Logs in water why

Proving that logging and water quality are compatible requires scientifically valid water-quality monitoring. Bull Run logging proceeded for nearly a decade before minimal monitoring even began. By then, about 15 percent of the watershed had been clear-cut.

In , after the U. They urged the Forest Service to halt the logging, at least until sufficient data were collected. These data were never collected, however, and the logging continued. Skip to main content. Deviation 3. Sample No. Control - 6 69 91 82 12 79 57 98 37 Sample A -4 6. For each small area sampled the average percent- age of volatile solids and the average dry weight were computed for successive 2-inch wafers cut from core samples beginning at the soil- water interface.

From these data the average pounds of volatile solids per cubic foot of soil was computed. A complete report of all core test results is given by Williamson Typical results are presented in Table A plot of volatile solids as a function of depth is shown in Figures 28 and The control samples noted in Figure 28 had volatile solids values ranging from 2 to 3 pounds per cubic foot.

These volatile solids were probably contributed by biological growth in benthic deposits and volatile portions humus of the soil.

Figure 28 shows an average increase of 0. The average of the increases is approximately equal to two pounds of volatile solids per cubic foot.

In the log dump- ing area, increases from 1. Figure 29 shows an average volatile solids content in the log storage areas of approximately two pounds per cubic foot at the Klamath River site.

No control samples were taken because no area could be found which was not affected by log rafting. Since the soil is of volcanic origin, the background volatile solids content from soil humus would probably be small.

A large algae bloom does occur, however, in the upper Klamath River, which could add some organic matter to the benthic zone.

The volatile solids in the log dumping areas at Klamath River sites averaged about six pounds per cubic foot for the first six inches of depth. This is an increase of approximately four pounds of volatile solids per cubic foot over the log storage areas. At Yaquina Estuary an increase in volatile solids of only 0. The large difference in bark distribution between the two study areas is probably due to swifter moving water at Yaquina Estuary as compared to the Klamath River.

In the Klamath River the debris would tend to stay in the log dumping and storage areas after sinking, whereas at the Yaquina Estuary the tides would tend to redistribute the sunken debris over a wide area. Visual observation revealed that this sample was nearly percent bark. The volatile solids content of bark alone would vary, however, depending upon stage of decomposition. Ponderosa pine logs were stored at the two interior locations and Douglas fir was the pre- dominant species stored at the coastal sites.

Following each experimental run 2 to 8 hours duration , the respirometer was removed and core samples were taken at the exact location of the respirometer emplacement. The top two inches of the cores were tested for volatile solids content. Experimental runs were conducted in areas containing different amount of bark in the benthic deposits. Control areas, with little or no bark in benthic deposits were also tested.

Volatile solids values and oxygen uptake readings were modified by sub- tracting comparable values from control samples. The results summarized in Table 12 represent the averages of several runs at each different lo- cation. The volatile solids and oxygen uptake values for the control areas indicate the presence of biodegradable organic matter from sources other than log storage activities.

These sources could include dead and living organisms, debris washed from the watershed, man-made wastes and others. Figure 31 is a plot of oxygen uptake versus volatile solids content of benthic deposits, corrected for the contribution from control samples. The curve shows that as the concentration of volatile solids increases, oxygen uptake increases up to approximately 2 to 2.

These values can be compared with the results obtained by Stein, et. They found uptake values of 3. They also discovered that benthic oxygen demand is related only to the surface area of the deposit and not to the depth. Therefore, very deep undisturbed deposits are no more of a problem from an oxygen depletion standpoint than are shallow deposits. Fork Coos River 8n 11 9 ii " Control S. All experimental results were reported with units which could be directly extrapolated for field application.

In order to determine the reliability and validity of the predictive information, field studies were conducted at four log storage sites: one in central Oregon near Bend, on the Deschutes River; another south of Bend on the Little Deschutes River; and the third and fourth on the north and south forks of the Coos River in western Oregon.

