A lot of the online advice about seasoning firewood comes from Scandinavia or the USA. However, they don’t have a climate like ours. We get so much rain, and not just rain, it’s the damp! Even when we’ve snow or frost it’s never really crisp, it’s still damp.
I was in the Dolomites skiing once and it was -20 ‘C by day. One night I took a walk around the town, it was -27 ‘C. But it was crisp and comfortable.
It was a mere -2 ‘C here (Cork) a few days ago and it was not crisp and comfortable, it was damp and miserable. Real penetrating cold.
But I digress....
I’ve tried seasoning firewood outdoors but I’ve just about given up. Unless the wood is stacked against a sheltered wall, on a sloped footpath, covered with a sheet of galvanised steel, forget about it.
A tarp on top isn’t enough to protect against traditional Irish sideways rain. And the rain that misses it and lands nearby will bounce up after ricocheting off the ground. Fully covering with a tarp will lead to mould. And the wind will probably rip the tarp within twelve months anyway.
I use an old airy shed to dry my fresh firewood. These are large branches and boughs and some split trunks.
Then when it’s sawn and chopped down to fire-size logs I put it in a metal shed at the back of the garage. I’ve a few pallets standing on edge to form a box. Then I just lob the logs in there. I don’t bother stacking them, just fling them in a heap. That way there is plenty of gaps for air to circulate, seasoning the logs as completely as possible. I’ve one of those Aldi moisture meters but I don’t use it too much. If the log feels heavyish then it’s too fresh. If it feels lightout, then it’s good to burn.