Winter forest. Myths and reality. How to distinguish a winter forest. Winter forest or summer forest - what's the difference? How to distinguish a winter bar from a summer bar

Companies specializing in the manufacture and construction of wooden log cabins are often on the list of their competitive advantage indicate the use of winter felling forest. Consider the difference between a log felled in winter and lumber harvested in warm time of the year.

Traditional approach

Throughout Russia, wooden buildings (mainly churches) have been preserved, which were built more than one hundred years ago. Their durability is explained unique properties wood, which, even without modern antiseptics, is able to withstand biological destruction.

The secret of the ancient masters was the correct choice of building material for the construction of a house or other building. Prior to the era of industrial logging, each tree for felling was carefully selected. The craftsmen knew how to determine the quality of heartwood and its resistance to natural destruction by the external signs of a living tree.

Logging was carried out mainly in winter for a number of reasons:

• summer time is devoted entirely to field work;
• on a sleigh in the snow it is easier to deliver logs to the construction site;
• in winter it is possible to reach places with marshy soil.

But another important reason was high quality winter-cutting timber - due to the fact that the sap flow was stopped in the trees during the cold season, the logs harvested in winter were relatively dry and suitable for construction without additional drying.

Industrial timber harvesting

Today, logging is carried out using modern high-performance equipment that can quickly remove branches from a fallen tree. Ready whips are delivered to the place of storage for removal from the plot.

Harvesting is still preferable today in winter: whips are easier to transport on solid snow-covered ground, and not on mud that is stirred by wheels or caterpillars of special equipment, logs will not absorb excess moisture from contact with dampness.

Winter wood is still valued above timber harvested in summer or autumn. IN winter time air humidity decreases, and the wood gives up its moisture through the bark. If we compare the mass of identical logs harvested in different time year, a whip cut down in winter will be lighter than a summer one due to low humidity.

There are several types of wood material used in construction. Whips are marked as follows:

• Timber. Its main difference is a small difference in the diameter of the log from the side of the butt and the top. The diameter of such a log is about 25-30 cm.
• podtovarnik. This is the crown part of the tree, suitable for making logs of small diameter.
• Sawlog. The wood is used to make lumber.

Winter timber - optimal choice for the construction of a log house. It is suitable for the manufacture of chopped logs, i.e., the log is not rounded, but simply the bark is removed, revealing heartwood with an intact top layer. The logs are stacked, alternating butt and top, to keep the crowns horizontal.

It is easier to install due to its precise dimensions, but requires a more careful approach to processing to protect against biological damage, moisture and ultraviolet radiation. This is due to the fact that the top layer of the densest wood is cut off during rounding, and the wood pores remain open.

Logs from the stock are used as timber for logging a bathhouse, a gazebo or an outbuilding. Their thickness is insufficient for the construction of a warm log house.

The main advantages of timber harvested in winter

• such wood is less susceptible to biological degradation (provided it is properly stored after harvesting);
• winter logs are lighter, which simplifies and speeds up construction work;
• it will take less time to shrink the finished log house, the risk of structural deformation is lower;
• the logs that make up the log house crack less, which has a positive effect on their functional parameters and appearance the buildings.

In the old days, felled woods were covered with lime or clay to clog the pores. This caused the log to dry evenly, releasing moisture and resin along the entire length of the trunk. Also, the blockage of the ends prevented the collection of moisture from the air and the penetration of pests into the wood.

Today, freshly cut wood is treated by responsible growers with a protective antiseptic to prevent biological degradation. Before processing, the bark is removed from the logs. When storing timber, it is important to ensure good air circulation so that the wood does not rot.

In order for the benefits of winter wood to be preserved after the construction of the house, the construction must be completed before the onset of hot weather.

How to determine the quality of the forest

If you want to make sure that the house will be built from quality materials winter harvest, you can check some properties of wood yourself:

• put a drop of iodine on a fresh cut of a log - if the surface turns blue under the influence of iodine, then the wood is wet and was harvested in summer or spring;
• the presence of bark on the logs is a sign of improper storage or a sign that the forest has just been harvested (for freshly cut logs, the bark holds tightly, for those that have lain until summer or spring winter forest removed in layers to the core);
• the edge of the saw cut at the end of a log harvested in winter is even, while in summer it is jagged, shaggy along the edges and wavy in the center, since wet wood is cut worse.

If there are doubts about the time of harvesting and the quality of the material, you can order wood analysis from a specialized company.

Building a house is a serious step in life, which should be approached with all responsibility. Therefore, the masters of the Marisrub company are ready to take on your worries, namely, prepare and process materials, build a house from a winter forest that will last for many decades.

Hello everybody. My name is Mikhail Sidorov and I welcome you to the Northern Forest channel.

Today, the hero of our video will be a concept that is on everyone's lips. WINTER FOREST!

This phrase has so overshadowed the minds of mankind that people unconsciously roam the city in search of a winter forest even in August.

