The Forestry Forum

I was looking through some log home mags last night and saw a couple homes that used full sized logs as accents in corners, beams and other areas. Some had the bark still on which is a look I liked.
Is there any disadvantage to leaving the bark on? I'm thinking bugs, moisture maybe a issue. I'd proballey be using loblolly pine.
These will not be structural only decoretive.

I'm not really familar with pine, but my concerns would be based on what time of year the logs were cut. With hard woods if you cut them in the winter the bark will really hold on. If you cut them in the spring the bark will probably get pretty loose and may fall off if bumped. Bugs will be a big deal, but I don't know if it would be worse if they have burrowed in for the winter, or are active with the spring. I suspect straight from the forrest to the house would present the least chance of bugs as they sure like to find drying timber with loose bark just laying around. They must spread the word really quickly. :D

Some of the nicest "indoor trees" I have seen were made from silicon casts off a real tree and then made with plaster of some sort of polymer. No bugs, no bark falling off, no dusting the tree with a vacuum cleaner when the in-laws are coming over.

 With pine , take the bark off . As much as you will try to get it to stay some or all will eventualy fall off . Bugs will get in there . For hardwood: To keep the bark on , it will need be cut in the winter . Here where I am it is in the middle of Febuary that is the most promissing to have the bark stay on .

  One of the hardess things to do with wanting the bark staying on , is to skid the logs with out dammaging the bark .

This is only true to a climate that the trees freeze half there lives .... Down south I dont know when or if it can be done .