Effects of felling out of season

[Big J]

Hi all,

 

Wondering what your experiences have been for felling hardwoods out of season.

 

I've been offered timber from a lovely semi mature stand of beech, oak, ash and cherry. Amply sufficient to fill my next kiln - 70 to 80 year old trees, 18-22 inches DBH (bandsawmill perfect too) with no branching at all.

 

Anyway, we are past the traditional season for felling hardwoods, and was wondering what effect this would have on the timber if it were felled around now (next week most likely).

 

I realise sycamore is prone to staining if felled in spring or summer, which is why I'm not considering it, but the remainder would be brilliant (especially the cherry - 20 inch DBH and 20-30ft of good sawlog!).

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Jonathan

[Brushcutter]

Quite often fell and mill timber out of season. Mainly Oak and Chestnut. Not had any ill effects thus far.

 

Just a word of warning on the big cherry I've felled some lovely big bits to find it be ruined by the little green balls that form in the wood. I can't remember what its called.

[twmarriott]

now the saps rising they'll be wetter, harder to dry and could lead to problems seasoning (mould etc) but you know what your at Jonathan so should be ok, it may be prudent to ring bark the tree first let it grow the sap out of it before felling???

[Big J]

Thanks for that chaps!

 

Brushcutter - I have come across those little green balls on occasion in cherry, but they don't seem to devalue the boards too badly. I hadn't expected to find any cherry at all, and when I stumbled across these two monsters in one corner on the site, I was delighted! Cherry seems to grow very well here - the estate I usually work on and know much better has dozens of huge specimens dotted around the woods.

 

Adam - they were all the things I had considered might be issues for timber with sap in it. Wetter isn't too much of an issue - they will just be in the kiln for a touch longer. Mould should be OK too, as I treat my timber with an anti-fungal agent. It's staining that I'm most concerned about generally. Regarding ring barking - I've never been a fan actually, but I guess it does serve a purpose.

[Brushcutter]

Thanks for that chaps!

 

Brushcutter - I have come across those little green balls on occasion in cherry, but they don't seem to devalue the boards too badly. I hadn't expected to find any cherry at all, and when I stumbled across these two monsters in one corner on the site, I was delighted! Cherry seems to grow very well here - the estate I usually work on and know much better has dozens of huge specimens dotted around the woods.

 

Adam - they were all the things I had considered might be issues for timber with sap in it. Wetter isn't too much of an issue - they will just be in the kiln for a touch longer. Mould should be OK too, as I treat my timber with an anti-fungal agent. It's staining that I'm most concerned about generally. Regarding ring barking - I've never been a fan actually, but I guess it does serve a purpose.

 

 

Cherry does very well here too. 20" dbh cherrys are quite common in parts of the woods. I think it was in the 90s the head forester tried to sell a load of cherry to Chantler's. They felled one it had green balls in and he said it was worthless. So they felled anothe and another all the same. Lot was worthless to them. So 3 trees went for firewood. The rest have all grown on to make very nice tree that you think will make lovely milling. Apparently not.

[Arbgirl]

Would the FC grant a Felling licence to fell out of season?

 

What about nesting birds?

[Brushcutter]

Would the FC grant a Felling licence to fell out of season?

 

What about nesting birds?

 

Yep.

Infact the FC are the worst offenders for felling out of season. They have their Valmets and John Deer forwarders in and out of the woods all year. In some places 24/7.

 

IMO there is nothing wrong with felling in bird nesting as long as there are no nest in the tree 2 tree lenghts of what your felling. The roofing industry and the building industry are also effected (potentially) by nesting birds. As long as it's risk assessed for causing desturbance i can't see a problem.

[Big J]

Thanks for the feedback folks. Decided to go ahead with the felling of the timber next Wednesday. Some really nice trees to take down - 2-3 product lengths of 9ft from each one. I am doing to felling and extraction to roadside myself, so that I can demonstrate the Alstor 8x8 forwarder to the estate forester. Getting the sawlogs at a flat rate of £4 a hoppus foot delivered to my yard ready to fill kiln number 4.

 

I will take photos over the course of the day.

[Chris Sheppard]

Can't see it in the above posts, but what we've done in the past when we've been getting on in the season is go round and kick it all over, leave it a week or so until the buds have opened (even come into leaf) and then dried up after they've pulled through a good bit of the sap through into the branches, usually leavign the stem fairly pale. Even had to do that on some decent sycamore one year and it was still good enough for Chantlers.

[Big J]

That's very interesting Chris - so basically you are saying fell and leave it a week or two to sned the tree so that it's pulled all the sap out of the main stem. I will give that a go!