Abstract
The moisture reduction in split logs of Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) and evergreen oak spp. (Quercus glauca) were evaluated under some conditions differentiated in split sizes (one quarter or one eighth) and drying circumstances (paved or unpaved, roofed or unroofed). Japanese cypress dries out more rapidly than oak: the days required to reach 30% moisture content (dry base) were about 14-80 days in cypress of 90% initial moisture content compared to 40-over 200 days in oak of 68.3-78.3% initial moisture content. Drying on paved ground was more effective than that on unpaved ground whether it were under a roof or not (cypress on paved: 14 days and on non-paved: 80 days, oak on paved: 40-90 days and on non-paved: over 200 days). Split size effect was more enhanced in oak. The benefit of natural seasoning under any conditions was realized only within the first one or two months. Under natural seasoning with unroofed conditions, there was little benefit in a long drying period for split logs in terms of rainfall.
