Here’s a number that surprises most people: freshly cut “green” wood can hold 100% moisture content or more, meaning half its weight is water (Cornell Cooperative Extension). Kiln-dried wood has already had that water baked out — it arrives below 20% and ready to burn. But storage can undo months of drying in a few weeks of rain. Stack it on wet ground under a sealed tarp and you’ll trap moisture right back into logs that showed up bone-dry.
So the real question isn’t how to dry your wood — Retro already did that. It’s how to keep delivered kiln-dried wood dry, bug-free, and burn-ready until the last log is gone. Do it right and you protect every dollar you spent. Do it wrong and you’re back to hissing, smoking logs by January.
Key Takeaways
- The EPA recommends burning firewood below 20% moisture content, and storing it off the ground with only the top covered — covering the sides traps moisture (EPA Burn Wise)
- Store the main pile at least 30 feet from your house to keep rodents and insects away from the walls (Cornell Cooperative Extension)
- Wet wood is wasted heat: firewood at 50% moisture delivers roughly half the usable heat of wood at 20% (U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, via Firewood360)
- Never move firewood long distances — invasive pests like the emerald ash borer can hide in wood for months (Don’t Move Firewood / The Nature Conservancy)
- About 11 million U.S. households burn wood for heat, so storage mistakes are common — and avoidable (EIA / For Green Heat)
Does Kiln-Dried Firewood Still Need Careful Storage?
Yes — kiln-dried wood is dry when it lands, but it’s not waterproof. The EPA is explicit: store wood outdoors, off the ground, with only the top covered, because covering the sides traps moisture in (EPA Burn Wise). Dry logs sitting on wet soil or wrapped in plastic will re-absorb water and mold, erasing the whole advantage you paid for.
The difference matters more than people think. Green wood carries 100% moisture or more; properly dried firewood sits under 20% (Cornell Cooperative Extension). Kiln-drying gets there in days instead of the 6-plus months air-drying takes, and it kills insects and larvae in the process. That head start is exactly what bad storage throws away. If you’re weighing your options before you buy, our complete guide to choosing firewood for your home breaks down species and dryness.
When our team delivers, we don’t dump a pile in the driveway. We stack and place it where you actually want it — a rack on the patio, a row in the garage, a small load carried upstairs. That white-glove placement isn’t just convenience. A properly built stack, off the ground with airflow between rows, is the storage setup most homeowners never get around to building themselves.
Where Should You Store Firewood — Indoors or Outdoors?
Store the bulk of your wood outdoors, and keep the main pile at least 30 feet from the house. Cornell Cooperative Extension recommends that 30-foot buffer specifically to keep rodents and insects that live in woodpiles away from your walls and foundation (Cornell Cooperative Extension). A woodpile stacked against the siding is an open invitation for pests to move indoors.
Indoors, keep only a few days’ worth — enough for a weekend of fires, not a month. Any insects that survived should be gone in kiln-dried wood, but bringing in large amounts warms hidden hitchhikers and invites them out. A small indoor rack by the hearth or in the garage keeps convenience high and risk low. Why heat a whole cord in your living room when a two- or three-day supply does the job? For the fire pit crowd, the same off-the-ground rule applies — see our picks for the best firewood for a backyard fire pit.
Why Does Storing Wood Off the Ground Matter So Much?
Ground contact is the fastest way to ruin dry wood. Soil wicks moisture straight into the bottom logs and invites rot, fungus, and insects. The EPA’s guidance is to store wood off the ground for exactly this reason, and Cornell notes that pallets make an ideal first layer (EPA Burn Wise). Even a few inches of air underneath keeps the base dry.
Airflow is the other half. Sun and wind pull ambient moisture out of the wood and keep any rain that does land from lingering. Stack loosely — no more than two layers deep — so air moves through the pile instead of stalling in a dense wall (Cornell Cooperative Extension). A sunny, breezy spot beats a shaded corner every time.
Both the EPA and university extension services recommend raising firewood off bare ground on pallets or racks. Ground contact wicks soil moisture upward and promotes rot, fungus, and insect activity in the bottom layer of the pile (EPA Burn Wise, 2024).
How Do You Cover Firewood Without Trapping Moisture?
Cover the top, leave the sides open. The single most common storage mistake is wrapping the whole pile in a tarp — which turns your stack into a sweat lodge. Cornell’s guidance is direct: cover only the top, leaving the sides exposed so air can flow through (Cornell Cooperative Extension). A sealed tarp traps ground moisture and condensation against the wood, and mold does the rest.
Use a top layer that sheds rain but breathes at the edges — a strip of metal roofing, a purpose-built rack cover, or a tarp draped over the top third only. Weigh it down so wind doesn’t peel it back. The goal is a roof, not a wrapper. Rain rolls off the top while sun and wind keep working on the sides.
|
Do |
Don’t |
|---|---|
|
Raise wood off the ground on a rack or pallets |
Stack directly on soil, grass, or a wet patio |
|
Cover only the top third of the pile |
Wrap the whole pile in a sealed tarp |
|
Keep the main pile ~30 ft from the house |
Stack cordwood against the siding or foundation |
|
Store loosely, two layers deep, for airflow |
Pack it dense in a shaded, still corner |
|
Keep a 2–3 day supply indoors |
Bring a full cord inside at once |
|
Burn oldest wood first (first in, first out) |
Let old wood rot at the bottom while you add new |
Why Shouldn’t You Move Firewood — and What About Pests?
