Can anyone tell me whether eastern beech (Maine) will dry in the round. Specifically 3"-4" diameter x 16" long pieces? I have a bunch of it and would rather not waste time splitting it if it will dry on it's own. The bark seems like it is more porous than some hardwoods. I never split small rounds of maple, or often even larger pieces, as they will dry just fine and i never leave any birch in the round, I think it might rot even under cover. But i have never had much beech for firewood, and probably would not have bothered taking such small pieces but a friend had some trimming done and I offered to haul it away. I assume it is probably similar to oak in BTU's and I can't resist anything free if I can use it. Thanks, LP