Commercial retail prices range from two to five dollars per board foot. By the time high-quality sinker cypress wood reaches a California show room, it can range from eight to fourteen dollars per board foot.
Why are sunken cypress logs valuable?
Cool water perfectly preserves what are known as sinker logs, which lay on river bottoms for hundreds of years. These magnificent sinker cypress and sinker pine logs are considered to be buried treasure, because once recovered, they yield the richest patina of any wood.
Why are submerged logs valuable?
The logs can command thousands of dollars for their intricately beautiful grains and long, straight cuts. Across the coast of the Southeastern U.S., pine and cypress were harvested into the late 1800s. Most logs were lashed together with metal “spike dogs” and floated or towed downstream to mills.
Are cypress trees valuable?
Having fallen to rest beneath the murky swamp water, these trees, called sinker cypress, are highly prized and valuable. The beautiful wood used today to make craftsman-style furniture and cabinetry comes from these ancient, hardened logs.
How much is submerged logs worth?
It is estimated that, “Buried in the water of reservoirs around the world are thought to be about 300 million submerged trees worth as much as $50 billion”, making underwater logging as a whole an industry with the potential for high profits.
What is deadhead logging?
Claytor refers to him as the “computer guru.” Deadhead logging isn’t about pulling fallen trees out of a swamp or river. And for clarification, these loggers aren’t going after trees that just fell in the water but, rather, sunken logs and timber that have already been cut, most of them over 100 years ago.
What can I do with cypress wood?
Cypress wood is very durable, stable, and water- and rot-resistant, making it suitable for building and heavy construction. Other uses where its properties make it a good choice include caskets, piers, bridges, boats, siding, sashes, doors, stadium seats, posts, cooperage and railroad ties.
Does submerged wood rot?
Wood can be too wet to decay. Waterlogged wood will not allow oxygen in to support the growth of fungi. Marine pilings kept fully submerged may never rot. And wood can be too dry to decay.
Is cypress wood good for anything?
What is River reclaimed sinker Cypress?
We’ve been in the business of River Reclaimed Sinker Cypress for over two and a half decades, and we’ve become specialists at recovering these sinker logs from the bottom of Northwest Florida and Southern Alabama waterways and swamps.
What is the biggest log ever recovered from the Mississippi River?
Emerson said the biggest specimen he’d recovered was a 30-foot cypress. Some trees, especially cypress, were well over a century old when felled. To locate logs, Emerson often relies on sonar or studies old railroad maps to determine where logs were unloaded from the river.
Why build with a bald cypress tree?
The late 1800s and early 1900s saw the beginning of explosive growth and activity in the deep south and the U.S., which created a great need for a durable, versatile, and plentiful building material. The southern coastal regions of the U.S. happened to be blessed with just such a resource – giant bald cypress.
How were logs harvested for lumber in the 1800s?
Across the coast of the Southeastern U.S., pine and cypress were harvested into the late 1800s. Most logs were lashed together with metal “spike dogs” and floated or towed downstream to mills.
