It is with some irony that if you live in a dry climate, you would find the construction lumbers you could use to be wet instead of dry.
Commonly, wet boards are heavier than other boards equal to their size, likely resulting from the added weight of water in them.
As much as possible, avoid this kind of lumbers when buying some.
If you think it is only the furniture maker that requires acclimating himself with the surrounding area where he is, then you would be surprised to know that woods themselves have to go through the process before the furniture maker would even make use of them.
As there is not just a single factor to consider when making the lumber to be used to dry, waiting it out for no particular duration is always an option.
However, professionals can also make use of a moisture gauge to know whether the lumber to be used is already fit for using or not.
One way to let the lumbers dry out is through “stickering,” a traditional method of stacking the boards for the sole reason of drying them out.