Is a standing dead or storm-downed tree already seasoned and ready to burn?
No — out in Mars Hill's rural Spring Creek and Gabriels Creek valleys, where propane and wood do the heating, a standing-dead or storm-downed tree still isn't seasoned. Dead wood still isn't dry wood. The trunk holds moisture behind its bark, and one down on cold ground barely loses any. Split it and stack it off the dirt for months.
Propane-and-wood country, so the wood has to be right
The rural valleys around Mars Hill sit beyond the gas mains, so homes here run propane for their gas appliances and lean on wood for a lot of the heat — and this is one of the colder spots we serve. That combination is unforgiving of green wood. It's tempting to look at a tree that died on the stump, or one a storm brought down, and call it a free winter of heat, but it's still a sealed, moisture-heavy system: thirty to forty percent water in the trunk, and the dense heartwood you actually want dries slowest of all. Firewood is seasoned only once it's cut to length, split so the faces open, and stacked to breathe for months — a standing-dead tree has skipped every step.
Easy gas near campus, real work in the hollows
Closer to Mars Hill University the demand runs toward easy-lighting gas fireplaces, but out in the hollows a woodpile is the heat, and it earns closer attention. Stack off the ground on pallets, keep rows airy, cover the top only, and read a fresh split face before burning — light, gray-brown, end-cracked, and about 20 percent or under on a meter. Wet wood means low heat and creosote packing the flue, which is where chimney fires start. A cold-weather no-heat breakdown out here waits longer for a fix, so pre-season maintenance pays off. If you run a wood stove or insert, get the chimney checked before the season; we handle permitted, inspected installs and Mars Hill is about thirty minutes north of our Asheville showroom. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Mars Hill
We install and service fireplaces throughout Mars Hill and the rest of Madison County — just 30 minutes north from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
- Does seasoned firewood go bad or rot if it's stored for several years?
- Should firewood be split before it's stacked to season, or can whole rounds dry out?
- Is it cheaper to buy green firewood in spring and season it myself?
- Is it safe to burn rhododendron or mountain laurel cleared from my property?
- Will a wood-burning insert cut down on how much firewood I go through compared to my open fireplace?