Ponderosa pine logs were stored at the interior sites whereas Douglas fir and hemlock logs were stored on the Coos River.

The quantity of logs in storage and approximate length of storage period were determined through cooperation with the appropriate mill personnel at the various sites and by direct measurement. Hydraulic flow data were determined at each site with current meters and flow,cross-section measurements; water quality measurements were made on samples taken up- stream and downstream of the log storage sites.

Log Volume-Area Relationship All leachate data with the exception of toxicity taken during the de- velopmental phases of this study are reported in the units, grams of pollutant leached per square foot of log area submerged. Therefore, for extrapolation of this information to field application, the degree of log submergence had to be determined. This was accomplished by taking numerous field measurements of logs at different stages of storage.

Depth of submergence was measured with a steel ruler and expressed as percentage of diameter submerged. Results of measurements on Douglas fir and ponderosa pine logs are presented in Table Since the timber industry generally uses board feet as an expression of log volume held in storage, a relationship had to be developed between board feet stored and square feet of raft area.

This was done using log scaling notes from the timber industry and the Scribner log rule 5. Then by combining the log submergence data with the log surface area- volume information, a reasonable estimate could be made of log area submerged per 1, board feet stored. A summary of these calculations is given in Table Ponderosa pine logs were stored in a small reservoir created by a dam on the river.

Logs have been stored for many years at this site which has resulted in a benthic accumulation of bark debris in various stages of degradation. However, since , all logs stored at this site have been completely debarked prior to dumping, consequently, very little bark now enters the reservoir from log handling activities. No attempts have been made to remove existing bark deposits.

The volume of the reservoir was determined by depth measurements to be about 8. Flow in the Little Deschutes River during the study period June 19 to 29, was measured with a Pygmy current meter at a control section in the stream. Average flow during the sampling period was A plot of measured flow during the test period is shown in Figure A Rhodamine dye tracer was added at the inlet end of the pond to determine the actual detention time.

Results of the dye dump plotted in Figure 33 show a peak dye concentration in the reservoir outlet of 23 hours after injection at the inlet. This is 0. Even though some short circuiting of flow was noted, it was not judged to be critical for subsequent water quality measurements. Grab samples were taken daily at six intermediate stations within the reservoir. In addition, samples were collected every four to six hours at the inlet and outlet ends of the reservoir.

Results of tests on samples taken within the reservoir indicated that the reservoir was nearly com- pletely mixed. The inlet and outlet sample data were used to measure the contribution of pollutants from the stored logs.

Analytical results are shown in Tables 15 and The predicted quantity of pollutants based upon the equation developed during the laboratory leaching studies see Appendix D is also included in Table An estimated 70, board feet of peeled ponderosa pine logs were held in storage for a mean storage period of 30 days.

As- suming a mean flow rate through the storage area of It is readily apparent from Table 16 that a considerably higher quantity of pollutants were measured in the system than were predicted from lab- oratory studies. First, BOD values below 1. Further- more, the average influent BOD value was 0. Measured Concentration of COD.

Therefore, with this spread of data, the 1. However, when 1. Perhaps a closer comparison in results could have been obtained if more logs would have been held in storage or the flow rate would have been reduced substantially. Regardless of which values are used, it is im- portant to note that the storage of peeled ponderosa pine logs in this particular situation did not have a significant effect on the quality of the holding water, even though a slight increase in pollutant level was detected.

Approximately 2. Most of the bark remained intact on the logs. River flow was measured to be 1, cfs during the study period. Water samples were collected immediately upstream and downstream from the storage area at six to eight hour intervals for three days. Average results from eight samples at each site are shown in Table The predicted contribution of pollutants is also given in Table Refer to Appendix D for com- putation of predicted leachate values.

These results clearly show that the quantity of pollutants picked up by log storage was not detectable within the limits of test accuracy and sample variability. The average BOD values for influent and effluent samples were exactly the same. Again, when trace concentrations are multiplied by very large flows, a considerable number of pounds are calculated.

