Can you say stressed wood?

Ljohnsaw · May 12, 2013, 02:38:25 PM

I cut this tree down as the top was dead and rotted off about 10 feet up. For all that rot up there, I found it amazing how solid it was down at the bottom. Might make an interesting end table cutting a biscuit but it will probably really split bad :( Its about 14x24.

So under the bark, the cambium layer is white - does that make this a white fir? My engineer/surveyor said I have either red or white fir as well as the Ponderosa pine all over.

GeneWengert-WoodDoc · May 12, 2013, 05:57:23 PM

Here is a bit of information that you might find interesting...The area to the right of the center (the pith is the center) has many years of growth where the rings are quite pronounced with a dark and light color in each ring. Also, the rings are wider, which is what causes the oval shape. This wood is called compression wood. It shrinks lengthwise when drying, causing twist, side bend and bow. CW is also very weak.

Also, it looks like there is a region that is very dark brown and it looks wet. It runs around the entire stem, but seems to be wider to the right and bottom. This is most likely bacterially infected and the region has a bad odor and also a much higher MC in the tree.

I cannot tell what fir it is.

Ljohnsaw · May 12, 2013, 06:49:20 PM

Gene,
Thanks. There was no green, living material on this tree and there hasn't been any rain for a month or two, so I was surprised to see/feel the moisture. There shouldn't have been any capillarity action to pull it up. It must have been trapped by the bark from whatever soaked in at the top (top of tree broke off YEARS ago). Kind of acting like a big rain barrel, I guess. Here is a shot where you can see the bend. It was coming out of an adjacent tree at about 40° from vertical.