Mo,
re your first and second questions.
No, I've not used an increment borer to select timber.
In hardwood it is likely the sapwood band will be consistent up the tree. Absolutely not the case in southern pine, where there many only be heartwood in the lower few feet.
As for the Vitruvius, it sounds theoretically reasonable, but not very practical.
Another thing I should mention is that many rules are very different for hardwood vs. softwood, at least in the South. If you are looking at a specific stand of trees right now it would be helpful to know a little about the forest -- height of canopy, stems per acre, nature of the terrain (upland, lowland, hilly, etc), makeup of the canopy (different mature species present), age of stand, as well as the goals of the landowner.
Also, it would be helpful to know about the frame you're trying to pick trees out for. Do you need 4x6-16' common rafters or 8x8-36' top plate or 8x12 floor girt, etc. What grade are you after.
It's kind of hard to generalize about a forest and a frame -- they're all so different. One thing I'll say is it's best to either design the frame around the available trees or pick the stand of trees to harvest out of based on the species, size, and grade of the needed timbers.
Last edited by Gabel; 07/31/09 06:01 PM. Reason: apparently my grammar is deteriorating
