Storing Firewood for Winter: Where to Stack It, How to Cover It, and How to Bring It Inside Without Bugs

In August we wrote about buying firewood and how seasoning works. This post picks up where that one left off: the wood is in your yard, and it has to stay dry, stay clear of the house, and come inside a little at a time all winter.

Storage is where a lot of good wood goes wrong. Stacked on bare ground or wrapped in a tarp, it picks up moisture instead of losing it. Stacked against the siding, it becomes shelter for mice and a hidden bridge for termites. And a big stack brought indoors to warm up can release a surprise crop of beetles in January. None of it is hard to avoid once you know what the sources recommend.

How Far From the House

Every extension source we checked that addresses placement agrees on one thing: do not stack firewood against the house. They differ on how far away it should be, and the difference comes down to which problem each source is trying to prevent.

Purdue Extension's firewood insect publication (E-67) says to keep a minimum of 3 feet between firewood and a building, which also allows better air circulation and faster drying. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension goes much further for a different reason: it recommends keeping the bulk of your firewood at least 30 feet from your home to reduce the chance of rodents moving into and around the house, since mice and rats will readily take shelter in firewood if conditions are right. An Ohio State Extension article on termites in firewood lands in between, noting that some experts recommend 20 to 30 feet.

Termites are the reason the against-the-house rule matters even if you never see a mouse. University of Kentucky entomologists warn that firewood stacked against a foundation offers termites hidden entry into the structure and may let them bypass soil that has been treated with a termiticide. Their termite publication says never to store firewood against foundations or inside crawlspaces.

A workable setup for most properties: keep the main stack well away from the house, 30 feet if you have the room and a rodent concern, and keep only a small amount, about a day or two worth, close to the door. That small rack is exactly what the Nebraska guidance describes.

Get It Off the Ground

Wood stacked on bare ground draws moisture up from the soil and gives insects an easy way in. Purdue says stacking wood off the ground increases drying and reduces pest problems, and notes that wood stacked on the ground can become infested with termites. Iowa State University Extension makes the same two points: it helps drying and makes it harder for insects to crawl into the woodpile.

None of the sources we found gives a specific height. They describe the method instead. Penn State Extension suggests pallets or metal tubes. Ohio State Extension in Noble County suggests pallets, or laying sacrifice wood crosswise on the ground to build a platform. Either way, the goal is air under the stack.

Cover the Top, Not the Sides

A tarp pulled all the way over the stack and staked down feels like protection, but it traps moisture against the wood.

The EPA's Burn Wise program puts it simply: store wood outdoors, off the ground, with only the top covered, because covering the sides traps in moisture. Penn State Extension is blunter, saying a stack should never be fully covered in tarp, plastic, or canvas, because that creates a tent that holds moisture and will cause the wood to rapidly decompose. Penn State recommends covering the top with a sheet of corrugated metal, and its separate wood stove guide says to keep wood under cover in a sunny spot, noting that a tarp will do but a solid roof is better.

Penn State also recommends drying wood in a spot that is dry, sunny, and gets plenty of wind, with the stack loose enough to let air move through. A woodshed with an open front, a stack under a roof overhang that is still well away from the wall, or a simple metal sheet weighted on top of the pile all accomplish the same thing.

Check the Moisture Before You Burn It

Storage affects how well the wood burns. The EPA says wood burns best at a moisture content of less than 20 percent and recommends testing it with a wood moisture meter before burning. That is a best practice recommendation, not a legal standard, but it is a useful target. Penn State Extension estimates that wood at about 20 percent moisture has roughly 12 percent more available energy than freshly cut wood at 45 percent.

A moisture meter takes the guesswork out of it. Split a piece and test the fresh inside face, not the weathered outside. If a stack you bought as seasoned is reading high, our August post on buying and seasoning firewood covers what to do with it.

How Much to Bring Inside, and When

Here the sources line up closely. Purdue says to bring firewood indoors only as needed, at most a couple of days supply at a time. Iowa State says to leave firewood outside until a day or two before it will be burned. The University of Kentucky says to bring in small amounts that can be used up in a day or so, and to keep them in a cool area like a garage or porch. Nebraska says to bring in only a small amount at a time. Ohio State Extension in Noble County is a little looser, saying more than a week ahead is probably too long.

The reason is temperature. Insects living in the wood are dormant in the cold. Nebraska says wood kept below 50 degrees keeps the insects inside dormant, and that if wood is taken indoors and allowed to warm up for several days, insect activity resumes and they may emerge in your home. Iowa State notes it generally takes a couple of days for insects to warm up and become active. Purdue adds that when firewood is stored in a warm house, adult beetles can emerge even in the middle of winter.

A day or two of wood on an indoor rack gets burned before anything living in it has time to wake up.

The Bugs That Come In With It

Finding a beetle crawling out of the wood basket is unsettling, but the extension sources are reassuring about what it means. Purdue says wood boring beetles in firewood do not attack finished or dried wood inside the home, and that bark beetles will not attack finished or seasoned wood. Purdue also says termites accidentally brought in with firewood will not infest structural wood, and Iowa State says termites brought in this way cannot establish a new nest and will not damage your home or furniture. The University of Kentucky describes the potential for the wood-boring beetles found in firewood to infest structural wood in the house as very low.

Carpenter ants get a more careful answer. Purdue says bringing carpenter ant infested wood inside generally will not spread the infestation into the home. Nebraska recommends that any wood containing big black carpenter ants or termites be taken back outside and burned. That is a sensible habit even if the risk is small.

Do Not Spray Your Firewood

When people see insects in firewood, the instinct is to spray the pile. Every extension source we found that addresses spraying advises against it. Purdue says homeowners should not make a practice of applying chemicals to firewood, because burning the wood may produce harmful fumes. Iowa State strongly advises against it, saying treating firewood with insecticides has little benefit and is potentially dangerous. The University of Kentucky calls it unnecessary and potentially dangerous for the same reason, and Nebraska says not to spray insect-infested firewood and then burn it in the house.

The fix for firewood insects is the storage routine above: keep the pile outside and away from the house, keep it off the ground, and bring in only what you will burn in a day or two.

Inside the House: Keep It Away From the Stove

The indoor rack needs its own spacing. The U.S. Fire Administration says to keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet from all heat sources, including fireplaces and wood stoves, and the National Fire Protection Association gives the same three foot figure for heating equipment. Neither names firewood specifically, but firewood is certainly something that can burn, so the rack belongs at least 3 feet from the stove or fireplace opening.

The NFPA also says ashes should be cool before they go into a metal container. It also says to keep that container a safe distance from your home. Keeping it well away from the woodpile too makes sense, so the end of the process is as safe as the start.

One More Thing to Look For: Spongy Moth Egg Masses

University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension notes that spongy moth egg masses can be found on firewood piles as well as on trees and buildings. They look like tan lumps about the size of a nickel or quarter. If you find them while restacking wood this fall, USDA's guidance is to scrape them off with a putty knife or stiff brush and drop them into hot, soapy water, or seal them in a plastic bag and leave it in the sun.

When to Call Stoll's

Stoll's Landscaping sells cut and split hardwood firewood by the cord, delivered, and stacked if you would rather not move it yourself, across Dover, New Philadelphia, Sugarcreek, Strasburg, Bolivar, and Uhrichsville. If you are setting up a new woodpile this fall, tell us where you plan to stack it when you order, and we can talk through placement before the wood is stacked in the wrong spot.

Heating season is starting now. The best time to get your stack placed, raised, and covered is before the first load arrives, not after it is sitting on the lawn.