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beetle kill pine

Started by Po-Jo, March 15, 2013, 02:06:26 PM

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Po-Jo

Well i started cutting some of the BK pine, some of already had the bark slipping off, i got some of the worst ones so i could see what my limit was on quality, good enough for general barn / chicken coup stuff would not do house structure with what i cut , like i said i got the worst shape trees just to see how bad it would be, i am glad i pulled them and tried it and not let it rot away in the woods, i just got to catch them a little sooner than i did, all in all a good experience and glad i got to do some learning about the wood and cutting still got a lot to learn, its fun and doing this manual mill deal is sho nuff wearing my butt out, this is gonna be my second round of logs

 

thecfarm

I have an all manual too. I usually saw a little,build a little,saw a little build a little...... That breaks up the work part and than I put the lumber on the loader and only have to handle it once. No need to pile it up that way.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Ga Mtn Man

Good to see you up and sawing. 8)  What do you think of the EZ so far?
"If the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy." - Red Green


2012 LT40HDG29 with "Superized" hydraulics,  2 LogRite cant hooks, home-built log arch.

scottmtfarm

Nice not letting all that wood go to waste.  That is about all I cut along with a few oaks found dead or blown down. And it don't take too long to dry either.lol.

Po-Jo

so far the EZ does all i need , i am no expert but it looks pretty solid on the build so hopefully it will last a good while, I got a lot i need to do, sfarm i was surprise to see how much beetle kill pine there is around, i got some with the needles going brown already so i will be getting these in the near future

WDH

Cut the ones with the browning needles first.  That will be the best wood.  Always cut the best first.  You are doing fine!
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

TimGA

 I agree with WDH  cut the best first.  A lot of things can get in the way of cutting, life for example.  The next thing you know all those logs make for a very BIG ashpile.  Please don't ask how I know.
                                                  Good Luck and have fun
                                                                        Tim
TK2000, Kubota L3130GST, grapple, pallet forks, 2640 Massey w/loader (The Beast) Husky saws Logrites One man operation some portable most stationary.

slider

There is more work in beetle kill pine if it stands for a while,decay. I just slab it heavy to get rid of the bad stuff and salvage the rest.Some of the old stuff with tight growth rings can stand for a much longer time.Enjoy your mill.
al glenn

Po-Jo

I could have / should have cut the better ones first but these "bad " ones were pushing 26" base and very easy to get (at the edge of the feild), but your right things like "life" has a way of getting in the way for sure, hopefully i will get a chance to start felling the better trees next weekend

WDH

I have a good many to cut, too.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Magicman

Looking good.  You will find that the knotty logs make poor framing lumber but it does OK for flat siding, etc. lumber.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Po-Jo

yeah you see that middle log there MM its pretty knotty , i figured i would give it a try , the others look pretty clean

Magicman

Yup, that is the one I was looking at.   ;D
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

slider

I noticed your unruly slab pile,looks like mine.Before i got my skid steer i used a choker cable .just lay it down and pile the slabs on it.When it's full just slip the ends together and drag it off.works great.
al glenn

Po-Jo

thanks for the advice , MM on the siding on the  knotty peice and slider i will definetly try your choker cable i am all about making my life a little easier   ;D

Tee

How long is to long for BKP? I've looked over some this evening and just wondering. Also, in different types. A lot was long leaf and I'd love to find out it had some good material in it but I don't know. And as for SYP, if it's to the point of bark falling off but still sounds solid would even the butt log have good material in it?

Note: these are in a parcel of saw timber size for reference.

Magicman

The bark falling off is actually a good thing because bark traps moisture and also provides an easy path for termites.  Many times the bottom 8' will be the worst log because of the above reasons.

Stab the tree with your knife.  You will know when one is bad. 

If the tree does not break when felled, saw it.  When you buck the logs, if the wood has shrunk away from the growth rings, then it's strength begins to be suspect.


 
This log was too far gone to saw, but the section toward the lower left shows a small portion of good wood.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

WDH

I don't like to saw it when the pine sawyer beetles have got in it.  They are the ones that make the pencil-sized holes.  I don't like to have these larger holes in the lumber.  It the bark has slipped off, you can easily see these holes. 

It is probably OK to use yourself, but I sell some and I do not like to sell the stuff with these holes in it.  Trees that still have some brown needles on them are almost green in fact, and might have some blue stain, but will not have the sawyer beetle in them yet.  Once the barks slips, all bets are off.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Tee

Thanks MM. Is that picture a SYP? If so, do long leafs last longer?
If this pans out to be worth while it may turn into more acres than I need this land owner has over 3000 acres but a lot of it is pulp size.
I know these pictures stink but their all I took today. The one that you can't see the tops of are dead.

  

 

Sixacresand

I milled a loblolly last summer that was only been dead 2-3 months and I was surprised that the bark was already falling off and bugs were already under the bark. 

It seems that bark on white pine stays on longer and is more resistant to bugs than loblolly pine.
"Sometimes you can make more hay with less equipment if you just use your head."  Tom, Forestry Forum.  Tenth year with a LT40 Woodmizer,

Tee

Thanks WDH. I was in hopes you may see this resurrected post. Do these beetles have a cycle? In other words, is there a time of year I would want to scout for the change of color in the needles?

What I plan on is with permission, get a couple of the long leafs and see what becomes of them at this stage.

WDH

Yes, there is a life cycle.  The bark beetles that are killing the trees are very small, and bore into the inner bark and girdle the tree.  They do not penetrate into the wood.  Once the bark beetles have girdled the tree, the needles begin to turn yellow, and will brown out in less than a month from early Spring to Late Fall. 

There are a couple of other, opportunistic, beetle species that can sense when the tree has been hit by bark beetles and is dying.  The first hitch-hiker is the ambrosia beetle.  They actually bore into the wood and lay eggs.  These holes are very small and do not appreciably impact the wood.  The ambrosia carries in a fungus on its body, and it is this fungus that turns the wood that blue color.  After the tree is good and dead and the outer layer of sapwood begins to get a bit soft, the sawyer beetles come in and bore the big holes.  These are the ones with the white grubs about the size of the tip of your little finger.  So the beetle damage that we see in the wood is not caused by the bark beetles that killed the tree, but rather other species that attack the tree as it is dying and the needles are beginning to dry out.

Longleaf naturally has more pitch than loblolly, slash is in the middle.  Longleaf will last a bit longer because of the extra pitch, but it will go bad pretty fast too in the summer once the needles have fallen off. 
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Magicman

Many times I have to slab 3"-4"+ to get below the sawyer beetle holes that WDH described above. 
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

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