Splitting and Burning

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We are now officially into winter. It's cold outside...the snow is getting deeper...and the wood is burning up faster. I never would have guessed how much I would use my new Collins Splitting maul when I first purchased it. Before the snow hit I decided to pull out a lot of the larger rounds from the wood pile and split them. It's nice to have some split wood around when I am loading the stove. The split pieces seem to lay well in the firebox and help my larger rounds burn. Plus, my wife appreciates the split wood as they are easier for her to toss into the Hardy. It's always wise to keep the wife in good spirits! Before I had this maul, I would never split a log unless it was too big to fit in the firebox door. The maul has added a new dimension to my Hardy experience and has made me realize that their is value in split wood.
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Below is a picture of some quick work of mine with the Collins Maul. I split up some large cherry rounds and, despite the cherry being in the wood shed over a year, I could smell the aroma of fresh cut black cherry when the log split open. It's a great smell. Try putting your nose close to your screen and maybe you too can catch a whiff. Sometimes I think the wood is just too pretty to burn. Just like this black cherry you see below. It has a great color and grain. Oh well...in ya go!

Last night the temperature dipped to 12 degrees (f) but the Hardy went easy on the wood. The firebox was about 1/3 full after an 11 hour burn. I haven't done a scientific study on wood usage but I am pretty sure round logs will burn longer than if they were split. There is probably a trade off where the split wood burns hotter but the rounds last longer...but honestly I have too much wood right now to worry about it. Of course, this won't always be the case. I already see my woodpile getting smaller and it won't be long until the snow is gone and I am back in the woods cutting up next winter's stash.
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OWB