Proper storage is the often-overlooked final step in the quality chain for wood fuel. Comfort Wood Fuels dispatches kiln-dried birch and alder at around 14% moisture content — but that specification is only maintained if the product is stored correctly from the point of delivery to the point of use. For trade accounts that are reselling our product, this matters doubly: your customers are judging the quality of their purchase at the point of lighting, which may be weeks or months after you took delivery. Here are the five most important storage principles we recommend to trade accounts.
1. Keep Logs off the Ground
Ground contact is the fastest route to moisture re-absorption. Soil and concrete both hold moisture and transfer it readily into the bottom layer of any stack. For bulk bags and crates, ensure they are placed on dry, hard-standing surfaces and never left directly on soil or grass. For bagged retail stock displayed outdoors, pallet bases are essential — not only for moisture protection but for forklift and pallet truck access. A single layer of polythene sheeting beneath a pallet is additional insurance on any surface that may be subject to pooling water.
For your own customers reselling or burning at home, advise a log store with raised floor slats or a purpose-built firewood rack that holds the base of the stack at least 75mm off the ground. This single step prevents the most common storage failure.
2. Cover the Top, Leave the Sides Open
The instinct to wrap a log stack in a tarpaulin is understandable but counterproductive. Completely sealed storage traps humidity and prevents the natural airflow that keeps wood dry. The correct approach is to cover the top of the stack to protect against direct rainfall while leaving the sides open to allow air circulation. A lean-to log store or simple open-sided shelter achieves this perfectly. For bagged retail stock outdoors, a roof or shelter is ideal; avoid wrapping the entire display in sheeting which will create a microclimate and cause moisture build-up against the bags.
In high-rainfall periods, monitor the base and outer edges of any outdoor stack. Our kiln-dried product at 14% moisture has sufficient headroom below the 20% threshold that modest weather exposure will not immediately render it non-compliant — but sustained wet conditions without ventilation will erode that margin over time.
3. Rotate Stock Using FIFO
First In, First Out (FIFO) is a fundamental stock management principle that applies as much to firewood as to perishable goods. The oldest stock should always be sold or used first. For retail accounts, this means placing new deliveries behind existing stock on the display — not in front of it. For customers reselling or storing bulk product, new deliveries should be stacked in a separate area or clearly marked, with the existing stock prioritised for sale.
The reason FIFO matters for firewood is straightforward: even well-stored kiln-dried logs will begin to equilibrate with their environment over time. In a dry, ventilated store they will remain well within specification for 12 months or more, but product that has been sitting in suboptimal conditions for an extended period will gradually approach ambient humidity. Consistent FIFO rotation prevents long-dwell stock from sitting unnoticed while fresher deliveries sell first.
4. Use a Moisture Meter to Check Stock Condition
A pin-type moisture meter is an inexpensive and valuable tool for any trade account stocking firewood. Readings should be taken from a freshly split face of the log — not the bark or outer surface — by pressing the two probes firmly into the exposed wood grain. A reading consistently below 20% confirms the stock is within Ready to Burn specification. Readings above 20% indicate a storage problem that needs addressing.
We recommend checking a sample of logs from each delivery on receipt, and periodically checking older stock, particularly after a period of wet weather or if storage conditions have been compromised. If you are passing stock on to end customers and want to provide them with reassurance of quality, a moisture meter check at point of sale is a differentiating service that larger competitors rarely offer. Comfort Wood Fuels dispatches product at approximately 14%; if your readings on delivery are significantly higher, contact us so we can investigate the batch.
5. Indoor Storage: Guidelines and Limits
Many end customers want to keep a small supply of logs indoors near the fire for convenience. This is perfectly acceptable for short-term use — a basket of logs intended to last a day or two poses no storage or moisture concern. However, large volumes stored inside a heated home for extended periods will over-dry in the low-humidity environment of central heating, becoming brittle and sparking more readily. The ideal indoor supply is a manageable quantity — enough for one to three days' use — topped up regularly from well-managed outdoor or garage storage.
For trade accounts advising customers, the practical guidance is this: outdoor storage in a ventilated log store handles the bulk supply; bring logs indoors 12 to 24 hours before use. This allows any surface condensation from temperature differential to dissipate before the log goes into the stove. Our kiln-dried birch and alder, stored correctly, will remain at or near 14% moisture content for many months — the investment in good storage is the simplest way to protect the quality your customers are paying for.