girdling trees

[DMT]

Do any of you have an opinion about girdling trees? A few of my acres were planted with eastern white pine by a previous owner and I'd like to make use of them for building. Is girdling an acceptable method to season the wood? I've done a lot of research about the log building process and have only run across this once but it sounded like a good idea. It would reduce the problems associated with cut wood near the ground and where to put it. I have plenty of time and the lighter the log the better for me. Any advice?

[Basil]

http://www.loghomebuilders.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=976&highlight=girdle

[heidiree]

http://www.loghomebuilders.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=976&highlight=girdle

Non-member's can't read this.

[DMT]

Yeah, I can't read that page...I'm not yet worthy. Anyone have any knowledge in this area?

[Mark OBrien]

An answer from a forest manager on gitdling.



PostPosted: Thu Nov 10, 2005 8:21 pm Post subject: Girdling Loblolly Pine Reply with quote
I'm from Alabama also and have many years of experience with pine as a Forester and timber manager. Loblolly pine will deteriorate rapidly on the stump once it's killed by girdling or any other means. Our warm, humid climate is ideal for a multitude of insects that explode in population under the bark at first opportunity. I can literally hear pine sawyers and other beetles at work in a pile of logs that have been laying in a landing site for only a few days in warm weather. If your are just itching to cut some trees, they will last much longer if you just fell them, bark immediately, and raise them off the ground on a storage rack. While keeping logs out of the weather is optimum, it is not really necessary if you rotate them 180 degrees every week or so to prevent bowing from uneven drying. Spraying them with an insecticide (Liquid Sevin is relatively safe and effective) occasionally would not be a bad idea. If you're careful not to let animals drink any residue, a light spraying with a glycol/borate solution (or antifreeze mixed with boric acid) will preserve the logs from fungus and blue stain as well as insects for quite a long time. Drying pine logs does make them a lot lighter and reduce later shrinkage, but it is a heck of a lot easier to pound rebar into green logs than into dry, hardened ones. I have also debated the same issue as whether to build with green or seasoned logs. I still haven't built my log cabin yet, but I'm leaning toward building with green logs, and then letting them season for 6 months or so before I chink. The time for a completed house would be the same as if I had first seasoned for 6 months before building. I wouldn't mind hearing from others on the relative merits of seasoning on the ground first versus letting the seasoning take place in the walls. HB

[Basil]

Joined: 24 Feb 2005
Posts: 315
Location: Glasgow, KY

PostPosted: Tue Nov 08, 2005 7:35 am Post subject: Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post
I think the main problem with girdling is that you are leaving your trees outside with the bark on them. Bark = insects in my experience in ky. There is nothing wrong with letting them grow and building green. I considered the same thing, and built green without a problem. By girdling the tree you are getting rid of it's natural defenses, which is how the insects get their feet in the door.

Of course, if you are building a notched home, the trees have to cure somehow, so this may be the best solution.

[DMT]

Thanks for the input, looks like I'll go green. I'm on the NC/SC border. In your opinion, what would be the best time of year to cut and use green logs?

[the_dude]

i would probably shoot for late winter, before the sap begins to flow in the spring. cutting and peeling pine in the summer might be uneccesarily messy.

[tatermates]

Hey mark, have you got any sources for white pine in Alabama? I'm building in Prattville, which is just north of Montgomery.
Thanks, Roger