I prefer a big bunch of leafy limbs than logs.
That gives a real cushion but it's rarely practical. Either the limbs are already chipped ( you can't ask the crew to delay the clean up until the last hour !) or I have to stack them by hand (I don't have a loader).
I use often the cross logs, but I got many times some pretty good divots in the grass, as Cory said. When the trunk hits, it's a hard hit, no matter what, the energy has to go somewhere. Engineering the stack like a multi layers bridge should work fine if done well, keeping room in between to give way, folding/breaking the logs to absorb the energy. Actually, it's a very good way to make air born logs flying around. Last one, I did a divot in a fence wall with that! Shitty roughcast, but still.
I tried too the firewood logs well stacked, not very successful : it spited logs over 10' around and the first level of logs was incorporated into the ground ...
The big bunch of logs, not stacked but in bulk, works well though, say 2 or 3 cubic yards. But it has a downside : the trunk likes to roll down the logs pile. It can be annoying.
