The odds are stacked

Q. How close to the house can firewood be stored for a fireplace?

A. That stack of firewood you had up against the house all winter needs to be moved. When it gets damp it will be the perfect breeding ground for a variety of insects. With the Spring rain and snow melt, wood left on the ground will absorb moisture that can create a favorable environment for insects to nest.

(Photo: Hugh Cairns)

Termites can enter a house through any soil-to-wood contact. A forgotten stack of firewood that is near or against the house can provide an opportunity for termites to enter a building.

If you have a wood burner you’ll appreciate the added convenience of having your wood pile handy, but it can lead to an open door for termites or carpenter ants. If you do happen to bring in a chunk of infested firewood indoors to burn chances are very, very slim that it will cause an infestation indoors, but firewood stacked against the house unused and left for the next burning season creates a real risk of infestation from carpenter ants, termites and other pests. If there is an infestation in wood that has been transported inside for burning it likely contains some workers and not the queen. Usually the wood is dry and there is insufficient moisture indoors to sustain wood destroying insects outside the wood they are protected in.

Keep your firewood off the ground, and don’t stack it against the house to limit rot and keep those nasty critters away. Most of the bugs found in wood piles are classified as nuisance insects and won’t do serious harm to your home.

Carpenter ants and termites can cause damage. They like a wood pile that is wet and undisturbed. If there is a colony, chances are the colony will be disturbed when you bring wood in to burn, so they’ll likely scatter and won’t become a problem in the house, unless the pile is too close to the house for too long. Once wood destroying insects establish themselves inside a structure extermination is a costly process, so the best plan is to prevent an infestation from ever occurring. To minimize the risk of insects, store wood away from the house, especially from the foundation.

Proper storage of firewood is not a mystery. Store firewood it in a dry, airy location away from the house and off the ground for best results. Experts say that firewood should be stored about 20 feet away.

For wood burners, stacking wood is full of lore. For some, a woodpile is a public display thing. Wood piles are regarded as a statement much like your garden or home maintenance. In the rural country, they say that a reliable, hardworking man will stack his wood square and straight like Rodney Bell, who by all accounts is one of the Okanagan’s firewood experts.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.