Sticker your hardwood pile? how long?

[Tom Fischer]

I have my larger hobby wood pile in the garage, about 300 bf, mostly 4/4 b walnut, some black cherry too. It's been there several years now, stickered. Took some boards out yesterday, mice were in there, hate that, have to get the shop vac to clean that. Of course the thickness planer will clean everything, but ...
If it wasn't stickered, they wouldn't be running around in there.
Do you guys keep your stuff stickered even after several years air dry?
Wonderin'

[Kevin Bourque]

I don't, but the top boards will start to cup if you don't have them banded together or have something heavy on top of them.

[Cody Colston]

Dead stack the lumber and wrap it with plastic (visqueen) with the ends taped closed. The plastic will keep it from losing or gaining moisture while it is stored. It will also prevent the top boards from cupping.

[Danny Hamsley]

I air dry lots of lumber. I have about 7,000 BF on stickers right now. Once the wood reaches 12 - 14%, I take it off the stickers and flat stack it. That takes up a lot less space. If you only had a little bit, it would be OK to leave it stickered as long as the carpenter bees cannot get to it. I have found that if the boards come off the sticker stack flat, then you flat stack the boards, they stay flat.

Like Cody says, if you wrap it, that will greatly retard moisture loss.