Therefore, it appears more reasonable to determine the quantity and species of logs in water storage, then predict the effect on the holding water, rather than rely upon direct water quality measure- ments. Douglas fir and hemlock logs with bark intact except for that lost during dumping and raft transport were held in rafts for one or more days.

The rafts were then taken by tug to the lower bay for processing. The log storage areas were in the upper tidal water, very near to the free flowing streams. Such a survey requires the active participation of saw mills, pulp mills, and other industries which utilize raw timber. Several attempts were made to organize this survey through various timber industry associations, without success. The industry was found to be re- luctant to divulge information regarding log inventories, length of storage and conditions for storage.

Perhaps as state and federal pollution con- trol authorities press for tighter control of all pollution discharges, information of this type will become more readily obtainable. Some semi- quantitive information was obtained, however, during visits to the states in the Northwest region which have log storage problems. Oregon Several species of timber including Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, white pine, hemlock and cedar are harvested in Oregon. Nearly one-half of the manufacturing firms in the state depend upon this timber resource 19 , Furthermore, the billion board feet of raw timber produced in Oregon ranks as the largest single state output in the nation.

Large inventories of logs are held in lakes, rivers, estuaries, and man- made ponds. Oregon has over 12, acres of log ponds and 2, acres of sloughs and canals used for log storage In some areas of the state the Department of Environmental Quality has required that all logs be peeled before storage in a water course.

Land storage of logs, with and without sprinkling, is also widely practiced. Washington Vast quantities of logs are stored in rivers, lakes, estuaries, and man- made log ponds in the state of Washington.

Land storage of logs is also widely practiced. No estimate was obtainable regarding the quantity and species of logs stored.

California California officials in Sacramento indicate that little, if any, water storage is permitted in the northern California timber regions. Most all logs are held in cold decks on land. Alaska There are only two major log storage sites in Alaska at the present time.

These are located near Sitka and Ketchikan. The logs are strapped into bundles, then the bundles are rafted for transport and storage. No attempt was made in this investigation to study the effect of bundling on the loss of bark, however, this procedure should reduce bark losses. Furthermore, it is likely the rate of leaching and benthic oxygen uptake rate would be reduced in the very cold Alaskan waters.

Timber cutting and overland hauling activities are essentially limited to the dry summer and fall months. Heavy winter and spring rains and snows restrict field activities.

Yet, production at saw mills, pulp mills, and other forest products industries must continue throughout the entire year. Logs can be stored on land or floated in rafts in rivers, lakes, or man- made ponds. Logs which are not kept moist soon dry out at the ends and cracks develop. This phenomenon! Logs stored upon dry land can be sprinkled to retard checking.

The presence of logs in water can cause several problems. Log rafts fre- quently cover large areas of streams, lakes and estuaries which have other benefical uses such as boating, fishing, crabbing, etc. Some logs become water soaked, escape from the raft and float partially submerged in the water course creating a hazard to boaters.

Other logs sink and accumulate on the bottom of the water course. There is also some objection to the presence of rafted logs for aesthetic reasons. Two other problems are associated with log storage which perhaps are not so obvious but are of concern i.

These latter two problems were dealt with in detail in this research investigation. Leachates from logs in water storage contained mostly organic substances which exert both a chemical and biochemical oxygen demand COD and BOD. This organic chemical composition was also shown by the fact that 60 to 80 percent of the solids leached were volatile.

The tannins and lignin- like substances added a brownish color to the leachates and were quantita- ted by the Pearl Benson Index PBI. Even though these substances are not known to be injurious to aquatic organisms or humans, the added color is often aesthetically undesirable. Laboratory results with inch long log sections of ponderosa pine and Douglas fir logs showed that when logs are held in stagnant, non-flowing systems, leachates emerge at a relatively constant rate for up to 80 days.