Because pests travel in wood, and some can devastate entire forests. The emerald ash borer, spotted lanternfly, spongy moth, and Asian longhorned beetle can all hide in firewood for months and survive winter, then hatch out somewhere new (Don’t Move Firewood / The Nature Conservancy). Moving wood more than about 50 miles is how these invasives spread.
Kiln-dried wood has a built-in edge here: the heat treatment kills insects, larvae, and eggs, which is why it arrives bug-free. That’s a core reason to buy dried and delivered rather than hauling questionable roadside wood across county lines. Still, store it smart — 30 feet off the house — so local pests don’t nest in the pile and wander toward your walls.
Here in the humid Southeast — Atlanta, Nashville, Chattanooga, the lake communities around Oconee and Keowee — summer humidity is the enemy of any wood that’s exposed. Air-dried wood struggles to hold its number through a Georgia July. Kiln-dried wood that’s stored off the ground and top-covered rides out that humidity far better, because it started dry and never sat in standing moisture.
Why Wet Storage Wastes Heat and Raises Fire Risk
Because water in wood steals heat and feeds creosote. Firewood at 50% moisture produces roughly half the usable heat of wood dried to 20%, since energy that should warm your home is spent boiling off water first (U.S. Forest Products Laboratory, via Firewood360). Every pound of water in a log costs about 970 BTU just to evaporate.
Wood at 50% moisture delivers about half the usable heat of wood at 20% because evaporation consumes energy. Wet-wood combustion also accelerates creosote buildup; the CSIA estimates ~25,000 chimney fires annually in the U.S., causing over $125 million in property damage (Firewood360; CSIA, 2024).
Step-by-Step: How to Store Delivered Firewood
Follow these steps once your kiln-dried wood is delivered and placed:
- Pick a sunny, breezy, well-drained spot at least 30 feet from the house — not a shaded, low corner where water pools (Cornell Cooperative Extension).
- Raise the wood off the ground on a rack or pallets so soil can’t wick moisture into the bottom logs (EPA Burn Wise).
- Stack loosely, no more than two rows deep, leaving gaps so sun and wind flow through the pile.
- Cover only the top with metal roofing or a tarp over the top third; leave all sides fully open (Cornell Cooperative Extension).
- Weigh down the cover so wind can’t blow it off or wrap it around the sides.
- Keep a 2–3 day supply indoors on a small rack near the hearth — never a full cord at once.
- Burn oldest wood first. Pull from the same end each time so nothing sits and rots at the bottom.
- Reorder before you run low. When the rack thins out, schedule your next delivery so you’re never rationing on a cold night.
Ready to Restock? Let Us Stack It for You
You paid for kiln-dried, bug-free wood that’s ready to burn. Store it off the ground, top-covered, and away from the house, and it stays that way to the last log. When the rack runs thin, reorder kiln-dried firewood delivery from Retro Firewood — Oak Rack ($225), Hickory ($250), or Cherry ($275) — with free white-glove delivery. Our team stacks and places it exactly where you want it, patio to upstairs, so proper storage starts the moment we leave. New to the area or curious about coverage? See how firewood delivery works in Greenville and across our lake communities, and check the FAQs for anything else.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far off the ground should firewood be stored?
Enough to break soil contact — a rack or pallets a few inches up is plenty. The EPA recommends storing wood off the ground so soil moisture can’t wick into the bottom logs, which causes rot and fungus (EPA Burn Wise). Even a low pallet keeps the base dry.
Should I cover my firewood with a tarp?
Cover only the top, never the whole pile. Cornell Cooperative Extension advises covering just the top and leaving the sides open so air flows through (Cornell Cooperative Extension). A fully sealed tarp traps condensation against the wood and causes mold — undoing your dry wood’s biggest advantage.
How far from the house should I keep firewood?
About 30 feet for the main pile. Cornell recommends that buffer to keep rodents and insects that live in woodpiles away from your walls and foundation (Cornell Cooperative Extension). Keep only a small 2–3 day supply indoors near the hearth.
Does kiln-dried firewood go bad if stored wrong?
It can. Kiln-dried wood arrives below 20% moisture, but green wood holds 100% or more, and dry logs will re-absorb water from wet ground or a sealed tarp (Cornell Cooperative Extension). Bad storage lets mold, rot, and lost heat creep right back in.
How much firewood should I keep inside?
Only a 2–3 day supply. Bringing in a full cord warms any hidden pests and invites them out, and about 11 million U.S. households burn wood, so this mistake is common (EIA / For Green Heat). A small indoor rack keeps convenience high and risk low.
The Bottom Line
Kiln-dried wood arrives ready to burn — your only job is to keep it that way. Nail the basics and every fire lights fast and burns hot:
- Off the ground on a rack or pallets, so soil can’t wick moisture into your logs.
- Top covered, sides open — a roof, never a wrapper — so rain sheds while air keeps flowing.
- About 30 feet from the house to keep pests away from your walls.
- A 2–3 day supply indoors, burning oldest wood first so nothing rots at the bottom.
Get those four right and you protect the investment you made in premium, bug-free wood. When the pile runs low, don’t wait for a cold snap — reorder from Retro Firewood and we’ll stack and place the next load for you. Not sure your current wood is still good? Read our guide on how to tell if firewood is properly dried, or contact Retro Firewood with any storage questions.