Firewood Storage: How to Store and Stack Your Logs

Store firewood off the ground, under cover, and with plenty of airflow around it — and cover the top but leave the sides open. Get those three things right and your logs stay dry, season properly, and burn far better when winter comes.

It's tempting to just dump the logs in a heap by the back door, but the way you store your wood makes a real difference to how it burns. Damp logs are hard to light, smoke more, and give off less heat. Here's how to keep yours in top condition.

Why dry firewood matters

Wet wood spends its energy boiling off moisture instead of heating your room. That means a sluggish fire, a blackened glass door, and more soot in your flue. Properly dry firewood — 20% moisture content or less — lights easily and burns hot and clean. In fact, the UK's Ready to Burn standard exists precisely because dry wood burns so much cleaner than wet wood.

If you'd rather skip the seasoning wait altogether, our kiln dried logs arrive ready to burn, dried well below 20% in a kiln rather than left out for a year or two.

Where to store firewood

• Outside is fine — and often better. Wood seasons best with fresh air moving through it. A garden spot that gets some sun and breeze is ideal.
• Keep it off the ground. Stack onto pallets, bearers, or a raised log store. Logs sitting straight on soil or paving will draw up damp from below.
• Cover the top, not the sides. Rain and snow should be kept off, but the sides need to stay open so air can circulate and carry moisture away. Wrapping the whole pile in a tarp traps damp and can leave your wood wetter than when you started.
• Only bring a few days' worth indoors. A small rack by the fire is handy, but storing large amounts inside a warm, humid home doesn't help wood dry and can bring in unwanted insects.

How to stack firewood properly

1. Build on a dry, level base. Pallets are perfect — free, sturdy, and they lift the wood into the airflow.
2. Stack bark-side up. On the top layer especially, bark acts like a little roof and helps shed water.
3. Leave gaps for air. Don't cram the logs together. A loose stack breathes and dries; a tightly packed one holds moisture.
4. Keep the pile stable. If you're stacking against a wall, leave a small gap so air can pass behind it. For a free-standing pile, criss-cross the ends like a log cabin to lock it in place.
5. Cover the top. A sheet of corrugated roofing or a purpose-made log store cover keeps the rain off while leaving the sides open.

How long does firewood take to season?

Freshly cut ("green") hardwood typically needs a good one to two years of drying before it's ready to burn, depending on the species and where it's stored. That's a long wait — which is why a lot of people buy wood that's already dry. If you'd rather not gamble on seasoning at home, buying kiln dried takes the guesswork out entirely.

Keep your wood store stocked

Good storage keeps good wood in great condition — but it has to be dry to begin with. Top up with our kiln dried logs, or for a compact, easy-to-store option that packs a lot of heat into a small space, take a look at our heat logs. And when it's time to get the fire going, our firelighters and kindling make light work of it.