Ken, it sounds like the Doug Fir you have growing is an inferior species, as your goal is to enhance the hard woods, are you causing problems for the future generations? Would you be using the Fir for framing? What kind of "problem" could one get into? The answer would help in avoiding using such defected timber.
I have seen earth friendly folks culling a stand of White Pine where I know that the majority of logs that came from the thinning could have gone into a building, it went for pulp and a few saw logs. They were using this as a course to teach proper harvesting technique, safety, and using horses to log with. They went on to have a contest for a "green building" the building had chip board in it, which came from who knows where.
I have used lightning struck timber, standing dead, crooked ugly, long stock with sweeps that would have been cut into 12' stock and still have had a sweep, blow downs, and more. I have also used my fair share of premium stock. I don't always have the opportunity to select my choice of logs but it adds to the building when I do and is fun and enjoyable.
I would also add cosmetic defects such as scars, from a number of sources, to the list of usable timber, which you would not find in modern Mc Mansions.
Tim
Last edited by TIMBEAL; 07/30/09 11:23 AM.
