Oak tree struck by lightning 5 years ago

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Shwammy

Shwammy

Member
Jan 9, 2010
54
Central NC
So my neighbor had an oak tree cut down that was struck by lightning 5 years ago. Much of the tree died in the following years. I guess what I'm wondering is if anyone has experience with standing dead wood. Will it season quickly or is it seasoned already? Obviously a moisture meter is the way to go, I found one at Home Depot for $20. Are the cheap ones any good? Should I even begin to treat this in any way as a good supply for sometime late this winter or just move on?
 
This spring I took down a white oak that, according to neighbors, had been struck by lightning 8-10 years ago. It had been dying in stages ever since. Last fall the last green bits turned brown and I decided it was gone. I butchered it and the MM says 30-35%.
Similarly, I just got the wood from a dead black oak that had been standing for a year and a half. Water squeezes out of it wherever I drive a wedge into it. I really think you need to consider standing dead oak as no different from green wood. Give it as much time to dry as you can.
 
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Brewmonster said:
This spring I took down a white oak that, according to neighbors, had been struck by lightning 8-10 years ago. It had been dying in stages ever since. Last fall the last green bits turned brown and I decided it was gone. I butchered it and the MM says 30-35%.
Similarly, I just got the wood from a dead black oak that had been standing for a year and a half. Water squeezes out of it wherever I drive a wedge into it. I really think you need to consider standing dead oak as no different from green wood. Give it as much time to dry as you can.
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I agree. I'm about to cut one down that's been dead 3 or 4 years. I'll be planning to burn it in 2016
 
Some of the upper branches may be pretty dry but the trunk will probably still be upper 20s, low 30s moisture. Not a lot of dry wood, in other words. If you have a woodlot, go for small, dead trees with the bark falling off. The cheap meter will be good enough. Re-split and test on a fresh face, jamming the pins in a bit.
 
Ive been working on 2 large dead oaks but they have been laying on the ground for a while(possibly 5 yrs). They feel waterlogged but I can get a burn out of the wood in a years time. Its more of a treasure hunt and hit and miss with dead stuff.
 
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Shwammy said:
Thanks for the replies. I guess I'll just treat it like green wood for now.
Click to expand...

This^^^^^^^

I got a "standing dead" oak from a guy this summer. He was actually told by the county to cut it down because it posed a threat to people walking along the sidewalk from dead branches falling. The smaller branches (i.e., less than 6 inches) are pretty dry and I might burn them this year, but the trunk was 24" in diameter and still had water coming out of it as I split it. Not a single leaf on this tree and the small branches splintered all over the place when it came down, but there was plenty of moisture in the trunk.
 
I just cut up a white oak that has been down long enough for the bark and the first 1/2" of wood to start getting punky. The tree was 18-20" across. The center of the tree read 43% in the middle of the heart wood. I never wood have thought that without seeing the reading on a moisture meter myself! It will definitely take 2 years to dry at that percentage.
 
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