Sound timber from blow downs?

[danf26]

A tornado came thru the land I now own in 2006, 3 years before I ever set foot on the property. There are a number of down trees from that event, and I am hoping to salvage some of them and mill them for lumber. Some of them are showing no signs of rot, and some very much so are. Some of them have some fungal growth coming from them. The logs with lots of fungi arent at all anything Im hoping to mill, but there are a number of logs out there with very little or almost no fungi, and it is these I am asking about.

I dont want to go thru the time and effort to mill anything that will be rotten anyways, and I also dont want to use sketchy pieces of wood for the timber framed structure I will be building with them. Im looking for help with determining what is still strong, sound timber, and if they would still be reliable for big faming members (8x8 posts for example) or not and just boards or not and nothing at all.

If I can see any fungal growth, should I never use that log? What if theres some fungus showing in part of the log, but not in other parts? Are some species of fungi OK, and others not at all?

Thanks everyone,
Dan

www. flickr. com/ photos/danielcha/sets/72157626297271065/

[red oaks lumber]

it has been my expeiance with wind blow trees, they have alot of internal stress fractures making the wood very poor for any type of lumber.
if those were my trees i would walk away from it

[bandmiller2]

Dan usally their not worth milling especially being down so long,I'd let them keep you warm, if their still solid enough for burning. Frank C.

[bandmiller2]

Really Dan you'll just have to try cutting some and make up your mind on its quality for your purpose. Frank C.

[bill m]

Are you up near the Wendell State forest. I saw some tornado damage 2 years ago when I was up there.

[danf26]

Yes, my land abuts Wendell State Forest. Some places were left with no damage at all, some areas were left with practically nothing upright.

[Magicman]

Downed trees are bad.  Old downed trees are worse.  About all that you can do is remove a few samples and see what you have.  Depending upon the species, some of them that have been held above the ground by other trees and the root balls may have some value.

Yours would compare with our '05 Katrina trees.  Very few, if any, have any value.

[ljmathias]

Magic: Have to disagree on the Katrina down trees- I harvested a bunch, both pine and hardwood; peeled the pines and stored them in my pole barn (which left my poor tractor crying in the rain outside).  Over the years, I've pulled some out to make lumber and siding for my sons place- no shake in most of it, cuts fine and has pretty good properties although some got a little of the dry frazzle (if that makes any sense).  I was luck, though, as most of the trees just blew over, rootballs still attached in most cases, and even the pines snapped their taproots and lay down before the power of Katrina's winds moving though... sorry, didn't mean to wax poetic there.   :

Lj

[Magicman]

Lj,   Maybe I wasn't clear.  He was talking about harvesting trees "now" that were downed in '06.  I was referring to harvesting trees "now" that were downed by Katrina in '05.

Yes, I salvaged many Katrina trees and sawed many more that other folks skidded out.

[jim blodgett]

Some lumber is more valuable because of fungus stain.  Google "spalted maple" for example.  

It may be true that those logs are worth less as structural lumber than they would have been if they hadn't lain there these past few years, but structural lumber is pretty darned cheap at the lumber yard.

A better value from many logs is from the asthetic quality(s) of the finished lumber. You might have a lot more value laying there in those logs than you think.

Just a different perspective.

[two tired]

I have a few yellowpine logs from hurricane rita, they are in a pond and i am curious if they will split after they are sawed.I was told to sell them as soon as i saw them because they will split and crack.