Hmmmm. Neat project.

Not sure but I would make sure to treat the wood well or else your trunk will rot and leave you a hole in the yard.

Does this seem like a good solution to the exterior rot prevent treatment:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=203077387&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&PID=1319015&cm_mmc=CJ%2d%5f%2d1319015%2d%5f%2d10368321&cpncode=33%2d62601098%2d2&AID=10368321&cj=true&srccode=cii%5f13736960

It's the "Intl Eco Wood Treatment"

'tis a strange errand you've set for yourself. Personally, I'd not try to hold off decay. I'm weird that way but I find the varying stages of decomposition fascinating. Maybe inoculate the thing with shiitake mushroom spawn!

But, back to your idea...is the bark still on this section of tree trunk? If so, and if you are really keen on preserving it, that bark will have to come off. Otherwise, too much moisture is held within, leading to all that glorious rot!

+oM

Hmm. Funny, but that is the first thing it occurs to me to say too.

Here's what strikes me. At 5' diameter (seriously??), it is almost as "tall" when lying on its side as it will be after you bury it 4-5' in the ground (7-8 feet). And on its side, it is a lot more stable than it will be standing upright. My first priority, if you stand it upright, would be to put it nowhere near anything you value. Because like any fencepost, even set in concrete, it WILL rot and it WILL fall down.

You could put in on its side, maybe even across a couple of smaller logs to get height and keep it drier, and it would last longer and be possibly even more impressive. You could put steps up it and sit on top :-)

If you must stand it upright, can you give it some sort of a base stabilizer, like a crossbar/tieback? You might run this past the landscape design forum, maybe someone there will have some technical ideas for you.

BUT there is another big issue, and that is "checking" which is what wood may do as it dries. That is to say, cracking, splitting. Might be kind of irritating and dangerous. This you could look up on the internet, or ask about on the woodworking forum. Fenceposts are dried lumber, this is why you don't need to consider 'checking' with them.

Once wood is dry, you can clear coat it for protection, just like wood furniture or decking or what have you.

I do like the idea of gravel in the hole, but realistically, there will still be moisture retention, bug activity, and eventually, rot.

Karin L

A bit of a 'strange errand' indeed, but, I figure it looks better than a pressure-treated 6"x6" post would.

Any ideas as to how long I'd have before the bird house fell off due the rot? It is a pretty thick trunk.

Karin,

Thanks for your insightful reply. I just might make a post in the woodworking forum as well.

Heck, maybe I will just set it on it's side after all.

How on earth are you going to flip over a tree trunk that is 12 feet long and 5 feet in diameter? That is a massive amount of wood! I would think that once you had it standing upright, in a hole that is 5 feet deep, that it would be quite stable on its own without pea stone or concrete. It would also take a long time to decay, especially since it is an Oak.

I have often thought about burying a "snag" or dead tree trunk, to provide additional habitat for cavity nesters, although it would be approx. 6-12 inches in diameter and would be buried about 2 feet deep. But I've been too busy to try this. Meanwhile I've left dead pines standing in the back yard and enjoyed watching Bluebirds nest for 2 years in an old woodpecker hole.

I have many, many decorative rounds, crotches, and logs in my landscape. All are either white oak, red oak, or hickory.
Most were installed in the fall of '08 and it took them until this spring nearly four years later to really begin falling apart.

I have to say that watching the Pileated Woodpeckers go to work on some of them has been far more entertaining than I would ever have imagined. I say roll the thing over to a picturesque area and make a focal point out of it- plant some shrubs behind it and perhaps annuals in front of it and sit back to enjoy the wildlife.

It is only my opinion but to me trying to preserve it is ultimately a losing battle and anything you treat it with no matter what labels say, could be harmful or at least discouraging to the wildlife one presumes you would like to attract.
I find real nature far more aesthetically pleasing than false, or in this case preserved, nature.

I'd lay it down in the shade and grow mushrooms in it. You can buy some shitake kits online, other variants too, oyster, etc... Best if it's still green they say.

I would think that a log 5' diameter and 12' long would be worth more to a saw mill that as decoration in the yard.

That being said because of the size, you have a tremendous project that will require a lot of large machinery. A log that size probably weighs several tons and your proposed hole is not a manual shovel project.

So I think you may want to reconsider your project.

Also if the person who wants dead logs in their yards, if you want one, I can get you one for free, I would be glad to get it out of my yard. With the recent storms I suspect there are many people that would give one to you if you would cart it away.

i too thought of its lumber value..

anyway.. what is your soil types ... that is what will determine.. how long it MIGHT last.. before it rots into a mush.. and falls down and kills you ... as you enjoy a beer next to your totem pole ...

if i am not mistaken.. cement is acidic.. and will increase the speed of decay ...

frankly.. IMHO.. mother earth wins in rot ... there is nothing you can do to stop it.. and as evidence.. i would show you my split rail fence.. where i have to replace the verticals every 5 to 10 years ...

frankly.. the sole determining factor.. is budget.. aka discretionary income ... if it pleases you.. and you can afford it.. and you really dont care how long it lasts.. go for it ...

but i dont think it will last more than 5 to 10 years.. depending on how much moisture your soil holds ...

ken

I appreciate every reply -- I've read them all. After the insight I've received, I've decided to lay down the stump, and make it more of a focal point of the back yard. I'll probably plant some (thanks, cearbhaill) some type of shrubs behind it, and "enjoy the wildlife."

