Value of Salvaged Burnt Timber
Trees killed by wildland fire still produce good lumber beneath the charred portion. January 8, 2010
Question
I would like to know the marketability of scorched timber, dimension size or post pole, burnt red or partial bonnet.
Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From contributor S:
What's "burnt red or partial bonnet"? I've never heard those terms before.
I bought some partially burnt cherry off a guy before, and once I cut away the charred part, the wood inside was just fine. It was a messy job, though, and I did it as a favor to a supplier. Of course later on he sold me down the road for someone that would pay $50 a trailer load more, but that's another story.
From the original questioner:
We just had 30,000 acres of syp burnt. What I meant was that some were burned totally, others are red like bug kill, and some look like you did a control burn. What is the market for this timber, or is there one?
From contributor K:
Much of what gets sawn is post-fire salvage for my area of Eastern Oregon. Below the scorched surface the wood is just fine. Someone has invested many years in growing decent timber. The fire killed the trees. They still have valuable wood, if you act promptly.
From Professor Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor:
As implied, burned wood is prone to insect infestations, so harvest promptly. I know of no information that indicates that the uncharred wood is inferior to regular wood.
