It was during the back-to-the-land movement in the 1970s when Glenn Nystrup, founder of New Paltz-based firewood shed company Glenn’s Sheds, fully embraced the woodburning lifestyle. Everywhere he looked in his family’s new community in the North Country of New York, trees had become an integral part of their life. The community built their own homes, planted fruit trees to enjoy the harvest, and cut, split, and stored firewood.
“With every passing decade, my appreciation for trees grows,” Nystrup says. “Whether it is heating our home with wood or creating treehouses high in the large maple tree in the backyard with my grandsons, the cycle continues today.”
Quality Firewood and Utility Sheds
Since 2012, Glenn Nystrup’s family-owned company, Glenn’s Sheds, has been providing homeowners in New York’s Hudson Valley and the surrounding states with quality firewood and utility sheds that help them get back to the land in their own way, and embrace the wood-burning lifestyle.
A math teacher by training, Nystrup’s firewood sheds are engineered to maximize the drying potential of firewood and keep it dry for years if needed. Styles range from the petite modular shed he designed for staging firewood close to the house or firepit; to the elegant and functional walk-in Hosack shed he designed for a family that purchased a stately property that used to be part of the Vanderbilt estate in Hyde Park; to multi-use and garden sheds and even attractive trash bin sheds. For those who want to take a DIY approach to building their own sheds, Glenn’s Sheds even offers its shed plans for purchase.
Whether located on an estate overlooking the Hudson or a rustic cabin in the Catskills, the striking, minimalist wood sheds help enhance the beauty of a home’s surrounding landscape.
Enjoying the Woodburning Lifestyle According to the Seasons
Curious about how to embrace the woodburning lifestyle? It all starts with understanding the cycle of woodland management and the timeline for firewood seasoning, which can be broken down into activities for each season.
Spring Gathering
Spring is the time to get to the bulk of the work of replenishing firewood stores after enjoying the woodstove or fireplace all winter.
Spring Activities:
There’s no need to go out and cut down a healthy tree if there are other sources of firewood that are readily available! Search first for any fallen limbs or trees on your property. Then scout out any dead (but still standing) trees or those that need to be taken down due to safety reasons.
When you’re ready to cut the logs, cut them into smaller rounds no longer than what will fit into a woodstove or fireplace.
Portion the rounds into smaller pieces using an ax or mechanical splitter.
Stack the firewood in a well-ventilated firewood shed, which promotes maximum airflow throughout and ensures that wood is elevated and stays dry.
Summer Seasoning
Firewood needs to be fully dried, or seasoned, so that it lights easily and burns as hot as possible and without a lot of smoke. It’s best to take advantage of the summer months for seasoning, when the sun is most present and the temperature is warm.
Summer Activities:
If you’re looking to add a firewood shed to your property, summer is a great time to do so. Wait for the rains of mud season to clear and select a dry week to build the shed, so that the ground is firm and ready for construction.
The type of wood will determine how long it needs to season. For example, Ash and other types of light hardwoods may only need six months to properly season, while dense hardwoods like oak require at least a year.
Summer is also a great time to clean and perform any regular maintenance on your woodstove or fireplace to prepare it for heavier use during the fall and winter months.
Autumn Enjoyment
With firewood that is fully seasoned by the time autumn rolls around, it’s time to start enjoying its warmth and delight around cozy campfires and indoor fireplaces.
Autumn Activities:
When the weather starts getting cooler, you can get a headstart on next year’s firewood season by beginning to cut down any dead trees and collecting wood for the next year.
Start splitting any newly cut logs into smaller pieces and add them to the firewood shed.
Sit back, relax, and enjoy the hard work of the previous seasons as you light up that first fire in the woodstove, fireplace, or outdoor fire pit.
Winter Contemplation
By now, there should be plenty of seasoned firewood to help keep the indoor fire burning. It’s also a time to reflect on the work of the previous seasons, and store energy to start the cycle all over when spring comes again. “Winter, of course, is when we bask in the heat and scent of a wood fire inside our home,” Nystrup says. “And the good sweat and satisfaction of the simple in life—of the Zen proverb, ‘Chop wood, carry water’”.
Winter Activities:
Winter can still be a fruitful time for preparing firewood. The slowdown of tree sap and bare limbs can even make for a cleaner, more efficient job.
On milder days without any fresh snow, you can cut logs or split firewood, but just note that the seasoning time for wood cut during winter will be longer than wood cut during the warmer months.