Good point on the concrete mix probably being acidic, Ken.

Look forward to getting work on this -- now comes the hard labor of transporting this beast of a trunk. Thank god for hydraulics!

Another insight into decorations/plants behind/around it are welcome.

Thanks all!

Once you get it into your yard where it will reside take a pic of it and post it, you'll receive plenty of suggestions. :)

i have seen such.. on local nature paths.. wherein they carved seats on the log ...

i thought it was inspired .. since it was a mile from anyway to get it out of there..

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: # 10 is cool.. lol

{{gwi:391556}}

The stump in the back of this little garden was covered with English Ivy when I bought the house 4 yrs ago. I removed all the ivy and decided to build the garden around it. My neighbors on the other side of me estimate that tree being cut down 10-15 years ago.

It's completely hollowed out down to about 1' deeper than the soil line. I usually toss kitchen scraps in there over the winter when my composter is full and throw in leaves and cuttings as well.

The neighbor right behind it recently had some work done on the house and noticed it was loaded with termites so they want to get rid of it in the near future.

I appreciate every reply -- I've read them all. After the insight I've received, I've decided to lay down the stump, and make it more of a focal point of the back yard. I'll probably plant some (thanks, cearbhaill) some type of shrubs behind it, and "enjoy the wildlife."

Good point on the concrete mix probably being acidic, Ken.

Look forward to getting work on this -- now comes the hard labor of transporting this beast of a trunk. Thank god for hydraulics!

Another insight into decorations/plants behind/around it are welcome.

Thanks all!

I also have what I call "log features" in the yard, and many rotting snags and stumps in various stages of decay. As I mentioned above, I leave old dead trees standing in the back yard (not the front because it's not visually appealing to most people) and they eventually fall over and become "log features". I am using some of them to edge a wild garden, or just leave them where they fall, because this is what occurs in a natural woodland.

This dead wood, including dead branches on a tree, all provide habitat for insects, birds, and other critters! I have also watched the Pileated woodpeckers working away on a stump or log to get their insects. And yes, termites do inhabit some of this dead wood. Am not sure whether it's better to try to discourage them altogether, or give them some wood out there in the back yard to eat, instead of my house??

However, a log that is 5 x 12 feet is so massive, that I would proabably give it away on Craigslist to somebody with a huge chainsaw. :)

Another possibility...
This is a Western Red Cedar.

A minor point among many excellent suggestions and comments, but cement is not acidic. Rather, it is highly alkaline and would be a major problem for any planting that requires neutral or acidic soil which is true for the vast majority of plants. Free lime leaches from all cement/concrete products for a considerable period of time, so it's best to avoid their use if at all possible.

yeah.. i kinda wondered about the acidic cement thing.. but was too lazy to verify what i typed..

all i know.. is that untreated wood in cement.. is rotted wood in cement.. not too far in the future ...

no comment on the bench idea????

ken

I wouldn't worry about the lime changing the pH of the soil too much. Think of all the foundation plantings put around newly constructed houses. Around here, the builders put azaleas and rhododendrons (both acid loving) around all the houses, and they do fine. If you're worried about it, a one time application of garden sulfur will neutralize the lime.

If you're willing to bury 5 feet of it, I'd think about cutting it in half and just resting it on a concrete pad. A 6' or 7' tall log 5' in diameter isn't going to tip over, and will last a lot longer than something buried.

Alex

Alex's idea is actually quite good as far as keeping it upright is concerned. If you can keep air circulating under the base (those netted pot bases come to mind), that might be your best bet for longevity.

A neighbour of mine built a bench from a fallen log. There are probably many plans and suggestions for that available.

You are left with how to elevate the birdhouse, of course. Perhaps some sort of a tripod structure? Or a metal pole? I got one of these (below) at Lee Valley with the idea of putting a birdhouse on pole - haven't done it yet though.

Karin L

Here is a link that might be useful: Ground screw

I sure wish my tree trunks in my yard would rot!

The ash tree I took down Winter 2010 still has the stump completely in tact. I bore many many 12" deep holes in it to collect water and its still extremely solid as of right now. In fact my bit got jammed into the stump last year and I still can't get it out almost 2 years later.

You bet it depends on what species the tree is, how quickly the stumps rot. I have still remnants of a stock fence built in the 1930s. The untreated posts are just now giving up the ghost and being removed one at a time as they decay. Good old locust posts!

Hey all. Well, I've definitely decided to lay it down. I've put down some landscape fabric, and will lay it on a bit of an angle in the back left corner of my yard. I play on planting some sort of evergreens (maybe boxwoods) behind it, and then definitely open to suggestions on what to plant in front of it.

I'll post an update picture when the time comes, and am more than open to ideas on planting around it. Thanks!

P.S. Disregard the corner filled with various branches. I'm cleaning that up now. ;)

Fiddlegal08 -- what an neat carving! How did you finish and seal that carved bear/top? Thanks!