The Woodpile
~ by Jim Eagleman
The Woodpile“… It was a cord of maple, cut and split and piled— and measured four by four by eight. And not another like it could I see. No runner tracks in this year’ s snow or the year before. The wood was grey and the bark warping off it and the pile somewhat sunken. Clematis had wound strings round and round it like a bundle. What held it though on one side was a tree still growing, and on one side a stake and prop, these latter about to fall ….”
— Robert Frost, 1914
I
’ ve written here before about that outdoor, Brown County activity, taking place every year— restacking, adding to, and assessing the backyard wood pile. Before the first snow— when we check tires and weather stripping— we routinely do the inspection.
Whether you heat totally with wood in a wellused stove, infrequently when the power goes out, or only enjoy a fireplace’ s blazing fire a few times each winter, you have come to know the merits of a wellseasoned wood source. Driving the countryside, we see wood piles stacked in between trees, under cover, or arranged to dry on the front porch. Certain Brown County trees are considered valuable, and some, like oak, are of superior heating quality.
We know the work and time it took to assemble every wood stack. Some piles are covered with colorful tarps. To prevent rotting, logs are sometimes laid on top of old pallets. Like a painting, wood is stacked tightly by some artistic homeowners to fashion abstract scenes, silhouettes of animals, or sunsets with rays of color. Keeping wood dry and accessible through winter helps with this labor-extensive home duty. I once heard using wood can heat you twice: once as you prepare it, and again as you sit by the fire. Those of us who heat exclusively with wood claim it can heat you even more. Add to the list splitting, stacking, carrying in the house, and then carrying out the ashes.
Since all three sons were home over Thanksgiving, the log piles grew in height and volume. With the six dead oaks a friend took down earlier in the month and some other logs on the ground, we began cutting the wood to length. Two chain saws purred simultaneously and later, three mauls pounded the wet
40 Our Brown County • Jan./ Feb. 2015