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Breaking into the Holz Hausen

Written By Kris Brown.

Posted on December 22nd, 2025.

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At summer’s end, I filled the breezeway with some white ash firewood I had cut about 18 months earlier, in the spring of 2024. This initial stash of wood got us through October, November, and the start of December 2025. With some frigid temperatures in the forecast and our breezeway wood stack reduced to dirt and bark, it was time to start bringing in wood from the holz hausen. This was my first time breaking into one, so I was unsure about how to go about it and if the wood would be well-seasoned.

December 5 was a beautiful morning to bring wood inside. Full sun, blue sky, and cold temperatures (it got to -2F overnight).

A beehive-shaped stack of firewood covered in snow and bathing in morning sunlight.

I used a push broom to sweep off the snow from the holz hausen ‘roof’, and this revealed some leftover shingles I used to shed water off the top.

A beehive-shaped stack of firewood, with the snow brushed off the top.

If you consider the shape of a holz hausen to be a squat cylinder with a cone top (a muffin?), I basically brought the cone top in the breezeway that morning. This involved 5 or 6 trips to the breezeway (just 10 yards away) with a loaded jet sled. The snow cover made pulling the sled less of a chore. The activity and bright sun kept me warm, but I did have to take a few breaks to warm my fingers by the wood stove.

A jet sled full of firewood getting pulled over the snow-covered driveway to the breezeway.

Load 1

Jet sled Load #2 with the holz hausen in the background. Half of the shingle roof remains with a good chunk missing from the woodpile.

Load 2

Jet sled Load #3 with the holz hausen in the background. All of the shingles have been removed and the wood pieces are still mounded on top.

Load 3

Jet sled Load #4 with the holz hausen in the background. The mounded top is starting to flatten.

Load 4

Jet sled Load #5 with the holz hausen in the background. The wood pile is a squat cylinder shape at this point.

Load 5

I was pleased the wood on the inside of the holz hausen wasn’t sopping wet, though it wasn’t really checked and dry either. Fortunately, it’s white ash, which people say you can burn when it’s green (not seasoned).

Using the green Trained Logger Certified pop-up tent cover to cover what’s left of the holz hausen.

With the roof of the holz hausen removed, how would I keep moisture out of the remainder of the structure until I could bring another load into the breezeway? Fortunately, WAC upgraded its Trained Logger Certified pop-up tent cover, and I was the beneficiary of the decommissioned one. I mounded the wood pile a bit and threw on the old tent cover, along with the shingles and some firewood chunks to weigh it down. It’s not a thing of beauty, but I think it will work! Thanks for reading.

And if you want to read about the original tree care job that provided this wood and how I built the holz hausen, please see the link below.

MyWoodlot blog: Building my First Holz Hausen

 

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