# using dead trees for lumber



## mrpink (Jun 29, 2008)

guess this is more for those with saw mills
what are your thoughts on using dead trees for lumber? I'm not talking about rotten tress but recently dead solid trees.


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## Ray (Dec 5, 2002)

Dead trees are fine. You might loose more wood due to splitting. As the dead tree dries out it will create natural splits, that can be controlled more when it is cut green, and kiln dried. But you will be able to get plenty of good usable wood. I imagine your looking at oak? mostly which will need drilled and screwed, as nails wont go in dried oak very easily. the older it get the harder it gets. Pine is altogether different. good luck


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## mrpink (Jun 29, 2008)

actually was looking at pine


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## woodsy (Oct 13, 2008)

I don't know about southern pine but northern pine will be full of worm holes come summer after it has been cut or died . Pine borers . You can hear them chomping if they are in it.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

I pretty much cut only dead trees. I've still got a backlog of dead pines stacked up from the winter. Too many large dead pines, to go out and cut the green ones.

There'll be more waste when you cut dead trees... especially if they've been dead a while... I just cut down to the good wood, and use the flitches and slabs for patching fences... don't care if it rots out in a year or two... by then hopefully the critters will've forgotten where that hole was.


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## Micheal (Jan 28, 2009)

Saw a talking head (on TV) just yesterday talking about the Foresty Service going to allow loggers to cut acres and acres of dead pine; to cut down the threat of fire and hazzard of blow-downs. The trees died because of pine bettle invasion.
Sorry didn't catch any details of where or such......
So cutting dead wood is a "good" idea, even as per the gov..........


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## taylorlambert (Jul 4, 2010)

I get tons of dead trees to take to a friends mill. I get alot of pine I make things from and if it gets to stay outside Ill soake it a few times wit burnt motor oil.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

If you think about it, pretty much every log that hits the mill is dead... some have been dead for months (under water sprinklers in the wood mill's yard).

My rule of thumb, on whether to saw down a dead tree and haul it to my mill is... has the bark slipped? Can I stick a pocket knife in a couple of inches (through the rot), is the tree straight?, is it large? if it's large, there's going to be a lot of solid heart wood in the center, and is worth taking... if it has too many defects, or the rot is advanced, it stays for a wildlife tree...


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Spruce bark beetle kill wood is harvested in much of Alaska to prevent a blow out of a fire in the future.

It is not used for anything but firewood. It is cut into logs, trimmed up, and decked out. With a permit in the Kenai area each family can pick up up to 15 cords. It is a cut and haul project that is how my son got 60 cord done in one 30 day period. 15 for his partner 15 for us and the rest went to elderly, vets, or people who simply needed help. 

The wood is not considered saw logs.


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## Junkhound (Sep 14, 2010)

I saw alot of dead trees. Pine ,Oak ,cedar and others.
If like Texican say "if it aint rotten" i will use it and not let it go to waste.

junkhound


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

In Colorado you can find a lot of "blue pine" which are dead from pine beetles. It's actually fairly popular. The blue color is kind of neat...


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## TNHermit (Jul 14, 2005)

Beetle killed pine make GREAT furniture


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## mrpink (Jun 29, 2008)

the trees I'm looking at are mostly 24" or larger in diameter. some still have leaves/needles on them others have been dead longer. I took a hatchet to them and marked the ones that looked,felt and sounded solid. Guess I'll just have to cut into them and see what I get.


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## TNHermit (Jul 14, 2005)

mrpink said:


> the trees I'm looking at are mostly 24" or larger in diameter. some still have leaves/needles on them others have been dead longer. I took a hatchet to them and marked the ones that looked,felt and sounded solid. Guess I'll just have to cut into them and see what I get.


If they are that big you better check around to sell some. If they are any good at all there would be interest. I would be if I could get to you. What are the mills getting to cut.


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## mrpink (Jun 29, 2008)

there is not enough of them to sell. the owner would never allow that either. these are mainly to be used for the mill store rebuild project coming up. they are his trees and since he has half ownership in a woodmiser. it makes more since for us to cut and use them.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

If you're talking about pine, cedar, or some other soft wood go for it. Otherwise, if it's hardwood, get ready to buy a lot of bandsaw blades. I've spent plenty of time and money trying to saw 6-12 month cut logs for people after an icestorm with my mill. 

As well, wetting them down plenty and debarking or powerwashing before sawing does wonders for making a job easier. It's just that water is scarce in a lot of our parts right now. Man I'm ready for this drought to be over.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

TNHermit said:


> Beetle killed pine make GREAT furniture


Or floors or wall paneling... 

But I must say, your dressers are _gorgeous_!


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## cnsilver (Feb 20, 2008)

Funny I have the same question... We have some very tall live pines that we would like to use for building a house. Does anyone know about drying and use of green and dead wood for building... I hate the thought of just cutting trees down without any purpose, then going to the bigbox store for building wood!:hammer:


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

mrpink said:


> guess this is more for those with saw mills
> what are your thoughts on using dead trees for lumber? I'm not talking about rotten tress but recently dead solid trees.


Nearly all the trees that I have ever seen headed to a sawmill were dead.  seriously though, a dead but solid tree will make great lumber... in my experience anyway. I lost 7 redoaks to a hailstorm one spring.. can cut them the following year when I was sure they werent coming back. Had them milled up into one by threes, air dried them, planed them down and tongue and grooved them. They made a very nice hardwood floor for my house.


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## mrpink (Jun 29, 2008)

making furniture and flooring are good Idea's but I was thinking more structurally soundness. 

it looks like nature may make this a mute point though. If I am correct in my assessment it looks like pine beetles are going to provide us with plenty of fresh tree's to cut. and area that had only a couple of dead or dying tree's now has ten to fifteen dying tree's.

I'm going to try and go tomorrow and confirm if it is spb's or not.


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## dablack (Jul 21, 2011)

Forestryforum.com guys seem like they will fell a tree, put it on the mill and then use the lumber the next day. I don't have any personal experiance, but it seems like green wood or dead wood is fine structually.


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