Red oak and ware oak logs

[fishfighter]

I been felling a lot of these. Some had died this summer and some I fell to clear a line for power lines to be installed.

I do have them off the ground. In the pass, I had bug problems letting oak logs sit to long. I don't need the lumber at this time, but I do have plans for it in the future. So, my plans at this time is to just saw them into big cants. I really think the bug problem is coming from having the bark still on the logs. Just don't know. I will treat  the cants, stack and sticker them.

Is this a good plan?

[WDH]

If you leave the bark on, the ambrosia beetles will riddle the logs with holes.  They may be already in the wood before you saw the cants.  As the cants dry, they will come out, but it could take a good while because cants dry very slow.

If the oaks were standing dead, I am sure that they are already in the wood, so even if you saw and treat the cant, that only prevents new infestations.  The ones that are already in there will still do their thing.  I think that it would be better to saw the logs into lumber and as the boards dry, the ambrosia beetles will leave the party.  If you treat the boards, that would prevent PPB infestations down the road once the lumber gets air dried. 

[dboyt]

Not familiar with ware oak.  Could you tell us a bit about it?

[fishfighter]

Not familiar with ware oak.  Could you tell us a bit about it?

A water oak is kin to a pin oak. It's not red by all means. Grows down here in the south, thick. Quarter sawing doesn't bring out that bleem that oak shines. These are a few boards that were flat sawed and planed. And yes, the bugs got into them. Was a standing dead tree.



 

[killamplanes]

Water oak, swamp oak pretty common here to. We consider it low end oak. Cuts with browns in wood, will not go grade here, usually has ring shake.  And when u mill it, it has a stink.  All these sound familiar??

[killamplanes]

They are dieing all over in the timbers here. If u don't catch them early in death they are blocking at best. I'm told there dieing because of large weather extremes drought, floods, etc. Which has been are weather patterns last 5 yrs, but it might be an insect. And here they tend to limb out relatively low with twig like limbs.

[fishfighter]

Water oak, swamp oak pretty common here to. We consider it low end oak. Cuts with browns in wood, will not go grade here, usually has ring shake.  And when u mill it, it has a stink.  All these sound familiar??

Yep, sure do stink when sawing. Some more then others.

[WDH]

Water oak, Quercus nigra, is a red oak.  The leaves have spines, and the acorns mature in one year.  Pin oak, Quercus palustris, is also a red oak.  It does not occur naturally in the Deep South.  What people in the Gulf South call pin oak is not pin oak at all, but one of three species that include water oak, willow oak, and laurel oak.  They tend to grow in the bottoms and wet areas.  They are heavy acorn producers, and tend to hold their leaves longer into winter, especially lower in the crown.  They are also prone to bacterial infection, thereby producing the odor. 

http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=73

http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=74

In the river bottoms of Central Georgia, water oak can grow to be an impressive tree with tall clear boles, producing some nice lumber.  On the uplands, it tends to be limby and low grade. 



 



 

[fishfighter]

I have one in my front yard that it would take 3 men to reach around the trunk. It's well over 75 years old. Talk about a acorn producer. Thick every year.

All the ones that I been felling, the first braches start about 25' up. These trees are around 30-35 years old. Was a pasture way back then and the family had let it go wild again.

[Magicman]

 

 
This is my new Champion Tree that I measured today, ~77" dbh Cherrybark Oak.   

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

 

[fishfighter]

MM. we have a live oak that is well over 200 years old on the home place. Some of the branches are well over 4' across. I will try to get a picture of it.