Should Firewood Be Covered? The Right Way to Protect Your Stack

Every fall I see the same mistake on ranches and homesteads across Montana: somebody drags a tarp over their entire woodpile, cinches it down tight, and congratulates themselves on a job well done. Come spring, they’re burning firewood that hisses, spits, and throws half its energy up the flue as steam instead of heat. If you’re asking whether firewood should be covered, you’re asking the right question — but the answer is more nuanced than a simple yes or no. Get it wrong and you either rot your wood or you slow the seasoning process to a crawl. Twenty years of stacking wood on a working ranch taught me exactly where that line is.

The Short Answer

Yes, firewood should be covered — but only on the top, and only after it has had time to season with good airflow. Cover the top of your stack to shed rain and snow, but leave the sides open so moisture can escape from the wood as it dries. A fully wrapped, sealed pile traps humidity, promotes mold and rot, and prevents the seasoning process from completing properly.

Why Covering Firewood the Wrong Way Causes More Problems Than It Solves

Wood dries from the ends and the surface outward. That process depends entirely on air movement. When you seal a woodpile in a tarp from top to bottom, you create a humid microclimate inside the stack. The temperature difference between night and day causes condensation, and that moisture has nowhere to go. You end up with wood that looks dry on the outside but holds 25 to 30 percent moisture content — well above the 20 percent threshold you need for efficient burning.

I’ve split open “covered” logs in March that had blue-gray mold running through the center. That wood wasn’t protected — it was suffocated. Beyond mold, fully wrapped piles attract insects and rodents looking for a warm, sheltered spot. A solid wrap gives them exactly that.

The goal of covering firewood is to keep precipitation off the top of the stack, not to seal it off from the world. Rain and snow sitting directly on the cut faces of the wood will slow drying and cause surface deterioration over a long winter. But the sides of your stack? Those need to breathe.

The Right Way to Cover a Firewood Stack

Here’s what I do on my property, and it works through Montana winters where we see both heavy snow and hard freezes:

1. Stack the wood off the ground. This is non-negotiable. Ground contact wicks moisture up into your bottom row and invites rot fast. Use a proper firewood rack, pressure-treated lumber, or even two parallel rows of thick branches to lift the stack. Six inches of clearance is the minimum.

2. Stack bark-side up. Bark acts as a natural moisture shield. When you stack with the bark facing up, rain and snowmelt sheet off instead of soaking into the cut grain.

3. Cover only the top. A sheet of metal roofing, a purpose-built firewood cover, or even a tarp draped over the top and weighted down works well — as long as it overhangs the front and back by about a foot and the sides remain fully open. I use corrugated metal panels on my main stacks. They shed snow load cleanly and don’t trap heat in summer.

4. Don’t cover freshly split wood at all. If your wood is green and you just split it, leave it completely uncovered in full sun with maximum airflow for the first few months. You need that sun and wind to pull moisture out. Covering green wood, even on top, slows the early and most critical stage of seasoning. To understand how long that process actually takes, read my breakdown of how long firewood takes to season — the timeline varies more than most people expect.

5. Cover before the wet season, not year-round. In late fall, once your wood is seasoned and you’re protecting a ready-to-burn supply, that’s when a top cover earns its keep. Protecting already-dry wood from winter precipitation makes sense. Covering wet wood in July does not.

How Long Should Firewood Season Before You Cover It?

The short answer: at least six months of open-air drying before you add any cover. Hardwoods like oak, hickory, and ash often need a full year or more to reach optimal moisture levels. Softer woods like pine and poplar can get there in six to eight months under good drying conditions.

The species you’re burning makes a big difference here. Dense hardwoods that burn longer and hotter also hold moisture longer and need the most seasoning time. If you’re not sure which species burn best or how long each one typically needs, my guide on the best types of firewood for efficient burning covers the differences in detail.

A reliable way to know if your wood is ready is a moisture meter. Stick the probes into a freshly split face — not the end grain — and look for a reading at or below 20 percent. I keep one hanging in my woodshed and check a random sample of my stacks every few weeks through the summer.

Where You Store Firewood Matters As Much As How You Cover It

Placement has more impact on how well your firewood dries and keeps than any cover you put over it. Here’s what I look for when I’m choosing a stacking location:

Full sun exposure. South-facing spots on my property dry wood noticeably faster than shaded areas. If you have a choice, put your stack where it gets afternoon sun.

Good natural airflow. Avoid tucking a woodpile against a solid wall or fence. You want wind to move through and around the stack. If I’m stacking against a structure, I leave at least three to four inches of gap between the back of the pile and the wall.

Away from the house. I know it’s convenient to stack wood right next to the back door, but firewood stacked against your home’s siding is an open invitation for termites, carpenter ants, and moisture damage to your foundation or framing. Keep your main stack at least 20 feet from the structure. Bring in only what you’ll burn in the next day or two.

Elevated and stable. Beyond moisture, a poorly supported stack is a safety hazard. I’ve seen cords tip over onto kids and dogs. Build a stable base and don’t stack more than four feet high unless you have end supports.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you cover firewood with a tarp?

You can use a tarp, but only drape it over the top of the stack — never wrap it all the way down the sides. A tarp that covers the sides seals in moisture and humidity, which slows seasoning and promotes mold. Weigh down the corners so it doesn’t blow off in wind.

Is it okay to leave firewood uncovered?

Yes, especially while the wood is seasoning. Freshly split green wood should be left completely uncovered in full sun and open air to dry as fast as possible. Once wood is fully seasoned, covering the top before the wet season protects it from precipitation without harming it.

Should firewood be covered in the summer?

No. Summer is your prime drying season. Covering firewood in summer traps heat and humidity against the wood instead of letting sun and wind do their job. Leave it open to the elements — that’s what dries it.

Can firewood get too wet to burn?

Yes. Wood above 25 to 30 percent moisture content burns poorly — it produces heavy smoke, creosote buildup in your chimney, and very little usable heat. Wood that has been left in standing water or packed in a sealed tarp through multiple wet seasons may rot to the point of being unusable.

How do you know if firewood is too wet to burn?

The clearest sign is a moisture meter reading above 20 percent on a freshly split face. Other signs include a dull thud when two pieces are knocked together (dry wood rings sharply), difficulty lighting, excessive smoke, and a hissing sound from the ends as the wood tries to release steam.