Cut when felled, or let 'em sit?

[Marine5068]

I'm occasionally have dropped and cut up my own trees. Getting ready to do it again.

A former neighbor with a lot of experience felling and heating with wood, once told me that if dropping a leafed out tree, best thing was to drop it and let it sit till the leaves dried up and browned, then cut it up and it would be pretty much ready to burn. The idea being most of the moisture would pass out via the leaf system.

Said it would take twice as long to season, into next year, if you cut it up right away, even if split.

True or tale?

Nonsense. I hear crazy opinions all the time.
It's simple Physics.
Seasoning/Drying only starts after the rounds are split and stacked in an airy possibly sunny location off the ground.
Some will dry faster and some slower.
Depends of lots of factors, (size of splits, how hot it is out, windy places, etc.) Some species take longer and no, Ash isn't magic wood and you still need to season it properly (-20%).
Just plan ahead and you'll have great firewood.
Mine is 2-3 years ahead.

 

[Hermio]

The more surface area exposed, the faster it dries. I generally cut mine into rounds pretty soon after felling, then let the rounds sit for two years before splitting. They would dry faster if split right away, but they are harder to split green.