Are there decay-resistance differences between heartwood and sapwood?
Absolutely. Of the resistant species, only the heartwood is naturally durable. The sapwood of any species has no resistance. Unfortunately, the amount of sapwood in young-growth hardwood timber is usually greater than in old-growth. Young hardwood trees are more vigorous and faster growing, thus they typically have more sapwood. When selecting wood for natural durability, the sapwood should be sorted out and used where a decay hazard does not exist. “Old-growth” and “young-growth” brings us to another issue. There have been three technical papers published several years ago in regards to the natural decay resistance of old-growth and second or young-growth bald cypress, redwood and western red cedar, all classified as softwoods. In each case, it was shown that the young-growth did not have the decay resistance of the old-growth, but it still had resistance. No comparable studies exist for the hardwood types. For someone cutting hardwood lumber from his or her own woodlot, what are some
