# The Moon and wood seasoning



## ziggy19 (Mar 12, 2011)

Around these parts ( Cape Breton, Nova Scotia) most people believe in cutting down trees for firewood when the Moon is in decline or in the early stage of getting bigger but never when the moon is bigger than half full. We feel wood cut at the bad moon stays wet in fact I had wood that I bought from a fellow who claimed it was cut at the good moon but 4 yrs later the wood still has water coming out the ends when thrown in the stove.  Does anyone else watch the moon prior to cutting their firewood or are we just plain crazy here in Cape Breton?


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## yooperdave (Mar 12, 2011)

never heard of it.

i did hear that on the 19th of this month, the moon will be the closest to earth that it has been in 18 years.  one prediction was more natural disasters-earthquakes, floods, volvcanos, storms.  you know, the usual doomsday predictions.  wait a minute...earthquakes????  uh, i gotta go-


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## Thistle (Mar 12, 2011)

In the tropics below the Equator its custom to cut logs for lumber using the moon & tide phases,instead of seasons like in temperate zones.Anytime its cut during a full moon,the sap is supposedly flowing more & the added moisture brings out more insects,mould/mildew that develop into more degrade & waste.


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## EatenByLimestone (Mar 12, 2011)

I've been to Cape Breton a few times and I think the moon idea must come from being isolated during long winters....

Matt


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## Duetech (Mar 12, 2011)

I always cut during the day so I seldom see the moon when I am cutting. LOL. In retrospect though it is possible that there is more sap running during a full moon period because the light of the moon may trigger more photosynthesis. Photoperiodism has an effect on a lot of things we seldom give much heed to. Now I wonder paying attentio to moon phases will help keep my chain sharper longer? (Like not using it in a full moon?)


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## Willman (Mar 12, 2011)

The moon affects the tides so maybe it affects  the saps.

Will


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## Gary_602z (Mar 12, 2011)

Willman said:
			
		

> The moon affects the tides so maybe it affects  the saps.
> 
> Will



Just because they are in Nova Scotia don't mean they are saps  

Gary


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## Kenster (Mar 12, 2011)

I don't think a full moon has any effect on photosynthesis as moonlight is just a reflection.  However, the moon, especially a full one, has a powerful pull as reflected in tides.
Our friend from Nova Scotia can vouch for this.  The Bay of Fundy, which lies immediately west of Nova Scotia has the highest tides in the world.  I have seen the tides actually reverse the flow of rivers in Nova Scotia.  Anyway, it makes sense to me that the moon could also have a great effect on the flow of sap. 

The threat of bad things happening on and around March 19 is real enough.  I disregard all predictions based on astrology, but astronomy is another thing.  The moon will be the closest to Earth in 18 years which would already have a strong effect on tides, but it is also going to be a full moon at that point.  The pulling force of the moon can quite possibly create terribly high tides, but also have a pull on the earth's plates.  It doesn't take much pull along a fault line to cause an earthquake.  Fault lines are already under enormous stress.


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## -PB- (Mar 12, 2011)

dont know much about how the moon affects wood but Blue Moon makes a good beer! Garnish with an orange slice. Does that help?


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## Duetech (Mar 12, 2011)

As far as possibilities are concerned we don't necessarily have to be in complete perigee with the moon for there to be an effect and the quake in Japan may well have been triggered by the nearness of the moon. I would think the gravitational pull of the moon whether full or new is based on it's proximity to the earth and not based on it's fullness or it's newness. That said however, and not trying to discredit historical observations, where the moon is at at these times can more or less aid other gravitational forces or be aided by other gravitational forces in our solar system. (Anybody remember the book about the Jupiter Effect?) That is to say unless there is some new scientific evidence that we as humans have ignored conscripting the degree of force of gravitational pull with light emission intensity. It would be interesting to find whether what some call folk lore has actually been a mild scientific account.  :long:


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## midwestcoast (Mar 12, 2011)

Cave2k said:
			
		

> ... I would think the gravitational pull of the moon whether full or new is based on it's proximity to the earth and not based on it's fullness or it's newness. That said however, and not trying to discredit historical observations, where the moon is at at these times can more or less aid other gravitational forces or be aided by other gravitational forces in our solar system. (Anybody remember the book about the Jupiter Effect?) That is to say unless there is some new scientific evidence that we as humans have ignored conscripting the degree of force of gravitational pull with light emission intensity. It would be interesting to find whether what some call folk lore has actually been a mild scientific account.  :long:



It's not the light of the full moon that has anything to do with tides, it's the fact that when we see the moon as full it's because the sun and moon are more or less lined up in the same direction from earth. So the sun and moon are both pulling the tides in the same direction & we get an amplified effect called a Spring Tide.


