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Oak - Red Cedar Trees Down

Started by alabama, February 10, 2017, 05:52:25 PM

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alabama

I had some trees that were felling by the power company about 4 years ago. The trees are still on the ground and wanted to know if the trees could still be milled or not?

How long do you have to mill a tree once it hits the ground?

Thanks
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.

Magicman

The heartwood especially should still be good in both the Oak and ERC. 


 


 


 
All of the sapwood had rotted off of this Red Oak, but the heartwood lumber was very nice and was used in a new home,
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gww

I am still sawing on a pile of logs that is going on three years on the ground.  So far so good.
gww

alabama

I apologize asking this but what exactly is heart wood? The inner side of the wood?
John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.

gww

I think it is the middle of the log.  The sap wood I think is the lighter out side layer.  I have had big logs that the bark was gone on and about 4 inches of the sap wood was doudy but the middle of the log was good solid wood.  Look out for where branches were cause lots of time branch rot seems to go to the center of the log.

Cheers
gww

Ianab

Quote from: alabama on February 10, 2017, 10:41:07 PM
I apologize asking this but what exactly is heart wood? The inner side of the wood?

When you look at a log from the end, the outside rings are often lighter coloured. That's the "Sapwood", Basically it's still part of the tree's metabolism, and water / nutrients are transported up the tree in the area. Further in you find "Heart wood". It's usually darker coloured and isn't active any more. It gets plugged up with assorted chemicals and becomes purely structural, as in it holds the tree up, but doesn't do anything else.

It's more noticeable in some trees like Red Cedars and Walnut, because those chemicals darken the wood, and also help preserve it from bugs and rot. Other trees it's not so obvious, and in some the heartwood is not so durable.

So where it applies to this discussion is that the sapwood of a cedar log may start to rot after a couple of years, But the more durable wood further in is still good after 5 (or more). So you throw a nasty bug eaten log on the mill, slab off rotting sapwood, and the more desirable heartwood is still good.
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xlogger

I was always told that the cambium layer of the tree is the only living part of the tree except maybe the leaves and only it carries water and nutrients. Is this wrong?
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SwampDonkey

The cambium is just under the bark where wood is formed to the inside (xylem) and bark (phloem) to the outside. The wood is still alive in the sap wood, it transports water and nutrients up the tree from the roots and  stores food. Phloem (inner bark) brings down food from the crown to feed live cells in the stem, branches and roots. Cells of (xylem) sapwood have to be alive to store food and transport water. Bugs and fungus like inner bark and sapwood for food. Rabbits, if you notice, only go cambium and phloem deep when girdling for their food.  Probably more food per mouthful. ;D
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WDH

The oak will likely be riddled with beetle holes, and there will probably be some live grubs from flathead borers.  The beetle holes can be desirable for rustic applications. 
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