White pines uproot...log them now or I can wait ???

[roger 4400]

     Hi everyone.  Last summer we had a wind storm and ± 15 nice white pines were uproot ( I wish it is the good term) . So most of the roots are up but maybe 1/3 of them still in the ground. I guess it is better if I log them this winter, but I will only mill them this spring ( I do not want to use my mill during winter, too cold overhere). So I could cut the base now so there will be less sap in my pines ( 16 to 28 inches diam.) and cut them the lenght I want this spring and mill them. Doe's that seems ok? Roger

[bull]

cut,grade,buck,and stack they will be fine for spring sawing.....

[thecfarm]

I have no idea how your winter is going,but watch the stumps,they may settle back into the hole.

[roger 4400]

     Thank you for your answers. Techfarm,I think the roots  will fall in the hole next spring if I cut them now like Bull wrote. But I have a giant spruce, 24 in. for 6 feet then it split in 3 limbs, each of them are 12 to 14 in. and it was 80 feet tall, when it uproot, it lift 10 feet of diameter of roots ,dirt and stones, and went forward 3 feet. I'm shure my 43 hp tractor cannot move that stump. It was just beside one of my road, the whole road went up 10 feet in the air. At least it will be easy to log  :D, directly in my road. Best regards. Roger

[Clark]

I can't offer any advice on the milling part but I would suggest cutting them and getting the logs out of the woods before spring.  Rain, mud and wind seem to always come with spring which isn't conducive for logging.  Once they are out of the woods those things tend matter less.

Clark

[WDH]

Be careful when you cut the tree off the root ball as the stump sometimes will flip back in the hole.  It you, your chainsaw, your dog, etc is in the stump hole, that could lead to serious consequences.  One the tree is cut off, that stump hole is a death trap, so keeps the kids away.  They love to play in such a place.

[roger 4400]

     I remember events reported here that a grandfather cut such a stump and at supper time the youngest kid didn't appear so they looked for him and the poor kid was find under the stump, dead.....so I'll be carefull but I will cut them from the stump soon so there will be no sap in them in a few months, but I cannot log them now, too much snow for my tractor even if it is 4wd (no chains yet ,all the money went for the mill :D :D) , I,ll have to take them out next spring when it will be hard , the ground is solid where they are....and I have a Farmi winch to drag them. Thank you. Roger

[Bogue Chitto]

Yes, we had that happen down here in Louisiana a few years ago.  Grand father was cutting a big oak that uprooted and the root ball fell on a grand child.  The fire dept. was called and it took about an hour to get him out alive and unharmed.  We could hear him under the massive root ball but could not see him.  He was coiled up in a air pocket.  This accident happened to be on the show RESCUE 911. 

[Ron Scott]

Very lucky! These are a very hidden hazard often forgotten about.

[Ga Mtn Man]

My question is similar to roger4400's original post.  I have about ¾ acre of blown down trees...white-pine, oak, poplar, maple.  They're pretty much completely laid down and the tops are dead.  How long can they lay there and still be any good for lumber?

[WDH]

The white pine, poplar, and maple will go south pretty quick in the Georgia heat.  The oak will hold up a little better.  The issue is that all the bugs see them as candy and riddle them with holes after a full summer growing season.  I would give them no more than a year.  But even after that, the heartwood of these trees may have some sound wood in them. 

If you are trying to sell them, the commercial mills won't take them after they have been down over a couple of months, especially in the summer.

[Okrafarmer]

You can bring me the maple. Talk to me first.  ;)