Killing tree before cutting it.

[Logcabinshrink]

I have bought 24 acres of wooded property, and will use my own logs to build my log cabin. I plan to hire a professional to do the cutting. After attending the course, I learned how beetle killed trees or fire killed trees basically cure themselves and the bark comes off very easily. I do not anticipate either a beetle infestation or a fire, but thought I could mimic the process by essentially killing a selected number of trees by cutting a ring of bark around the bottom, and then harvesting the trees about 6 months later. That said, has anyone done this, and what time of year would be the best to do it?

[rreidnauer]

After it's dropped it's leaves for the season. (or if it's coniferous, late fall through mid-winter) I'd think you'd need to cut fairly deep too. Just removing the bark may not be enough. I'd slice at least a 1/4" beyond the bark. I also wouldn't do this until you are certain you'll be using them. No going back once you do.

[fishlkmich]

It's called girdling a tree. They did it here (Michigan) to weaken some ash, early in our ash borer infestation. The critters are attracted to dying trees. They used glue traps on the girdled trees to get population data.

It prevents the flow of water and nutrients during the growing season. Because you would create a stand of dying trees, you may be asking for bugs. You can't treat them when they are standing and have bark on.

It would be a gamble, but with 24 acres you could try it and drop more trees if the girdled trees get infested. If you want to do it, here's an article on how and why:
http://www.soundnativeplants.com/PDF/Girdling.pdf

[Timberwolf]

Unless the bugs get in and help (bad) i'd bet the bark will be near impossible to remove 6 months later.

[Logcabinshrink]

Thank you for the article and research you've done. I will definitely keep you posted. I may try this on a two or three trees this year, to see how it turns out. Our real building will start up in a couple of years anyway.

[smithme2]

I harvested some ash logs for my rpsl, girder and ridgepole. I left them lay out for many months before peeling and the bark was so hard to peel I had to grind off the cambium layer. I would definitely advise against girdling and instead suggest you peel it while it is still falling. the bark comes off so easily right when cut. I did an experiment on a small tree (6 inch diam) that I took recently. I peel the bark off with my fingers aided by a pocket knife to lift up a segment to grab. Once I got it off the slimy layer (cambium I presume) was still there. On one section I left it to dry and it turned a nice shade of brown and dried hard. Another section I washed with dawn dishsoap and a green scratchy pad. It came off really nicely and left such a smooth and attractive surface that I'm considering my next project to be made of ash. I aslo tried plain water and turpentine but dawn did the best.

I spent HOURS peeling my pine logs and HOURS flapdisking the dried cambium layer only to have a less than satisfying surface. On my future ash project I plan on cutting them, peeling, scrubbing and borating all in one go. I'll seal the ends to minimize checking which these tend to do. I'm also inclined to stack them and pin them right away rather than lay them out for months. the advantage is that I'll pound rebar into wet wood. Ash dries pretty quickly and it is HARD when seasoned. I'm also seeing no other cabins on the forum (or even google- except one small project) made from Ash. Because of this I'll put wrap around porch (or garage/carport) to keep all water off these babies.

One reason I'm thinking about Ash is here in central NY and 200 yards behind my house I have a bunch of super straight, min taper trees that are 14-18" diameter. The loggers wouldn't take this size and it will die of the borer before it ever gets to the size that it would sell.

One thing I am monitoring is the ridgepole on my current build. it has been exposed to rain for the last 3 years. It is stained. I should climb up and poke at it to see if it is rotted. If there are hints of it, I'll build a protective barrier around it.

[eduncan911]

OT: Humm, where in NY? I might want some of those ash trees. :-)