Salem

"A Timber Pile is used to dry boards for more demanding building projects. The Pile nees to be placed well away from other objects to reduce the risk of mold growth."

1) What exactly falls under "other objects"? Walls? Farms? Stone boulders?
2) Do timber piles themselves count as "other objects" as well, or can I build them in a line?
3) how far exactly is "well away"?

Any objects (walls, boulders, trees, other timber piles) could affect the rate of moldy boards. I can confirm that mold will spread from one pile to another pile if it was built within 5 tiles of the pile that developed mold. I think that animals/players might counts as objects if they are around the piles enough. For optimal results, make a cleared, leveled, walled in, and paved area then place the piles 5+ tiles apart from each other and the walls. Then lock it up and leave it until the piles turn color.

thanks for this quick and comprehensive answer

Make sure piles are at least 10 tiles away from gates also

(I think gate's mold range is 8, but i use 10 to be safe)

I can confirm that logs, chests and crates don't contribute towards mold, unless I was very lucky. I put 2 chests, 2 crates and 2 logs right next to a pile and got 40 dry boards. I had boulder 3 tiles away from another pile and it produced only dry boards as well.

On the other hand I had piles 5 tiles away from wall and 6 tiles away from other pile, and it produced 35 moldy boards

My experience tells me that traffic plays a big factor, whether it be players or animals. Our piles were coming out as 50% dry boards on average until we moved them to a fenced area that no one went into. From then on it was 100% dry boards.

Shiala wrote:My experience tells me that traffic plays a big factor, whether it be players or animals. Our piles were coming out as 50% dry boards on average until we moved them to a fenced area that no one went into. From then on it was 100% dry boards.

I can confirm this - mine were near nothing except a spot I regularly walk through, when I probably only got about 35% dry boards, I realised it must have something to do with me walking past them. As Shiala says, I moved them to an inaccessible area and now get 100% everytime.

Mine were 5 tiles away from everything including my gate. I build it there every single time. Even paved the little square to build in the exact spot everytime. I walk by it many times a day and still get mostly dry boards. That is if I get them right about when the pile is ready, I get mostly dry. If I pick it 12 hours after I get 50%. If I pick it a day or so later I get barely any dry. I have been doing this in the same spot with the same conditions and only change the time. I only get different results based on timing. 5 squares away from gate and walls in high traffic area always gives me mostly dry if I get them as soon as they are done. 5 days plus 13 hours it seems. That's my experience.

I also wanted to add that none of mine are on paved ground, just dirt where the ground was leveled enough in a few spots so they could be placed there.

JinxDevona wrote:Mine were 5 tiles away from everything including my gate. I build it there every single time. Even paved the little square to build in the exact spot everytime. I walk by it many times a day and still get mostly dry boards. That is if I get them right about when the pile is ready, I get mostly dry. If I pick it 12 hours after I get 50%. If I pick it a day or so later I get barely any dry. I have been doing this in the same spot with the same conditions and only change the time. I only get different results based on timing. 5 squares away from gate and walls in high traffic area always gives me mostly dry if I get them as soon as they are done. 5 days plus 13 hours it seems. That's my experience.

I have harvested two piles that I let sit for 7 and 10 days, and gotten 100% dry out of them both. I don't think harvest time affects mold rate.

(granted this is a small sample size, but I believe other people have also posted that harvest time doesn't affect mold rate)


P.S.
When you say "Five tiles away" do you mean five open spaces between them and something else, or four open spaces with something else sitting on the fifth tile? My piles have 5 full open spaces (or more) between them and the nearest object.