Spring or Fall logs sap up or down

[ozarkgem]

Does it really make a difference when you cut and saw the logs as far as moisture content is concerned. Other than Cotton wood which I have had water run out of when cut in the spring. I have some Walnut I would like to cut this week if it makes not difference. 

[YellowHammer]

I prefer to get my walnut logs in the winter when the sap is down.  They seem to be slower to end split, and in the spring they are very slippery because the bark slides off like its held on by slime.  However, I can't be choosy and sell a lot of walnut, so I mill it all year long.  I saw them when I get them.  End sealer is very important as soon as you buck them.  Also, be very particular about rotating the log to relieve stress, center but avoid pith and avoid more than 10% sapwood on any face, or the boards will dry and curl like carrot peels even though they come off the mill looking OK. 

[red]

The boards will dry and curl like carrot peels even though they come off the mill looking ok. . . That needs to be in the knowledge base , because it is brilliant !

[POSTON WIDEHEAD]

If it were my Walnut, I'd wait until November.
We still have temps in the 90's here.
I know wood has to dry but our heat with little air flow tends to speed the drying process faster than I would like.

And like Yellowhammer said, seal the ends. I've seen logs that should have had the ends sealed and by the way they looked....a lot of money was lost.

[drobertson]

Production wise it's a!l year long. Preferred wise in and during the fall and winter.

[ozarkgem]

I have the option of waiting. I shall wait.

[WDH]

Moisture content in a tree is relatively constant year round.  It is a living organism.  So it does not make any difference when it is sawn relative to the amount of moisture in the wood.  There are other considerations that might impact when you saw like as been shared, though.  I like to saw hardwood in the spring when the bark is easy to peel right off because I saw and dry a good many live edge slabs, and you can get the bark off the slabs very easy without any damage to the natural contours of the live edge.  In the winter, when the tree is dormant, it is impossible to strip the bark off. 

On just about everything except oak, I run fans on my air drying stacks because of the heat and humidity this time of the year.  I also like to saw in the fall because the temp and humidity is lower, making it much easier on the sawyer and you get really good air drying conditions. 

[ozarkgem]

Moisture content in a tree is relatively constant year round.  It is a living organism.  So it does not make any difference when it is sawn relative to the amount of moisture in the wood.  There are other considerations that might impact when you saw like as been shared, though.  I like to saw hardwood in the spring when the bark is easy to peel right off because I saw and dry a good many live edge slabs, and you can get the bark off the slabs very easy without any damage to the natural contours of the live edge.  In the winter, when the tree is dormant, it is impossible to strip the bark off. 

On just about everything except oak, I run fans on my air drying stacks because of the heat and humidity this time of the year.  I also like to saw in the fall because the temp and humidity is lower, making it much easier on the sawyer and you get really good air drying conditions.

Good idea on the spring sawing. Do you wait for the leaves to come out or as soon as the sap starts to run? I will try that next spring.

[Larry]

I prefer to get my walnut logs in the winter when the sap is down.  They seem to be slower to end split, and in the spring they are very slippery because the bark slides off like its held on by slime. 

Timber on my farm in north Missouri was about a third nice walnut.  I avoided logging in the spring because if I just touched a standing walnut tree while skidding it would knock off a strip of bark 6" wide and 6' long.

I also avoided logging white woods in the summer as they are so quick to gray stain in the heat.

As far as sawing, the season didn't seem to make much difference.  Of course the sawyer likes spring and fall the best.

[Kbeitz]

Moisture content in a tree is relatively constant year round.  It is a living organism.  So it does not make any difference when it is sawn relative to the amount of moisture in the wood.  There are other considerations that might impact when you saw like as been shared, though.  I like to saw hardwood in the spring when the bark is easy to peel right off because I saw and dry a good many live edge slabs, and you can get the bark off the slabs very easy without any damage to the natural contours of the live edge.  In the winter, when the tree is dormant, it is impossible to strip the bark off. 

On just about everything except oak, I run fans on my air drying stacks because of the heat and humidity this time of the year.  I also like to saw in the fall because the temp and humidity is lower, making it much easier on the sawyer and you get really good air drying conditions.

Is this also true with maple when the sap is running ?

[WDH]

I believe so, but I have no experience with tapping maples for sap for syrup. 

[qbilder]

Is this also true with maple when the sap is running ?

I was always told by the old timers to cut maple in the three months that end in "er" because of the three "er's". September, October, November for wood that is whiter, lighter, drier. I'm not a superstitious person & don't put much stock in wives tails, but this one has proven correct too many times for me to ignore.

[Farmerjw]

As a woodworker, I have always been told if I wanted to keep a natural edge on a board that it needed to be harvested in the winter.  With the sap down out of the tree, the bark is tighter thus the natural edge is more likely to be resistant to coming off.

[WDH]

Yes, for a live edge where you want to keep the bark on, fell and saw the tree after it has gone dormant or dropped its leaves for the winter.