what season to fell a tree

[Plebian]

Is there a 'best' season to fell a tree for use in woodworking? Is drying time affected? Does one season give wood better structural and visual qualities over another? tks Lawrence

[George]

Dormant season. Winter, for those outside the tropics, dry season elsewhere.

Tree is in a conservation mode then, with its resources in the root system, so less sugar for syrup and less unbound water to foster mold.

Winter is also a good time for two other reasons - you can see better where and how your selected tree intersects in the canopy with others, and it damages the ground less if you skid when frozen.

for all you want to know

[Joe_Stein]

And another reason for felling it in the winter....felling a tree is sometimes very labor intensive, so you'll sweat less when it's cool outside. This advice from a retired highway worker. Have fun. Joe

[Len]

Been about a million years but in Alaska AFAIR falling occurred in the fall and winter until it got dang cold, which is rare in S.E. panhandle.

== A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.

[George]

Ah! The _first_ time doing your own firewood warms you.

Fewer blackflies, too.

[hex]

In addition to the advice mentioned in other responses (i.e. fell in fall/winter). Go girdle the trees you want now. The canopy will pull a lot of water out of the logs over the summer.

I don't know if season affects color --- I'd doubt it but I suppose it could. My knee-jerk reaction is that correct drying is most important for structure.

hex

-30-

[Fly-by-Night CC]

It will with Holly - can't recall which season to cut to get the whitest white... otherwise it's a dirty/creamy white instead.

[Larry]

I asked my brother-in-law whose family has heated with wood for over

200 years in New Hampshire. He said "Cut in the middle of summer when the leaves are fully developed. Knock it down and let it sit a couple weeks with the leaves on till they wither and are completely dry. Then cut it up and split it. The leaves draw enough of the water out that the wood is pretty well ready to burn that winter." I tried it with a big black walnut and the wood was dry enough to turn without getting showered.

[Larry Jaques]

On 21 Jun 2004 03:23:12 -0700, [e-mail] (Larry) calmly ranted:

You heathen bahstid, you.

[Plebian]

Thanks for the reply's. I've got a rather large and odd maple out back that just might have some fine figure inside. Just want to do it right. I studied on that girdle thing some. A question on that: will girdling open up the possibility of spalting? tks Lawrence