Interesting; weighed some locust 1/6 and 1/28
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"Green" moisture, the water contained in tree "sap", will dry faster in extreme cold than moisture later absorbed after the tree is dead (such as from laying on the ground). Tree "sap" contains enzymes and compounds that act as a natural anti-freeze to protect the "live" tree over winter. If you've ever needed to bust through solid-frozen ground (say for septic problems) and hit tree roots... those roots are not frozen, they're still pliable and often the earth close around them ain't froze either. Although, after the tree is dead those enzymes and compounds begin to break-down; given ample time the "sap" will degrade enough to freeze solid... and any water absorbed by a dead tree is devoid of those enzymes and compounds. Tree "sap" remains in a semi-liquid state, even in your wood pile, and therefore will more readily evaporate at temperatures well below 32°. Of course, just because the air temperature is below 32° doesn't mean the piled wood is... wood has thermal storage properties, even a few minutes of sunlight can make a big difference. The snow will disappear from the tops of my stacks even though temperatures remain well below freezing. And again, the "green" moisture, the "sap", is held between and within the cells, absorbed moisture is held between the fibers...
The point I'm making is... "green" wood will "season" even in extreme cold... "wet", frozen wood won't dry much until the moisture first thaws. Grandma used to always hang bed sheets out to dry in winter... but only on a clear day when sunlight would warm the water (actually warm the sheets).
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The point I'm making is... "green" wood will "season" even in extreme cold... "wet", frozen wood won't dry much until the moisture first thaws. Grandma used to always hang bed sheets out to dry in winter... but only on a clear day when sunlight would warm the water (actually warm the sheets).
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