are they worth milling
yes
Yes, I saw upwards of 50M bf each year. The only question is, how long has it been dead? As soon as the needles die or are cast off is best. After that, it starts to get iffy, especially when the bark starts slipping. The butt log often needs "jump butting" several feet because it tends to decay first and often has more termite damage. Termites travel between the bark and log to do their dirty work.
When bucked, if the wood has shrunk away from the growth rings, then it may be too far gone.
I looked at a job yesterday that is all beetle killed Pine and will be all 2X4's.
Yes, well maybe. I've sawed quite a bit, not as much as magicman. The only way to tell for sure if a beetle killed log is good, is put the sawblade to it. As a general rule, if the needles are dead, but still in place, it's good. If there's a pile of dead limbs around the stump, pass on it. In between is a large gray area. I've cut and hauled a lot of standing dead timber that looked good, bark still in place. Open up the log and find punk throughout. Others, bark all gone, surface all gray and weathered, but still sound as a live tree..The beetle kill stuff has about all petered out here, most of the standing dead timber I cut is lightening kill.
We studied the strength of beetle killed SYP and found that so long as the blue stain had not progressed to where it would be called "heavy," then there was no appreciable strength loss. There can be an opportunity to cut 4/4 flatsawn pine for paneling with the blue stain adding character.
In the Rocky Mountains, beetle killed pine has blue stain, so some creative people call the lumber from such logs "Denim Pine (TM)."
If the needles are still on the tree, even if brown, you are good. If the bark is already falling off, you are usually not good. If when felled, any part of the bole of the tree breaks except for the very top, leave it lay for the bugs.
Look at the log end.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/2410/DSCN0948.JPG)
This SYP log was much too far gone to saw. Only the lower left portion was still good.
We have a lot of in the Black Hills. I get all I can cut for free. Even if its to far gone for strength I can still cut for paneling. I love the blue staining. I did a cabin interior last year completely with it, doors, trim, etc. It came out gorgeous.
All of my Cabin Addition (https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,47709.0.html) framing, walls, and flooring was beetle killed SYP.
I saw a good bit of it and i watch for blue stain while I am sawing .Punk wood too far gone will kick out blue saw dust or grey .When you get down through this portion you may salvage some good wood below this layer .The real treat is when you find a very old tree ,that has all the needles gone ,the bark slips when you drop it and it has very tight growth rings.Jack pot .Some times I will take a straight claw hammer and whack it if it does not sink in too far you may have something worth milling.
The claw hammer test. That is a good tip!
Dying pines on my place is the reason I bought a mill. I saw way too many of them die, fall and rot.
Nothing wrong with beetle killed Pine in my book.
We call it "Blue Pine" around here. It brings a premium to the folks building a weekend cabin, for that rustic look.
Put it on the mill and start sawing, if you run into rot, kick it off and cut it into firewood.
I've got a bunch of Western White Pine to mill that was killed in a forest fire 14 years ago. All the sapwood is gone, but the heart is as solid as a rock (and almost as hard). We'll see how that turns out.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13564/IMG_1919.JPG)
this is beatle kill Long leaf Pine on our cabin in Colorado. We harvest here in Florida and mill it here then take it to Colorado. I love the blue stain, it just adds more character to the wood.
I gauge it with my pocket knife a lot of times, if I stab the end of the log and it goes in a couple inches its too far gone, in that picture MM posted above, sometimes when you cut a stick or two of firewood off, the grain will clear up so it makes good boards.
Very nice work dchiapin! I love the knotty pine walls and ceilings, a treasure for years to come,
thanks drobertson. It is a little extra work, but it is worth it.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13564/Pix_November_2008_050.jpg)
saw this today, http://globalnews.ca/news/1217654/sawmill-in-quesnel-closing-after-55-years/
another sawmill closes as the BKP dries up and nothing left to cut.
Mark
Good post spiker, and I know for a fact this is wide spread, I am sawing beetle pine if I may call it that now.
the one who brought it has access to many acres of pine, and mentioned a few weeks ago, he witnessed millions of board ft lost to the beetle. This is a major issue with pine in many areas. I know if it is harvested soon enough, the loss can be minimal.
Quote from: dchiapin on March 17, 2014, 08:02:04 PM
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/13564/IMG_1919.JPG)
this is beatle kill Long leaf Pine on our cabin in Colorado. We harvest here in Florida and mill it here then take it to Colorado. I love the blue stain, it just adds more character to the wood.
When my Mom and Dad built their house in the early 80's they had the entire interior finished in beetle killed pine. They had sold a bunch to a mill here in the valley and it's what they got back to do the house in. Dad was grumbling about the fact that when he sold it, it was NOT premium wood because of the beetle kill....but when he bought it back, it THEN became the prettiest premium stuff they'd ever seen! :D
We've got serious beetle problems in this area, as well as many other areas in the state.
John
this is what I found in the beetle killed pine log, I expected blue but not the red.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/35439/red_stain.jpg)
I see a good bit of Red from time to time in Loblolly. Makes for a good looking board.
It's not unusual and the good thing is that it does not cost extra. ;D
The red streaks are from lightening hits, not beetles. You will find the butt cut from a lightening kill is frequently a good bit harder than the rest of the tree. A hard direct hit by lightening does some strange things to wood.
I've seen a white pine on my place in pieces after a lighting hit.
That is White Pine Grit. You are secretly being taken over. ;D
We built a shed out of beetle kill pine, hate to see all that wood go to waste.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/29910/DSC_0057%7E1.JPG)
My planer room is all beetle killed pine.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/14370/IMG_0378.JPG)
My frame was all Beetle Killed.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11185/2011_1_282229.JPG)
Beetles and Lightning are a Sawyer's Friends. ;D