Should redwood lumber be dried in shade to prevent cracking?

[efiles123]

I just milled 30 redwood 2x6's that are 13' long yesterday and was wondering if they should be dried in the shade or under cover to prevent cracking. I have the boards on stickers stacked 2-3 boards high in a spot that gets about 4-5 hours of sun. I live on the California coast so temperatures are mostly mild with foggy mornings and nights with mostly sunny days. It is supposed to warm up this week so I was wondering if I should cover the boards with something like a tarp or sheet?

[doc henderson]

I would so the wood is not exposed to extremes and if the color is important, the wood will look more uniform like for a deck or something along those lines.  that way the top boards are under similar conditions as the lower wood.

[Don P]

In the early stages of drying you want to avoid having the surface drying and shrinking rapidly over a still green and swollen core. The sun does a great job of heating up and drying the surface.

[Southside]

Old roofing tin would be much more effective over a sheet, and defiantly don't go the tarp route.  That will trap moisture and cause mold, rot, etc.  

[efiles123]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I decided to use an old tarp I found at the property where I mill. It was large enough to cover the stack and had some holes for ventilation and the material was aged enough where it should be able to breathe a little. The lumber will be used for fencing so no worries about perfecting consistency. Also no worries about mold here in the sunshine state. Right now the ground is dry, low humidity and likely won't see any rain till October.