The deciduous species have a lower initial moisture content than Norway spruce but also have a lower drying rate constant. Deciduous wood harvested during the winter or early spring and stored under a shed roof should reach the desired moisture content of 180 g kg 1 total weight before the heating season. When the wood is felled during the summer or fall, or when the stacks are not sheltered the desired moisture content is not reached before the beginning of the heating season the following year. Ina similar study, beech wood cut into 33 cm pieces and split into firewood on April 28 and stored in the open reached a moisture content of 230e240 g kg 1 total weight at the end of September [9].