How To Stack A Cord Of Firewood

It is surprising how few people really know how to stack a cord of firewood. You can tell just by casually observing the piles of wood lying about in yards and driveways.
True, some people take great pains to stack their firewood in orderly rows and make sure it is all covered and protected from the elements, but these people seem to be in the minority.
Perhaps it is because heating with wood is so much work to begin with that, by the time they finish cutting with a gas chain saw, buying chainsaw chains, sharpening the chain, splitting and hauling it, they have little interest in more physical work.
If you have a firewood shed, life is much simpler. You will learn the dimensions of your stacks very quickly and thus know just how much wood you actually have.
A full cord of wood is 4 ft. x 4 ft. x 8 ft., which equals 128 cubic feet of wood. You can make your stacks any size you want, just keep this figure in mind when stacking so you will know how much wood you really have.
To stack the wood you have to have a flat area, more or less. It should be exposed to the wind and sun so it will dry faster as well. You also must make sure it is covered in one way or another. Keep in mind that the wind and snow will cause the cover to blow away or become very heavy during the winter.
If you do not have a shed, this is how to begin. Find a nice flat area and lay some old boards down to protect the firewood from the damp ground. You can use boards, or pallets or anything that will work. Once you have a flat, dry area, lay down a row 8 ft. long. Try to choose flat pieces for the ends because this will keep everything more stable. You don't want your hard work to come crashing down later on.
The next row goes right on top of the first, except the ends. The ends must be criss-crossed to make it strong and stable.
Just continue in this manner until you reach a height of 4 ft. You now have one third of a cord of firewood stacked. You then add another row next to the first and then a third row. If your firewood is 16 inches long, you will have a stack that is 4 ft. x 4 ft. x 8 ft., a full cord of firewood.
Once you get it stacked you should consider leaning some poles or branches against it to make sure it does not tip over. If you follow this method, your stack will be sort of self-supporting.
Make sure you have a good cover, those cheap blue tarps work just fine. Make sure they are anchored in some manner so the cold north wind does not blow it away. You hard work will pay off in the winter, your wood will be dry and ready to burn, with much less creosote to cause problems.