milled up some birch -- will this rot?

[mike1967]

My neighbor just took down a birch tree, and I milled some boards from the trunk with an Alaskan mill.  I have never milled birch before, and I am wondering if the heartwood is going to rot or if it will survive.  The boards are stacked now (ends are sealed).  In the attached pictures you can see that the wood has some pretty coloring.  Any thoughts here would be great.  Thanks. 

Mike

 

[AlexThePalex]

Any wood will rot if you don't protect it properly. It's up to you to preserve it.

 

[mike1967]

The boards are stacked, ends are sealed, and the stack is under a roof to keep the rain off.  My question was really more generic---is birch heartwood something that will survive drying or is it rot-prone?  Some of the heartwood on the tree was crumbly and I am wondering if the color striations I am seeing is indicative of rot in general or just nice-looking birch.

 

[carlb40]

These are from a saw mill here in the uk. The information might help you out.  [smile]

Seasoning

As birch is liable to fungal attack it is important to dry the wood quickly. The timber is prone to distortion, with some small movement in service.

Durability

Birch timber is perishable and susceptible to attack from the common furniture beetle. The wood is moderately resistant to preservative treatments, but the sapwood is permeable.

 

[flair woodworks]

With yellow birch, it's the sapwood that's prized - not the heartwood.  Of course, that doesn't mean that the heartwood isn't usable.

 

[mo siopa]

If you elevate it to make sure moisture is not coming up from the ground and are getting good air flow around it, you should be ok.  There is probably some fungal infection in it but it won't progress much if it can dry fairly quickly.  The same with beetles- most need a high moisture content in the wood to consume it.