To be able to enjoy a wood burning stove, outdoor fire pit or fireplace, all starts with good wood, how it is seasoned and how you store it.

Making sure your wood is dry is the single most important step in the process.  How dry your wood is is what determines how well your fire starts and how much creosote can build up on the walls of your chimney.  In a perfect world, wood should be allowed to dry for a minimum of 6 months after cutting and splitting before it is used.  

Now you are ready to store it.  But what method is best?   The best place to store your wood is in a sunny area that has quite a bit of air circulation so as to dry the wood out more quickly. Some people can artfully stack wood without the use of supports, but for the rest of us, some sort of rack is necessary to keep the woodpile from becoming disarrayed. 

The use of racks are a necessity, assisting in keeping the air flowing throughout the stack well and to keep away possible insect infestations. The use of tarps, be it either canvas or plastic, or a sheet of metal over the wood keeps out the rain so that your wood can dry more quickly.  Just be sure that the coverings don't block the necessary sunshine the wood needs to dry.

The assortment of racks, either by size, structure, colour or construction material, is almost limitless. Typically, the rack is made from steel, which is tubular.  Tubular steel is considered to be lightweight, sturdy, reliable and can withstand the weather. When you go to purchase the rack it is best to know if you'll need it in a face cord size (8 feet by 4 feet) or half face cord size (4 feet by 4 feet). 

Brackets made of steel is another way to go.  You can use 2x4 boards so you can personalise the size of rack you need.  This is the best idea if you have a place that wouldn't really fit a face cord or half face cord size rack for wood. 

If you plan to store your wood in a visible place, you can always find racks that come in different colours and designs to fit in with your décor, so as not to look out of place and add some charm to your home.

A woodbox close to the door is also a good way to go.  It can keep a few days and nights worth of wood in it so you don't have to tramp out to the woodshed each day.  These also come in different sizes, colours and decorations however, I would recommend building one yourself.  It is an easy task and you can build one to suit your exact needs.

Altogether, storing wood isn't very difficult.  It just takes a little space and a lot of time to dry the perfect log for that warm cup of cocoa by the fire.