Should I bother with this pine?

[Hasufel]

I came across this bad boy today. I'm not a big fan of pine but I'll buck and split it if it's easy enough. But wow, this thing looks like a corkscrew. Or maybe a Twizzler. I shudder to think about splitting it with that twisted grain. Have any of you encountered something like this before? Just wondering if the splitting is as bad as I imagine...

 

[Chimney Smoke]

Let's see, twisted rotten pine? I think I'd pass.

 

[Dix]

Might dry out for kindling. Maybe.

 

[Hasufel]

The upper part is actually more solid than it looks--only the very bottom is getting punky. I don't mess with wood that's already gone soft.

 

[twd000]

I would leave it

 

[EPS]

Would make for a cool piece of artwork

 

[bfitz3]

Maybe cut it up to sell on craigslist?

 

[billb3]

looks rotten

 

[highanddryinco]

I'm thinking someone with a 79cc saw in his arsenal probably should already know the answer.

Our really old standing dead Aspen twists like that...never splits with a Fiskers or a maul. I keep it up to the size that will fit through the door without splitting.

 

[warno]

I don't mess with wood that's already gone soft.

Uh?

I'd say let it turn back into dirt. that'd be what I would do.

 

[Hasufel]

Uh?

I'd say let it turn back into dirt. that'd be what I would do.

That's certainly the easiest route, and I've got plenty of hardwood to work on instead. I was curious, though, because I know some people here love their pine!

 

[Jay106n]

Leave it were it lies or toss it in the bon fire pit if you must burn it.

 

[HisTreeNut]

I would split it...nicer stuff in the stacks, punky stuff for the fire pit.

 

[BenTN]

looks like a diamond in the rough to me. could possibly be a lot of fatwood in that tree. given your location and the twisted nature of the tree i would kick one of the lower remaining branches off and check it. a good knot will light with a match/lighter easily and burn like a torch. lots of fire starter there if so.

 

[CentralVAWoodHeat]

Leave it.

 

[Hasufel]

looks like a diamond in the rough to me. could possibly be a lot of fatwood in that tree. given your location and the twisted nature of the tree i would kick one of the lower remaining branches off and check it. a good knot will light with a match/lighter easily and burn like a torch. lots of fire starter there if so.

Hmm, I hadn't thought of that. Good idea, I'll give it a shot. Thanks!

 

[OhioBurner©]

Is this a serious question? Besides being pretty poor wood it looks like it is already well on its way returning itself to the earth.

 

[Hasufel]

Is this a serious question? Besides being pretty poor wood it looks like it is already well on its way returning itself to the earth.

It was a serious question...the bottom part is getting soft but most of the tree is still pretty solid. I took the picture shortly after a rain so it looks worse than it really is. If this had been an oak I would have gone at it with no questions asked, but I'm picky about stuff like pine. But partly I also wondered if anyone had encountered a tree this twisty before...it does seem extremely odd.

 

[Jeffm1]

I came across this bad boy today. I'm not a big fan of pine but I'll buck and split it if it's easy enough. But wow, this thing looks like a corkscrew. Or maybe a Twizzler. I shudder to think about splitting it with that twisted grain. Have any of you encountered something like this before? Just wondering if the splitting is as bad as I imagine...
View attachment 189736

Whenever I am in doubt if a log is punky or not I simply cut into it and take a look at the inside. But about that particular piece of wood...seems like you would have a lot better options in the middle of a forest. Its not very very big either. Just make a decision.

 

[Hasufel]

Well, it turns out that the story of the twisty pine has a happy ending. I didn't realize it but the tree was a lot longer than I thought and the other half was straight & true. I bucked the straight half and found that it still had a solid core throughout. There was an inch or so of punk where it touched the ground but otherwise not too bad. There were almost no knots so it split a lot more easily than my last pine. The insides smelled like a new 2X4 and the MC was a pretty consistent 20-21%, so I might be burning this before winter is over. But I'm pretty sure I'm going to leave the rest of it for the beetles.

 

[sportbikerider78]

Nope. Rotten.

 

[Wood Duck]

I'd cut it but maybe not split it. It looks kind of small in diameter so it should dry in the round.

 

[Seanm]

I was harvesting a beetle kill lodgepole pine the other day before the snow locks me out of the bush and I noticed a small pine dead standing. Since I had the saw running still I dropped it and bucked it up. Would I have gotten out of the truck for it by itself? no but if its fun to do then go for it! As you were pleasantly surprised you are able to go to the woods to the stove. Nothing wrong with that!

 

[firefighterjake]

I'd cut it but maybe not split it. It looks kind of small in diameter so it should dry in the round.

Thinking the same thing . . . and any parts that are rotten can simply be left behind to fertilize future trees.

 

[ADK_XJ]

That's looking pretty punky from here - I'd say it's already being inhabited by all kinds of important critters and microbes and such. Aside from the fact that truly punked wood never burns right, our county sawyer told me they are required by low to leave dead, decaying timber on the ground. Not that you're bound by that but it gives you a sense of how important it is to the lifecycle of the forest.

$0.02