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## midwestcoast (Mar 12, 2011)

I'm not biting too quick on this one, but I'd guess that if anyone were to see a regular effect of moonphase on the flow of sap in trees it would be the folks making Maple Syrup (now & for many centuries prior). If the buckets filled up more (or less) on the full moon every year for hundreds of years you can bet it would be noticed and the knowledge would be passed down through generations.  Ask some sugarers.

As for a residual effect on the wood drying years after it's cut?  I'd blame the effects of the weather in Cape Breton, be they physical or psychological.  ;-)


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## Thistle (Mar 12, 2011)

-PB- said:
			
		

> dont know much about how the moon affects wood but Blue Moon makes a good beer! Garnish with an orange slice. Does that help?



Have you tried their Winter Seasonal - "Winter Abbey Ale" yet? Copper-colored ale,with selected roasted malts,a hint of Belgian sugar & touch of wheat.I like it as much as Guinness & it ranks right up there with any real Belgian Ale I've had so far.It was just released in late 2010 for the first time.I think the season's over now,luckily I grabbed a case of it before distributers started stocking the Spring Ale in local stores.


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## Hardrockmaple (Mar 12, 2011)

ziggy19 said:
			
		

> Around these parts ( Cape Breton, Nova Scotia) most people believe in cutting down trees for firewood when the Moon is in decline or in the early stage of getting bigger but never when the moon is bigger than half full. We feel wood cut at the bad moon stays wet in fact I had wood that I bought from a fellow who claimed it was cut at the good moon but 4 yrs later the wood still has water coming out the ends when thrown in the stove.  Does anyone else watch the moon prior to cutting their firewood or are we just plain crazy here in Cape Breton?



Cape Breton?.....shouldn't you be burning coal?


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## snowleopard (Mar 12, 2011)

I know of barbers who manage clientele by the moon--the ones who want their hair to grow faster get cuts on the waxing moon; the ones who don't like to come in for cuts very often, so want their hair to grow slowly, get their hair cut on a waning moon.  I tried her system, and thought it made a difference for me, but who knows?   I know that there were people who laughed at the idea without even considering it. 

If the preponderance of evidence is on the side of the theory, then the theory deserves investigation.  Experiments have been run by forum posters before: the round-piles-of-firewood theory; the drying-indoors theory, and more.  Why not run an experiement with similar trees on different cut dates, and use a moisture meter to test it?


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## woodchip (Mar 12, 2011)

Best time to cut down trees for firewood is in Autumn/early Winter when the sap is down, this will assist greatly in seasoning. Quite a few varieties of tree will be ready to burn by the following Autumn if they are felled, cut, and split before Christmas the previous year. 

As to flowing sap or non flowing sap....... the wood will be sappy during the Spring and Summer whether the moon is waxing or waning. 
If you cut, you would have to season the wood that much longer as it will be full of sap, whether flowing or not

I reckon folks around Cape Breton have a lot of time on their hands to be dreaming up stuff like this. But I'm happy to be proved wrong!


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## Backwoods Savage (Mar 12, 2011)

Yup woodchip. I do the cutting during the winter months. We usually start around Dec. 1. We've never paid attention to what stage the moon is in; we just leave the wood in the stack for a few years and it is dry.


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## Sisu (Mar 12, 2011)

woodchip said:
			
		

> Best time to cut down trees for firewood is in Autumn/early Winter when the sap is down, this will assist greatly in seasoning. Quite a few varieties of tree will be ready to burn by the following Autumn if they are felled, cut, and split before Christmas the previous year.
> 
> As to flowing sap or non flowing sap....... the wood will be sappy during the Spring and Summer whether the moon is waxing or waning.
> If you cut, you would have to season the wood that much longer as it will be full of sap, whether flowing or not
> ...



I don't know about moon phases, but sap (water) remains in the tree during all seasons.  The living cells of the tree contain an antifreeze that protects the cells and there is water bound within the wood fiber that freezes in the winter.  Cutting the wood in winter doesn't quicken the seasoning time.  It only means you have more seasoning time vs waiting and cutting in spring.


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## Duetech (Mar 12, 2011)

The stories I hear about maple syrup supposedly started within the last four or five hundred years and that is certainly time enough for some opinion on moon phase and sap flow to develope. Don't recall any to do with maple syrup though. And yes it's nice to know that others see the sun would be another gravitational influence in our solar system.