However, when water is passed by the logs in a flow-through system the initial leaching rate is substantially higher but declines after 20 to 30 days. No studies were attempted at the high flow rates experienced in some natural streams and estuaries. Apparently, a concentration gradient builds up around the logs in a static system which retards the rate of leaching. This gradient would not likely exist in free flowing systems. The leaching rates determined in this study are absolute rates, and as such would tend to be conservative.

This was found to be the case with log pond waters. Log pond waters tested generally had much lower BOD to COD ratios than would have been predicted from the leachate studies in which biological activity was arrested with chemical poison. This low ratio resulted since only bio- degradable substances are measured by the BOD test whereas both biodegrad- able and non-biodegradable organic substances are measured in the COD test. The technique developed during this investigation for poisoning samples then depoisoning at a later time for biological analyses such as BOD and acute toxicity could be applied to many other types of experiments and for routine sample preservation Experimental data shows that more color-producing and soluble organic substances were leached from ponderosa pine logs than from comparable Douglas fir logs.

This observation is consistent with the findings re- ported by Kurth, et. They found that the leachates extracted from pine bark contain nearly ten times more soluble sugar than the ex- tracts from Douglas fir.

As expected, log sections with bark intact imparted much more color to the water than pine with the bark removed. Bark is known to contain many water soluble extraneous components, including tannins and lignin-like substances which can produce color.

The exposed cut ends of the logs tend to expedite the release of color and soluble organics. A comparison of data shown in Figure 12 for unaltered test logs with those for logs with ends sealed clearly illustrate this fact. This observation was not un- expected since the physiological flow pattern of water and nutrients is longitudinally through a living tree. Leaching rate does not appear to be affected by saline water as shown by COD results in Figure 17a. A significantly smaller value for FBI did result in saline water, however.

This may be explained by the precip- itation of lignin-like substances which have a net positive surface charge, through the formation of a complex with chloride ions present in high concentrations in the saline water. Andrews 2 observed this phenomenon!

Log leachates were found to be relatively non-toxic to salmon and trout fry during exposure periods of up to four days. Similar observations have been reported by Servizi 22 for leachate from bark using adult sockeye salmon as the test fish. Only trace amounts of nitrogen and phosphous were found in the log leach- ates. This is understandable since ponderosa pine and Douglas fir con- tain very small amounts of these nutrients. Consequently, cold deck runoff will probably require some form of treatment prior to discharge into a receiving body of water.

An alternate solution would be to form a closed recycle loop and avoid discharging the polluted water. Loss of bark from logs during storage is related to the species of timber and the method of log handling. Ponderosa pine bark tends to adhere more tightly to the wood surface than does Douglas fir bark.

Consequently, fir logs would be expected to lose more bark than pine under similar han- dling conditions. This hypothesis was verified by direct field measure- ment. The rate at which barks sinks when placed in water is a function of bark density,, water absorption rate and particle sizes. Generally, a large fraction of dislodged pine bark is in the small size classification which would result in a high overall rate of sinking.

Sinking studies on bark samples collected at random near log dumps verified that overall, on a dry weight basis, pine bark tends to sink at a faster rate than Douglas fir bark. Sunken bark accumulates on the bottom of holding water systems to form benthic deposits. Bark deposits were found to range in thickness from several feet at log dumping sites to less than an inch in adjacent log storage sites.

Since some bark floats for a period of time, it can be carried considerable distances with prevailing currents before sinking. Consequently, bark can be found in benthic deposits at locations far removed from the dumping and storage areas. Volatile solids measurements on core samples revealed an average increase of 2 to 2.

The presence of bark in the benthic deposits could result in several problems. Bark is a form of biodegradable organic matter which when undergoing biodegradation results in the consumption of dissolved oxygen from overlying waters.

