To kill or not to kill?

[billyO]

Hello all, the folks in the drying/processing section thought I should ask this questoin here, so I apologize if this sort of cross-posting is bad form...

I'm planning on cutting down a couple of big leaf maples on my property and using them as columns and beams in my house.  (I'm not planning on milling them into timbers, per se, but using them as whole logs, planing one side on the beam for the ceiling joists to rest on.) 
I'm wondering if there's any benefit or problems with killing the trees now to minimize the leaves that cover my pasture in the fall.  Will killing them now set up rot problems over the summer?  or will it speed up the drying?

So basically, my question is: should I cut them down now, girdle them now and cut in the fall, let them be now and harvest in the fall, or doesn't it matter?

thanks
billyO

[ohsoloco]

I'd let them be until you needed them.  Bugs like dead wood.  Also, I assume you'll be peeling the bark, and it will be much easier to do on a fresh log 

[Mad Professor]

Maple hews /mills like rock when it is dry, bugs love dead maple, and it not rot resistant.

Drop it and chop it!!!

[Brad_bb]

What type of maple is it?  Silver maple(soft), which we have a lot of around me, isn't good for much of anything.  It's a weak wood.  I would not use it in a structure.  If a hard maple, you're fine.  If you cut it now, you'd have to somehow protect it from beetles that would lay eggs and the larvae would eat holes throughout the first few inches.  When you do cut it, you want to peel the bark for sure, and seal the end grain.  This will slow the drying a bit, but it will make it dry more evenly, and thus reduce checking and splitting.  Also keep the log out of the sun.  The sun will a) force rapid drying which can lead to unacceptable checking and b) will start to grey the wood, which you probably don't want I'm assuming.  I have two whole peeled spruce logs in my shed that I've had for 3 years now and color is still as good as 3 years ago.  Not stored that long on purpose, just haven't got to using them yet.