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## Naandme (Mar 12, 2011)

Well when the moon gets full at were I live I start to howl and get a little hairy LOL


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## wood butcher (Mar 13, 2011)

In the book" Seasons of America Past" author Eric Sloane talks about something similar. It reads ' The proper time for wood cutting has many variations. The "second run of sap in August" as the best time for cutting fence railing is still disputed by many; in a nation wide vote over a century ago would have chosen February as the best month for felling fine building timber- and of course," during the old moon". ... "The moon has such potential influence in the various parts of her orbits," says the New England Farmer, "that by cutting one tree three hours before the new moon and another of the same kind of tree six hours afterwards, a difference in the soundness of the wood is noticeable." ... It was also the opinion of the old-timer that as the moon affects the mechanics of all liquids on earth just as it does the tides of the oceans, so does the moon affect the flow of sap within living plants.'
 It is a great book and worth a read. I cut my wood when the logging truck drops it off, usually in late fall into winter.


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## -PB- (Mar 13, 2011)

Thistle said:
			
		

> -PB- said:
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Haven't seen it, I will definately look. maybe if I have enough I can howl at the moon also!


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## nate379 (Mar 13, 2011)

I have cut trees in the spring that had so much sap that it was shooting off the chain and spraying me.  Never had had that happen in the winter.



			
				Sisu said:
			
		

> woodchip said:
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## Whitepine2 (Mar 13, 2011)

Some of the oldtimers around here cut in fall of year leaving the trees lay with the branches on. The thought was that the leaves still being green would suck up the sap as the tree died thus leaving
 it dryer when harvester later in the year anyone hear of this? It seems to have some merit might be a way to get dryer wood and let mother nature help. Just saying????


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## ziggy19 (Mar 13, 2011)

15-1 that were crazy and I`m the one who voted that we` re not...ouch. around here among wood burners it would be 15-1 the other way but I guess we `ve always done it that way so why mess with a good thing, maybe we `d cut during the bad moon it would be ok?


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## oldspark (Mar 13, 2011)

Whitepine2 said:
			
		

> Some of the oldtimers around here cut in fall of year leaving the trees lay with the branches on. The thought was that the leaves still being green would suck up the sap as the tree died thus leaving
> it dryer when harvester later in the year anyone hear of this? It seems to have some merit might be a way to get dryer wood and let mother nature help. Just saying????


 Another old wives tale, cut, split, and stack as soon as possible in single rows in wind and sun is as good as it gets.


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## Backwoods Savage (Mar 13, 2011)

Whitepine2 said:
			
		

> Some of the oldtimers around here cut in fall of year leaving the trees lay with the branches on. The thought was that the leaves still being green would suck up the sap as the tree died thus leaving
> it dryer when harvester later in the year anyone hear of this? It seems to have some merit might be a way to get dryer wood and let mother nature help. Just saying????



We've experimented with this idea in the past but it didn't seem to make any difference. If you consider the amount of moisture in the trees, those leaves might have problems drawing much of it. Just watch the leaves in how quickly they wilt.


EDIT:  Sorry oldspark, I didn't see your post before posting this or I'd just left it alone.


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## billb3 (Mar 13, 2011)

Sounds like someone invented a fine way to excuse sitting  around doing little but drinking beer for two weeks a month.


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## homebrewz (Mar 13, 2011)

billb3 said:
			
		

> Sounds like someone invented a fine way to excuse sitting  around doing little but drinking beer for two weeks a month.



That is an excellent point. That's more time to play fiddle too.. it is Cape Breton, after all.


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## -PB- (Mar 14, 2011)

billb3 said:
			
		

> Sounds like someone invented a fine way to excuse sitting  around doing little but drinking beer for two weeks a month.



I've spent many an hour thinking of similar excuses...


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## nate379 (Mar 14, 2011)

Makes sense.  Couple years ago I cleared some land in the spring before the leaves where in teh trees.  Well I cut all the trees, bucked them and piled all the tops/branches to chip up.  By the time I chipped them 3-4 week later they all had full leaves in them.



			
				Whitepine2 said:
			
		

> Some of the oldtimers around here cut in fall of year leaving the trees lay with the branches on. The thought was that the leaves still being green would suck up the sap as the tree died thus leaving
> it dryer when harvester later in the year anyone hear of this? It seems to have some merit might be a way to get dryer wood and let mother nature help. Just saying????


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## Duetech (Mar 14, 2011)

Whitepine2 said:
			
		

> Some of the oldtimers around here cut in fall of year leaving the trees lay with the branches on. The thought was that the leaves still being green would suck up the sap as the tree died thus leaving
> it dryer when harvester later in the year anyone hear of this? It seems to have some merit might be a way to get dryer wood and let mother nature help. Just saying????



Not an old wives tale. Mere scientific fact. However the amount of sap used by the leaves is something that cannot be verified unless the "before and after" m/c is specifically known. Leaves wilt as they lose moisture. Whether they stay firm longer because of excess sap or just normal sap levels cannot be verified by an opinion poll but the opinions given as related to experiential occurences help to clarify the direction that scientific study should first use to investigate. Oh...ssshhh the gov't has enough projects to use our money on... But if you were looking for work... hmmm!


