Should Firewood Be Covered With a Tarp?

Maintaining a supply of firewood for the entire year is a great way to ensure you have fuel for your fireplace or fire pit at all times. If you have a pile of firewood, you may be wondering if it should be covered with a tarp.

Should Firewood Be Covered With a Tarp?

Storing and protecting your firewood is essential if you intend to keep it outdoors, especially if you live in a wet or cold climate. As the winter months approach, storing firewood is even more of a priority to prevent it from becoming dampened or rotted. If you are looking for a solution to cover and store your firewood, you may be considering the use of a tarp.

You can cover your firewood with a tarp. However, this is not always the best solution, as it is also possible to use alternatives such as metal sheets or even sturdy wooden boards.

There is also a cover built for the job, which is what a tarp is always approximating. A seasoning cover sits over the top of the stack and the first few inches of the sides, leaving the rest open to the air. That is the arrangement the rest of this article argues for, and it is the one a loose tarp is hardest to hold. Once the wood is seasoned and you are protecting it through winter rather than drying it, a full rack cover comes further down the sides.

How Can I Cover Firewood With a Tarp?

If the only material you have to cover your firewood is a tarp, you can use it, but only when done carefully. Avoid covering all of the firewood with a tarp, and instead, opt to only cover the very top layer of your stack of wood.

If your firewood is trapped beneath numerous layers of a tarp, it will not dry properly, which may cause the rotting process to expedite. Whenever possible, only use a tarp to cover the very top layer of your firewood if you don't have an alternative.

Why is it Bad to Cover All of My Firewood With a Tarp?

While it may be tempting to cover your entire stack of firewood with a tarp to prevent rain, snow, and water from accumulating throughout the wood itself, this is not an ideal solution. By covering all of your firewood with a tarp, you can prevent the air from getting through all of your wood pieces.

Additionally, a tarp around all of your firewood can also prevent the wood from being seasoned properly, which will diminish the quality of the firewood once you place it in your firepit or campfire.

Dampened and wet wood can also lead to mold growth as well as fungus and rotten wood, which cannot and should not be burned or used in any capacity, as various bacteria and fungi can release toxins into the air.

It is also important to remember that by covering your firewood using any material, you are removing it from the sun. The sun is the fastest drying tool in nature, especially in warmer and dry climates. If you can leave your wood exposed on a sunny day, it is best to do this instead of using any cover, including a self-contained cover.

There is no better way to speed up the wood-drying process than to expose the firewood you intend to burn and use to direct sunlight.

Tips for Storing Wood

When storing firewood using wooden boards, tarps, containers, metal sheets, or commercial storage sheds, keep the following tips in mind:

• Expose your stored firewood to direct sunlight and warmth as much as possible, as this will help speed the drying process.
• Avoid storing your firewood indoors, as this can prevent airflow, encourage fungus growth, and slow the drying process.
• Stack your wood properly while ensuring proper airflow is available. Stack the largest logs and pieces of firewood at the bottom of the pile.
• Keep the stack off the ground so the soil cannot wick moisture back into the bottom row. A firewood rack solves that and the toppling problem in one go, and sizes run from a third of a cord up to a full cord.
• Inspect your wood thoroughly to ensure that none of your wood is rotted or has fungus, as this can sometimes spread to the healthy surrounding wood.