Most often, to the question “Why do you need a winter one?”, People answer “well, it’s better!”.

How to distinguish a winter forest from a non-winter one, I will tell at the end of this video. In the meantime, let's figure out if the winter forest is as good as they say about it.

So, we have collected the most popular statements and theses about the Winter Forest. The sources were our customers, employees, and of course the almighty and omniscient Internet. Including YouTube, of course. Where without him.

The winter forest is better because...

1. It is drier.

First, a brief educational program on the structure of a tree in cross section.

Now that you know what a core is and what a sapwood is, I quote from the Textbook of Wood Science (publishing house of the Moscow State Forest University, Moscow, 2001), author Boris Naumovich Ugolev.

“Data on changes in the moisture content of pine, spruce wood ... indicate that the highest moisture in the tree is observed in winter (November-February), and the lowest in summer (July-August). Sapwood moisture in summer can be 25-50% lower than in winter, and the humidity of the core (ripe wood) almost does not change during the year. In addition to seasonal changes, the moisture content of wood in the trunks of growing trees is also subject to daily fluctuations. So, in the sapwood, if in the morning there was a humidity of 186%, at noon 132%, in the evening 150% ... "

It turns out you need to look not for a winter forest, but cut down at noon =))

Thus the statement "The winter forest is drier" is a MYTH.

2. Wood is denser. (Here I really want to say: “Well, what kind of nonsense?”, But not everything is so simple)

The density of a tree depends on several parameters:

• wood species
• growing conditions
• sample moisture

The first parameter is not essential for us, because we compare wood of the same species.

The second parameter is perhaps the most important one. Depending on the type of soil and region of growth, the density of the tree is different.

Our key supplier, one of the largest lumber producers in Karelia, based on his many years of experience, says the following:

Raw materials come to them mainly from two regions, the Arkhangelsk region and Karelia.

In the first case, the soil is more swampy and the wood is less dense. Grows fast. But there is a plus: much less knots. This facilitates the woodworking procedure and pleases the eye of the end user.

Karelian wood, on the contrary, is more knotty, but also more dense, because. grows on sandy soils.

As for the region, the tree that grows in harsh conditions is more dense. That is why the Northern Forest has always been more preferred among builders.

And my guess is that maybe the notion northern forest- denser, over time it has changed into a Winter Forest - this is good. If we dwell on this, then we can say that this statement is also a MYTH.

However, I wondered where he could come from.

And then, remembering the third parameter - the moisture content of the sample, I found a table of the dependence of the density of the tree on the moisture contained in it. You can see it on screens.

Table of wood density of different moisture content (kg/m3)

Here lies the nature of the origin of this thesis. As we found out earlier, in winter the moisture content in the tree is maximum. And according to the table, the more moisture, the higher the density. Which is logical.

Thus, it turns out that the statement “The winter forest is denser” is TRUE?!?!

But do not rush to rejoice. As I said, the key parameter is the growing conditions of the tree.

And if you dry two boards of different regions to the same humidity (for example, 14-16%), then the one that grew on the sands will be denser.

Because in the process of woodworking or construction, lumber loses moisture, then you can clear conscience consider that the statement “The winter forest is denser” is still a MYTH.

3. In winter, the tree plunges into a kind of suspended animation. All life processes are slowed down. Sap flow stops. Less resin is emitted!

Yes, indeed, in winter the tree hibernates. Sap flow stops. But the juices have not gone anywhere! They are still inside. And of course, in the cold, the resin hardens and does not stand out. However, if during the construction or finishing process a resin pocket appears on the surface (this is how it looks), then as soon as the temperature becomes positive, the resin will flow.

So, the tree is immersed in suspended animation - TRUE.

Less resin stands out - MYTH.

4. Winter forest - can lie sawn for several months

Most likely, this statement implies the tendency of conifers to color change and the formation of fungus. Of course, we are talking about a board of natural humidity.

In part, this statement is true. Lumber obtained from a tree that has plunged into suspended animation really stores better. But it's not about months.

The key to safety is proper storage. We talked about this in some detail in one of our previous videos.

If these rules are not observed, then the winter forest will bloom. Yes, it will be a week later. Maybe two. But to lie down for several months - no.

There is an opinion among the inhabitants that the forest harvested in winter is more suitable for construction. On the other hand, many sources and experts claim that this is nothing more than a myth. Let's figure it out.

To begin with, let's pay attention to who debunks this myth. If you look closely, we will notice that all publications of this nature are posted on the websites of wooden housing construction firms or those selling business assortment. What a coincidence, right?

What is their interest in promoting the summer forest?

Logging is a laborious process, often depending on the weather, so they cut down and take out the wood when there are roads. Winter is better suited for this, whether it be a swamp, rivers without bridges or lowlands. But for the harvesting of round timber only in winter for the entire period of work, both costs and large areas for storage are needed, but not all companies can afford it.
Therefore, it is much more profitable to divide the harvesting season into at least two periods, adding the summer one.