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## Sisu (Mar 14, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> I have cut trees in the spring that had so much sap that it was shooting off the chain and spraying me.  Never had had that happen in the winter.



The reason for that is is because water usually doesn't flow at temperatures below freezing.  Instead it is locked in the wood fiber as ice.  Trees that I cut down in the winter and left until spring time normally have water/sap dripping from the cut.


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## oldspark (Mar 15, 2011)

Cave2k said:
			
		

> Whitepine2 said:
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 Old wives tale as in it will season quicker when cut, split, and stacked, no way is it going to season quicker that way!


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## bogydave (Mar 15, 2011)

I've never cut by the moon
Not enough light to see well enough.
I like daytime cutting.
My mom plants the garden by the moon.
Fall & winter cutting. wood is driest. sap down in roots.
If you want to knock the bark off, spring is good. peels off easy.


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## ziggy19 (Mar 15, 2011)

bogydave said:
			
		

> I've never cut by the moon
> Not enough light to see well enough.
> I like daytime cutting.
> My mom plants the garden by the moon.
> ...




your Mom watches the moon cycle when planting her gardenshe must be crazy lol. Actually quite a few people here do the same thing and I would as well if I had a garden.


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## mayhem (Mar 15, 2011)

Doesn't make any sense to me that the phase of the moon would affeect anything like sap in a tree...regardless of how much the shadow of the earth falls across the moon, the whole darn thing is still there, exerting the same gravitational pull it always does.  If there were actually enough difference in the gravitational pull of the moon at certain times to actually change the flow of sap in a tree, there would be alot of other things we could measure...like we would weigh less on the bathroom scale.



> Best time to cut down trees for firewood is in Autumn/early Winter when the sap is down, this will assist greatly in seasoning. Quite a few varieties of tree will be ready to burn by the following Autumn if they are felled, cut, and split before Christmas the previous year.



Isn't this more due to the fact that the wood has been seasoning for a full year plus instead of 6-7 months if you cut in the spring?


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## oldspark (Mar 15, 2011)

mayhem said:
			
		

> Doesn't make any sense to me that the phase of the moon would affeect anything like sap in a tree...regardless of how much the shadow of the earth falls across the moon, the whole darn thing is still there, exerting the same gravitational pull it always does.  If there were actually enough difference in the gravitational pull of the moon at certain times to actually change the flow of sap in a tree, there would be alot of other things we ,measure...like we would weigh less on the bathroom scale.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 LOL, best time to weigh your self is when the moon pulls on your fat ass!


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## mayhem (Mar 15, 2011)

^^ Best not to do it during an eclipse...the sun is opposite the moon at that point and the extra gravity boost will add an easy 10lb.


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## gpcollen1 (Mar 15, 2011)

Kenster said:
			
		

> I don't think a full moon has any effect on photosynthesis as moonlight is just a reflection.  However, the moon, especially a full one, has a powerful pull as reflected in tides.
> Our friend from Nova Scotia can vouch for this.  The Bay of Fundy, which lies immediately west of Nova Scotia has the highest tides in the world.  I have seen the tides actually reverse the flow of rivers in Nova Scotia.  Anyway, it makes sense to me that the moon could also have a great effect on the flow of sap.
> 
> The threat of bad things happening on and around March 19 is real enough.  I disregard all predictions based on astrology, but astronomy is another thing.  The moon will be the closest to Earth in 18 years which would already have a strong effect on tides, but it is also going to be a full moon at that point.  The pulling force of the moon can quite possibly create terribly high tides, but also have a pull on the earth's plates.  It doesn't take much pull along a fault line to cause an earthquake.  Fault lines are already under enormous stress.



Tides appear to reverse the flow of many rivers depending on how far up river you are.  The Hudson river appears to reverse flow as much as 60 miles inland.


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## gpcollen1 (Mar 15, 2011)

Thistle said:
			
		

> -PB- said:
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Those Coors brewed Blue Moon beers are not even close to the quality of the authentic Belgian Styles.  While I consider this 'Hearth Advocate', try Beer Advocate for the best in beer.


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## nate379 (Mar 15, 2011)

My grandparent's do that..  They farmed potatoes commercially from childhood (1920s) until retirement in 93.  Maybe is true, maybe isn't... but it doesn't hurt I figure.



			
				bogydave said:
			
		

> My mom plants the garden by the moon.
> .


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## homebrewz (Mar 15, 2011)

The lower portion of the Hudson River is a tidal estuary, so its directly influenced by the tides.


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