WHERE'S YOUR WOOD?

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We found that the best way to cover our wood was to construct a conventional shed. At first we considered draping a sheet of polyethylene plastic over the pile, but such material gets brittle in cold weather, breaking or cracking in a single season's time (and then it becomes just one more piece of nonbiodegradable trash that will end up — eventually — in the landfill). So in the long run, a permanent shelter seemed like the best alternative.

Our shed is a simple post-and-beam structure with a roof, slatted sides, and a concrete block base. The roof repels the rain, and the cement blocks serve to keep the logs off the moist ground, preventing rot and discouraging subterranean termites or carpenter ants from tunneling into the timber. Furthermore, since we left space between the individual blocks, air circulates around the bottom layer of the woodpile as well as above the stack. And we chose slats for the walls because they allow adequate ventilation, yet also support the tiers of wood.

So — by spending just a few more of your Saturday mornings working in the crisp late-autumn air — you, too, can put up a pest-proof structure ... and then settle back to bask by the fire, confident that those cords of fuel out back are free from gnawing intruders, and that your homestead's timbers will remain intact!

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