When it's cold, there's less moisture!?

The main argument in favor of the lack of dependence of the quality of wood on the season of felling is the indicator of natural moisture content. Scientific evidence says that lowest percentage its content in the tree turns out to be not at all in the winter, but in late summer, early autumn. The fact that the weight of one cube of forest in winter is up to 20% more than in summer is cited as indisputable. And they conclude that it is possible and necessary to cut not only in winter, but also in summer.
It turns out that in the old days signs and customs were too zealously observed?

Interested loggers are willing to explain this issue as well. In their opinion, firstly, earlier in the summer the peasants were so busy that logging had to be postponed for the winter, and secondly, in winter it is easier to harvest and transport timber. We agree on export. But, if there really is no difference, then working in the summer forest is still much easier and more pleasant than standing knee-deep in snowdrifts, and it will not be difficult to find a couple of weeks in the summer.

And yet, something suggests that earlier people were far from being so dark and ignorant in this matter, but quite the contrary.

Therefore, at present, both the adherents of the winter forest and the sellers of the summer forest agree on one thing - after the tree has been cut down, the gradual departure of moisture from it begins. How and under what conditions it will be dried will affect its quality of the material in the future. And the higher the percentage of wood moisture at the time of felling, the greater the consequences for the round timber this process can proceed.

At the same time, unbound (free) moisture first evaporates from the surface areas of the wood, and then from its deeper layers. And than higher speed this process, the more likely to form deep cracks. The ends of the logs are especially affected, coating them with paint or lime only partially removes the problem.

It turns out that the less moisture was initially in the trunk of the tree, the less likely it is to damage the log. On the other hand, waterlogged wood with a gradual increase in temperature and the absence of direct sunlight will dry more gently than with a low moisture content, but in hot weather. After debarking, a thin layer of bast remains on the logs; it serves as a kind of protection against the release of resin from the tree. As a result, it is distributed throughout the wood, making it more resistant to rot and pests.

Simply put, a wetter winter tree gradually dries out evenly during the winter and therefore cracks less. The summer forest dries faster in the hot sun, so it may well have more cracks.

Another point is the "healthiness" of raw materials. When logging in the summer, two more problems arise: the damp summer forest turns blue very quickly. Even timely debarking and stacking often do not help. A damp summer forest is highly likely to be invaded by pests, because summer is the time of their intensive resettlement.

In conclusion, I would like to say that, taking into account the peculiarities of the current construction of baths, summer harvesting cannot be considered unacceptable. If you do everything yourself or control the process, then the wood will really turn out to be businesslike and will not yield to winter wood.

When deciding to build a house from logs or timber, the first thing to do is to find out exactly from which forest (winter or summer) the house will be built (the same applies ready-made options). It is worth noting that when building a house from cedar or another type of wood, the fact at what time of the year the material was harvested is important.

The forest, which is harvested in winter, is valued much higher, as it has a number of features, in contrast to the summer. If you are planning to build a durable, strong house, then you should give your preference to the winter forest.

Purchasing material for cedar houses or baths manual felling independently, it is worth knowing a few signs of the difference between the winter forest and the harvested material at another time. This article will present a small list of differences with which you can independently distinguish a winter forest from a summer one.

1. Selecting the season for purchasing raw materials. For example, you decide to buy material in October. If consultants assure you that the material is winter felling, you should immediately think about it. With a high probability, you are being told false information, since by the autumn the harvesting of winter timber for most manufacturers is already over.
2. Worth paying Special attention on the ends of the logs, on their shade. The ends of the winter forest have a lighter shade than in the summer or during the rainy season. If you find dirty marks or dried pieces, this is clearly a summer harvest. The winter forest is taken out in the snow, so it is clean and in bark. The summer forest is taken out on the ground from this it turns out to be peeled from the bark and dirty.
3. Cuts on logs (longitudinal) should be even, without characteristic waviness, since in winter the forest is cut down much easier and more evenly.
4. In the winter forest, resin dries up from the end of the log where the sapwood is, but this is not the case in the summer forest, since there is a lot of water in it.
5. You can also pour iodine on a log, it changes its color if there is a lot of moisture in the tree.

The visual differences were listed above, but there is also chemical method. It can help distinguish logs from winter or summer harvests. The thing is that a tree harvested in the cold season is distinguished by a core that contains a large number of starch.

To figure out how to harvest this method, you will need ordinary iodine. By applying the solution to the core of the log, the determination takes place. On a forest that was harvested in winter, iodine will not change, unlike in summer - it will turn blue.

The starch that is contained in the winter forest in winter changes its state, binding all its useful elements, including water, into a kind of mass, and its distribution along the trunk occurs evenly. This condition allows the water (which is in the tree) to evaporate more slowly, which means that the material suffers less during drying. As for iodine, it interacts only with pure starch, such as in summer harvest forests.

When building a house from cedar, take into account the above points.