My dad and I have had this discussion for years. We've always talked about marking a log and actually tracking it through the process but never do. So, here is our list of steps:
For trees that we cut ourselves
1. Cut standing tree down and into "handle-able" length and move to an open area (trunk pieces are cut to size and loaded in the truck)
2. Use saw buck to cut branches down to size
3. Take pile of branch pieces and load into truck
4. Drive to yard, unload truck. Pieces that are burn size get stacked, pieces to split get stacked on a different pile
5. Wood splitter is used (everything we cut ourselves is elm) and firewood ends up in a messy pile
6. Firewood is taken from the split pile over the next few days and stacked under an overhang, where it stays for over a year
7. Firewood is now dried out, and loaded onto an open snowmobile trailer to be moved into the garage
8. Trailer is unloaded in the garage and firewood is stacked neatly
9. Firewood is loaded into wheelbarrow and taken inside to be burned
10. Firewood is loaded into wood boiler
11. Ashes are removed from boiler and placed in metal garbage can
12. Garbage can is taken outside in winter and ashes are spread
For logs that we have delivered
1. Truck is unloaded in our yard
2. Logs are rolled off of the pile and cut to length
3. As one person cuts the logs, the other piles them on pallets to keep the cutting area clear
4. Friendly logs are split with and axe, crippled ones go to the splitter, piles of firewood are left
Repeat 6 through 12 from above.
Admittedly, "handled" is open to interpretation. In some cases, it's faster to just toss the logs off of the truck and stack later than stack them immediately, this could add another step to the process. We figure that a piece of wood is usually handled about 8 or 9 times before it is burned at our house. It doesn't sound efficient, but we try to unload and split closest to where the wood will be stacked, and make the process as easy as it can be.
