Keeping logs, how long before they go bad.

First off I did a cursory search here but found mostly folks talking about keeping rounds not logs for processing for firewood.

Since Helene came through we have several Hickory, White and Red Oak and Cherry trees down or leaners. There is going to be a gracious plenty of wood and I would like to process it at my own pace. Since we do not consume a large amount of firewood each year ( it’s upstate South Carolina) I would like to put the logs and larger limbs on dunnage for staging.

So, my question is how long do I reasonably have to get to these before I lose them? It seems prudent to me to only buck and process what we need every year to keep on the “3 year plan”. Will the logs not keep better whole than bucking and/or processing?

Hate to waste premium wood
Thanks all for your input and suggestions

 

I've had wood for 10 years before , the deciding factor in longevity is keeping it dry and off the ground. insects and decay don't like dry. some wooden houses are hundreds of years old.

 

Hickory in log form won't last down on the ground for much more than a year and a half, two tops IME. It starts going bad relatively quickly. Cherry will be good for a couple years and even if the bark sloughs off and sapwood starts to go, the heart wood will stay solid for several years. Red oak will be good for several years, white oak even longer, although like the cherry, the bark and sapwood will decay. So I'd tackle the trees in that order if it was me. Hickory, cherry, red oak, white oak.

 

I would let the leaners stay in place unless they are a risk to people or property. Termites will get to work on most wood touching the ground here, so if I was going to store logs I would keep them off the ground. I’ve had a big piece of Red Oak log on the ground for about 3 years and it was growing fungus pretty good last summer. I will cut it up this summer to get whatever good is left in it. Willow Oak will decay faster than other Red Oaks when exposed to the elements.
I’ve seen pine logs remain in good condition after years if they are kept off the ground.

 

It would keep much better split and stacked

 

Any time left to grow fungus or be exposed to insects negatively impacts the BTU’s you will get out of a given split for a given moisture content. It seems a lot of firewood sellers up here leave the logs stacked in log form for 3 months to a year and then process and sell as seasoned.what this does is allow the fungus to loosen the bark so when it goes through the processor. The bark just falls of and you are left with a clean split albeit with a couple less BTU’s from fungal growth. +1 on getting it split and stacked asap. If unable, get them off the ground. Logs with bark, touching logs with bark invite moisture, bugs and fungus. Health problems pop up unexpectedly. Having wood processed for more than 3 years ain’t necessarily a bad thing.

 

Oak and cherry heartwood will last for many years, Bark falls off and sapwood rots, but rest the meat is still good. Hickory has a much lower shelf life. CSS the hickory first as the rest can wait as long as you don't mind working with messy logs.

Leave the learners as they may still put out leaves in the Spring if still alive.

Good luck and be sure to post pics.

 

My experience has been that cherry trees on the ground go bad quickly...the ants move in and decimate it.

 

Get them split and stacked off the ground and it won’t be an issue.

 

In a perfect world with lots of time & help you could get the logs collected, cut, stacked & split as some have said.

I understand thar you want to collect as time permits & then process as time permits.

As others have said get that Hickory first the bugs will get after that quickly if left on the ground or in log form.

Then the Cherry, I have had different experience with it than others. Here it seems the heartwood goes first & the sapwood lasts longer when left in rounds/logs.

The Oak will last years, I have cut up oak logs ( 16”-20” ) that have been on the ground for 15-20 years & they had 1”or so of rotted sapwood but the heartwood was in great shape.

 

Ordinarily this would be my MO, but there’s just too much to deal with for me in a short time frame. Think I’m going to get the trunk logs and put on 4x4 or 6x6 to stage them. I appreciate the in put and will go after the hickory as a priority. I also have to build more rack storage or obtain some additional metal cages.

Thanks All!

 

If possible, stack the logs for a year or 2 then knock the bark off (using a grapple would be best) and they will last much longer. I had a pile of Honey Locust, Hackberry, Elm, and Basswood (linden) stacked off the ground 6 years and the logs were still good. Also had some cherry stacked off the ground 4 years (bark on) and it was all punky and rotten.

IME The Hickory and white oak will be fine, (as long as they are off the ground). The Hickory bark will fall of after 1 year. The red and white Oak bark will come off in 2-3 years The cherry I would recommend knocking off the bark after 1 year. When the bark starts falling off you will need to move the whole pile to clear off the bark.

I would also recommend using 2 sacrificial logs to lay the pile on. If you stack them on 4x4 they will sink in the ground and all the logs will be touching the ground in a few years.

 

I would put down two white oak logs in parallel and stack the rest on top to be off the ground. Processing hickory first and cherry second would also be my choice. My neighbor logged and I had one season to take what I wanted. I stacked everything off the ground on white oak logs and then processed later. I finished processing two years later and lost no heart wood.

Borers make a big difference here. Maple logs full of borers can go bad in less than a year or I have collected maple logs on the ground for two years in new condition, no borers. Borers carry fungus into the log.

There was a mature red oak on the line between me and my neighbor so I exchanged the border red oak for a season of firewood harvesting, downed wood only. I did not leave any wood... (they got all the cull logs).

 

The order of rot on the ground goes like this where I am: Aspen, Beech/Maple, Cherry, Red Oaks, Hickory, White Oaks, Hlocust, Blocust, Hedge. I love oak for firewood but... I've grown weary of dealing with punky sapwood. If I can get em after the sapwood is gone I do, but usually that only happens if suspended. Some rot will intrude to heartwood on the ground in my experience. Locust can lay for years it seems. Whether they are on dirt or leaf litter seems to have an impact as well with the leafy logs going quicker.

 

Good luck and be sure to post pics.

Cut safe and hoard on!

 

You are in South Carolina, so, that should be similar to here. Humidity is a big factor and I would plan on less time than is mentioned herein. CSS asap. If not possible, get them off ground, at least. Also, if they can be moved to where they get airflow and/or sun, all the better. Storing or resting in a dense forest will present moisture problems. Firewood ain't easy lol.

 

Hey, brother, you're close to us here in GA. We have tried all sorts of ways to store logs...lol...
Utility poles work the best to store logs on. Top cover, for sure. We have some that finally succumbed to dry rot...
Hickory doesn't last down here long, unless bucked to length at least, split better...
Cherry heartwood will last a long time, red oak family next, water and willow oak seems to get punky fast, red the longest, then white oak.
Good luck, at least bucking will help to start the drying process

 

Thanks a lot y’all! Great suggestions and to be clear it’s the first time I’ve had this “problem” . Like many who were fortunate enough to be affected by Helene recently it’s just the gift that keeps on giving