Fortunately, the rate of bark decomposition is very slow due to its complex chemical composition and to the low water temperatures at many storage sites. This low rate was shown by in situ benthic respirometric measurements in log storage and control areas. The maximum oxygen uptake values found ranged from 2 to 2. Such conditions could be found in lakes, sloughs, and man-made ponds. Davison and Hanes 4 have also found that oxygen uptake rate is independent of depth for compacted sludge deposits.

The recommended procedure for evaluating the impact of log storage on water quality is to apply the predictive equations developed in this study.

Several unsuccessful attempts were made in the field to directly measure an increase in pollutatnt load resulting from water storage of logs. This is not to infer that log stor- age does not add pollutants to the holding water, but only that the input from leaching is generally small. Dislodged bark is another matter. Methods for controlling bark losses must be developed and implemented, such as improved methods of depositing logs into the holding water. De- barking of logs prior to water storage has been successfully used at several locations in Oregon and could possibly be applied in other sit- uations.

Banding logs in bundles may be another effective method for reducing bark losses. Based upon the information generated in this three-year investigation, it appears that the widely practiced water storage of logs does not have a severe impact on water quality in the Pacific Northwest. Improved methods of handling logs during dumping, rafting and transport could significantly reduce bark losses and thereby prevent the build up of benthic deposits. Research is currently being conducted by this investigator to evaluate the effects of bark deposits on aquatic organisms.

Kenneth J. Williamson and Mr. John Cristello throughout the entire study is gratefully acknowledged. The cooperation of many timber companies in the Pacific Northwest for allowing on-site studies and providing logs is sincerely appreciated. Beside above, why do they spray water on lumber? Timber that is stored for any period of time is water sprayed for a number of reasons.

It reduces the rusk of blue stain, cracks, rotting and insect damage. As it is kept humid the risk of having one humidity in the centre of a log and another in the perimeter is reduced. Evidently increasing the water content of wood by soaking wood samples in this way lowers the stiffness and strength of the wood.

When dry timber has its water content increased to the levels found in green timber, the cell walls fill with water. This leads to a decrease in the stiffness of wood. Asked by: Karol Dirkschnieder hobbies and interests woodworking Why are logs soaked in water? Last Updated: 16th May, Storage of logs in water has the additional advantages of minimizing fire risks, washing away dirt which could dull saws, and preventing splitting of logs which might otherwise dry prior to milling.

Cargo mills typically used a system of floating log booms to contain stored logs from delivery until milling. Yahia Abugov Professional. How long should logs dry before sawing? The drying time will vary depending on the wood species and thickness of the logs , but they will take at least one to two years to dry — the longer you can leave them before you start building the better.

Willians Lindoso Professional. Does wood rot underwater? Submerged wood doesn't decay the same way wood on the ground does , if a log is completely submerged and aquatic insects or worms don't infest it, it can remain sound for a long period of time.

Anxela Pismensky Professional. How do I keep logs from checking? How to Prevent Wood Checking. Remove the bark with a hatchet or a draw-knife if it's already loose, to discourage damage from insects that live under the bark.

My Father wanted some planks and we cut down a hemlock. We got busy and did not get back to it for 2 years and it was fine. But we put some limbs under each log to keep it off the ground. This was in the woods too not out in the direct sun. No idea about the oak,but the pine bores will find the pine. I store logs in my pond. Some have been under water for over 7 years pine and oak. The smell is bad when you mill them but that will go away in a few weeks.

I live in Louisiana and the temperature of the water in the summer time is high. Your water temp. I sawed a job last year that, according to the customer, had been in a pond for over 20 years. The Magicman. I wish I had a pond to store logs in, if that answers your question.

Quote from: barbender on May 18, , AM. Theres an operation up north raising old growth logs from a lake and milling them, said to be over yrs old.. I'd like to get some of those logs to mill The bark will come off but the wood will be perfectly preserved.

Quote from: beenthere on May 18, , AM. Quote from: thecfarm on May 18, , AM. What is the plan to keep them under water?