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Thread: Old growth heart pine

  1. #16
    There is no old growth pine anymore to speak of. That was all harvested out of the SE 100+ years ago. All the pines in FL are at the very most second growth, IOW 100+ yrs old. Therefore, the amount of heart in any given tree is extremely variable. I've had 30+" pine trees >90 yrs old cut off my property with only maybe 6" of heart. You're never going to get the type of wood Tom pictures out of anything we have today. Those trees back then were 4-5' in diameter and had huge hearts.

    I have a client who owns an old plantation new me that has pictures of his ancestors hauling logs with an 8 mule team. Looking at the men, I would estimate the log was close to 6' in diameter. That is old growth pine!!


    Josh, I've had a fair amount of experience with this. You've got a few things to think about. Having been in your position, I can tell you after a year the borers have done a lot of damage. Look in the bark and at the base of the tree for tell tale signs of sawdust. Under the bark is it will be even more apparent. Around here (NE FL), the sawyers call the beetle bored pine "Levi Pine" because the fungal invasion that turns the wood blue.



    You'll need to find someone with a big bandsaw mill, preferably who can come to your house. Having done that, all I can tell you is be prepared to spend a few dollars, and also be disappointed.

    I've had numerous pines off my property milled over the years. Aside from the fact I didn't need the lumber, the borer problem is so bad, the last 6 I had taken down I had hauled off. I'm sure there was some good lumber in there, but the borer issue to so had up here its not worth it.

    If it were me, I would have the tree downed by a tree surgeon, cut a few cookes off and take a peak inside.

    Another issue you may run into is many sawyers will not mill lumber from trees off a homeowner's property due to imbedded metal.

    If you do have the tree milled, it would need to be treated to kill the borers, usually by kiln drying.
    Last edited by Robert Engel; 06-24-2020 at 9:53 AM.

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2019
    Location
    Central Florida
    Posts
    102
    Robert, can you give me an idea of what I should expect to pay to mill it if by chance it’s still good? (Suwannee County) I think there will be at least a 20’ log and a 10’ log and they will be brought out to wide open pasture for easy access by the mill and tractor or other equipment.

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2008
    Location
    E TN, near Knoxville
    Posts
    12,298
    Quote Originally Posted by Josh Robinson View Post
    Jim,

    It’s been dead about a year. Haven’t found anyone to mill it yet. The couple I’ve talked to so far can’t mill one that big.
    36" is large for a bandsaw mill. My Woodmizer claims it will handle 28" but that would be a real chore.

    Maybe look for someone with a swing mill. A swing mill uses a circular saw blade which makes repeated vertical and horizontal passes to remove boards from even a huge log. A swing mill is typically set up on a frame around the log and can often mill a log on the ground where it fell. I've heard of people cutting 6' diameter logs on a swing mill. The size of the circular blade limits the dimensions of the planks so wide slabs must be done another way.

    You might contact a swing mill company like Lucas to see if they have a list of sawyers in your area. Also, check woodfinder.com.

    I've never worked heart pine. Almost every room in our timber frame house is floored with reclaimed old-growth heart pine - I love the look.

    A 36" diameter dead tree standing one year possibly has significant insect damage on the outside but the inside may be untouched. You'll know more once it's on the ground and cut into logs.

    Some types of pine have resin pockets that will give you grief when working and finishing unless the resin is "set" by heat. Typically the wood is kiln dried first then as the final step the heat is raised to set the pitch. Check the forestry forum and woodweb for details.

    JKJ

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Feb 2020
    Location
    Camarillo, CA
    Posts
    417
    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Matthews View Post
    Hold the phone.

    The way it was explained to me, using words small enough that I could understand: it's from an Old Growth forest *if and only if* no logging has ever taken out trees.

    Longleaf Pine was once prized because the first 20 feet would be free of branches - where saplings had to first clear the understory shade. Where logging cleared the lower canopy, faster growth yielded lower quality.

    The original stuff is so durable that it is still reclaimed from industrial demolitions, after 150 years of service.

    It's that tough.




    https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...rowth-forests/
    that’s how I’ve always understood it too. Trees that grow in a forest with a canopy tend to have tighter growth rings and fewer knots. If they grow in an area that has been logged then they have wider annual rings and they grow more branches down low, so they have more knots.

    I’ve been in a forest near Santa Cruz that had old growth redwoods which were cut 100 years ago and never hauled out. The trees are 8’ in diameter with super tight growth rings. They’ve been sitting on the ground for 100 years and haven’t rotted.

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