Air Dry Question

[BillyB]

I have stacked my first log to air dry prior to putting in a kiln. I have positioned the lumber to the southwest to catch prevailing winds. However, the SW side of the log is catching sunlight 5-6 hours out of the day. Will the sunlight negatively effect the lumber while drying? Should I use Shade-Dri or landscape material to block the sunlight, and would that type of material drastically effect the wind/air circulation?

[BillyB]

[GeneWengert-WoodDoc]

It depends on the species...for oak, this will dry too fast because of the wind, low humidities, and openness of the location, so ShadeDri will help slow drying down.  For pine, maple and others, the open exposure and sun exposure in this case has no bad or negative effect.

The roof is awesome.  Make sure it is tied down or else it will sail into the woods during a strong wind event.

[BillyB]

Wood Doc, Thank you for the response. I secured the top to the base with 1.5 X 1.5" strips and have also downloaded and started reading "Drying Hardwood Lumber." A relief to know the pine log will be ok.