To Split, or Not To Split...That is the Question

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A regular reader of this blog, CM, had written me asking if I split the wood I burn in my Hardy H2 and was curious if round wood burns longer.
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Here's the deal with firewood and what I have learned while heating my house with wood. While gathering firewood is labor intensive, the BIGGEST investment of your labor to procure firewood is splitting it. Even if you invest $1500 to $2500 for a good hydraulic splitter...you can never escape the reality that splitting wood is A LOT of work. Of course cutting, lugging, hauling and stacking too can be laborious...but splitting, from my experience, is a major commitment. Because of this the only time I split a log is when its too big to fit in the door of my Hardy. An OWB will burn a round log without any problem and it is also my experience that the round log will last longer and burn just as hot as a split log. If you recall from an earlier post, I had purchased a maul and had a lot of fun splitting wood. I found swinging a maul to be a great workout and split wood does make loading the furnace easier because a log split into four pieces is easier on the back and knees than it is as a whole log. Look at it this way...everything is a trade off.
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If the log fits in my firebox door, I throw it in as is. All the labor I save not splitting logs I can invest in cutting more wood and bringing it home, or playing catch with my daughters. Now, the trade off is a round of wood will take longer to season (dry out) than split wood and can be more difficult to lug around and toss into the furnace. Don't laugh at this because even the toughest Ohioan can get a stiff back or bum knee after four months of tossing logs twice a day into the Hardy. Either way you do it, split or unsplit, you want to devise a plan that will yield a steady supply of seasoned wood. I burn the wood that is in my shed, which has seasoned for over a year. Once it is burned I will restock it this spring with the cut wood I brought home the most recent fall. By the following winter the rounds are fully seasoned and ready to go.
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Allow me to be honest. I think anyone with an OWB must be a responsible owner and be concerned for their neighbor's enjoyment of their homes. You should avoid burning garbage, tires, shingles, or green wood because these things smoke excessively and tend to anger people you shouldn't be wishing to anger. The cruel fact is that green wood smokes a lot more than seasoned wood. However, you may live in an area like me where you have no neighbors...so burning green wood isn't as big of a concern. If you don't have seasoned wood, you may be forced to burn what you have...so in goes the green stuff. Green wood will burn...but not as hot as seasoned wood...so you will burn more of it to get the same amount of heat. At times if I burn a green log, I will throw it in the firebox last so that it can be kiln dried for half the day before it gets its turn to set on the grates.
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I hope this adds some insight into my approach to how I work my wood pile. This approach works for me but you may find that splitting is better for you...which is fine. Your mileage may vary! Thanks for the letters and interest in this blog. Keep them coming.
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OWB