He Stacks Wood In Cylindrical Piles, Or "Holzhaufens"

He Stacks Wood In Cylindrical Piles, Or "Holzhaufens" WOODLOT EQUIPMENT Wood Splitters 23-2-36 I've been stacking wood in cylindrical piles, or "Holzhaufens", with great results since I read about the idea in FARM SHOW 20 years ago (Vol. 3, No. 2). I stacked firewood in a long row before, but that took up too much room. Stacking firewood in 6 to 10-ft. high cylindrical piles takes up only a fraction of the space. The wood also dries more evenly and quickly because of the "chimney" effect created at the center of the pile, which draws air in from the bottom of the pile. Here's how to do it. First, cut wood into 12 to 24-in. lengths. Next, split the wood. Then, select a level piece of ground for the stack. Lay the wood in a circle by placing the narrow edge toward the center and the wider edge to the outside. Form a circle in a predetermined diameter, which can range from 4 to 6 ft. Place a center pole into the ground, approximately the height of the stack. (A good height is 10 ft.). Use wedges to maintain no more than a 1-in. inward slope. Make a roof by placing several pieces of wood, bark-side-up, at the top of the cone. A typical 10-ft. stack will shrink to about 8 ft. in about three months, and when the stack has shrunk by 20 to 25 percent, the wood is ready to bring in and burn. I cut as much firewood as I think we need to heat our home with our wood-burning furnace every heating season. (Wylie MacClellan, Economy, Colecester County, Nova Scotia, Canada B0M 1J0; ph 902 647-2834)

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