difficult to stack because it comes in so many different shapes and is not uniform. However, as you start to stack the wood, you will be able to quickly fill in the holes with other smaller pieces. We use a lot of 4 foot pipes to help us keep our lumber stacks from toppling over.

Wood burners who live in a city or town should place their wood in an area that does not receive water from their garden sprinklers. Wood that gets wet can take 2 years or more to dry completely if you continue to water it. As far as keeping the wood covered, that’s a personal preference. My people cover their wood and we don’t. The benefits of covering your wood during the winter months is that it can dry out your wood faster, but in the west with our dry summers that’s not a big deal.

If you are consistent with the wood cutting and each year you cut more wood than you need, it will not take long to have a reserve of wood for 3 years. That means if during a cutting season you get injured and can’t cut, you won’t have to worry about cutting because you have a reserve.

Those of you who want to buy apple wood can do so, but make sure you get what you pay for. Many places charge around $100 for a wooden cable that is all branches. These little limbs burn well, but you can never trust them to burn all night leaving you, the fire lighting the coals in the morning.