Spruce? Green or dried?

[AaronS]

Howdy everyone. What are y'all's thoughts on spruce wood in timber framing? Up here in PEI we've got mostly just red/white spruce, with some birch, aspen, and maple mixed in. Some tamarack and juniper up east. Spruce is the most available, but it seems like the poor man's white pine or douglas fir

Also, what's the general consensus on green vs. dry, especially in the context of spruce? Is it better to let the logs dry or cut them immediately? And is it good to let the timbers dry too?

[beenthere]

Cut logs green, air dry timbers on stickers, then sort out the bad actors. Maybe cut oversize and then straighten if needed on the sawmill.

Spruce wood kept dry will last, but build with strength values and structural grades for spruce in mind. It ain't white pine or Doug fir.

[barbender]

Spruce will get some nasty drying checks in it. I have an 8x8 post in our house that developed a 1" wide check. Not a big deal if you don't mind that look.