Tree Felling

[Arthur]

Ive been told by an old logger that if you fell trees either side of the full moon you get different results.

One side the stump will regrow and on the other side the stump will dye.  Something to do with rising sap.

or is this on old loggers tale

arthur

[DanG]

Can't say I ever thought about it.  I always sorta preferred to fell them by sunlight, anyway.

[woodbowl]

Down here in the SE, I here the old timers say to cut when the sap is down to minimize shrinking and drying time. That would be winter time before Febuary.

[tiny3]

hi guys
my timbco doesnt see to care what time it is

[Frank_Pender]

DanG, you haven't had the Winter high in the dark.   I have.  There is nothing like it at all, falling a 140 Douglas Fir in the dark with 2 feet of snow hanging off of the limbs and laying on the ground.

[Woodhog]

I prefer to fall mine when the price is full!!!

[leweee]

  Something to do with rising sap.

I,m with DanG on this one......rising sap = gullible  newbie

[jokers]

Well there was the one time that Gypo and I had to cut a nice stand of Black Walnut adjacent to a bit of Crown land by moonlight, full moon was best, but other than that, it doesn`t matter where in the lunar cycle you are unless it somehow lifts your spirits.

Russ

[timberjack240]

om more or a production man manself and sould care less which they they fall as long as its not on me  and we try to cut em down durin the day so we can see what were doin

[Tom]

I 'spect a lot of timber has been cut down here by moonshine. 

[SkidrowJoe]

Rising Sap, thats funny because the sap is always up.  It does not go away in the winter or in sun/moonlight.  Sap flows by osmatic pressure and other pressure exchanges through the lenticles, stomatas, etc.

[Arthur]

Nice to have the jokes but I would like some factual information.

thanks woodbowl, seems logical.  Be interesting to find a report about this as it would enable a lot more acurate predictions of timber supply and scheduling.

In the UK the old crofting method was to cut back your firewood trees when the new buds showed after winter so you needed to plan at least a year in advance.

However we dont realy have a winter down time here.  the trees grow slower but they still grow.  I have noticed with bluegum that when the tree is felled before the full moon it will regrow and due to the established root system will be ready for harvest again in about 15 years and if treated right at the staart of the regrowth can have two or three trunks the same size.  From seed the same size log takes at least 25 to 30 years and would normally only have one trunk.  

When felled after the full moon the stup just dies.

arthur

[Arthur]

SkidrowJoe

The term rising sap you will find applies to the increase in the sap flow.

In winter the sap flow is reduced.  It is also increased by gravitational pull the same as the sea tides.  The pressure of the gravity from the moon increases the amount of sap flow and the speed that it flows.  maybe it should not be termed rising sap but that is is term that is used.

Just ask one of the many hippies about the best time to harvest and you will find that they will most likely tell you FULL MOON when the sap flow is at its highest.

There are many books on planting and harvesting that work from the moon cycle and its all to do with the grvitational pull of the moon NOT how bright it is.

I have not found any documents or research on the same for timber so thought I might get information from the members of the FF to help all of us in the best forestry practises.

arthur

[Tom]

I am not a Loony  and give little credence to the moon having anything to do with anything, other than it's gravitational pull and possibly the amount of light it reflects. 

I know that a scientific study, if it disproved lunar effects, would not be believed by the bulk of Farmers, Hunters and fishermen.  If there is something to lunar affect, I think it would be restricted to site manipulation, probably in the amount of water available.

This recently written article is supposed to discuss the subject but a fee of $10 is required to read it.
http://www.urbanforestrysouth.org/Resources/Library/Citation.2005-08-03.0332

My education has always been that respiration takes place at night in plants.  That is when the plant relies on the sugars it created during the day to get it through the night.  Perhaps a bright(er) moon may delay the onset of Respiration and increase the growing part of the day by increasing the period in which the sugars are created.

Pine is our fiber crop here and stump sprouting is practically nonexistent, occurring only in Pond Pine, which is an"inferior" tree for lumber and not favored for pulp.

Studies have been done about getting Cypress to stump sprout.  In successful instances, the height of the stump, the time of the year and the amount of available water had more to do with stump sprouts than any other criteria.  Lunar affect was never mentioned in any seminar I attended on the subject.

If you have substantive evidence that the moon's phases cause different responses in plants, I think a paper and official publishing are in order.  I'll bet you could even get the help of the Botany Department of your closest University.   Professors are, many times, looking for subjects to assign to Graduate Students for Essays.

[Arthur]

Tom

I have to agree with you but you dont need to be a looney to recongnize the information and studies which others have done.

I see nothing in astrology but some of these test are quite impressive and long term. 

I am asking our government research called CSIRO if a grant would be available to study this or if they could do it themselves.

Even if it only produces 5% extra in milled timber or a slim growth advantage with long term sustainable forestry this might end up being considerable in totals.

I have not checked all the following links so please take care.

http://www.gardeningbythemoon.com/lunarfacts.html

most interesting but I think a short summary you have already hit on the head as I conclude that its all to do with the water levels as you have already pointed out.  It appears that at full moon plants take on higher levels of water regardless of the water availability.

arthur

[Tom]

Getting a Grant is an art all in itself.  I'm interested in how you progress.

[floyd]

May be a little difficult to get fallers that will only work at certain stages of the moon.

[spencerhenry]

fell only at certain times of the moon? somebody has been smoking their lunch, or maybe ate some mushrooms they found out in the woods. hey wait thats what hippies do. coincidence?

[Tom]

If it can be scientifically substantiated that felling a tree on a certain phase of the moon will reduce cracking, warping, change in color, or other drying considerations, it will probably not be the feller's choice when an expensive wood is separated from its living stump.  I doubt that it will make much difference in urban tree companies or paper pulp harvesters, but, it sure might to those who are processing Cherry, Walnut, Teak and other woods that are used for cabinetry, furniture or where perfect beams are a requirment.  Who knows, it might even be that the weight of the bole is less at one time or another, leading to  decreased shipping charges.

Lots of room there for study. 

An advertisement in 2030 after Arthur finishes his study might read:

Loggers wanted
bids being taken on the felling
of 1500 acres of prime walnut.
Must be taken down between
October 10th and October 12th.

 

[Sawyerfortyish]

I knew of of a guy that only fell trees by the dark of moon that was about ten years ago. I wonder if he got out yet  . My dad plants his garden by the moon. But cutting trees by the moon . If you cut the tree off it's gonna fall. Saw it up into lumber dry it sell it hope to make money thats a plus anything else doesn't matter