Beech wood value?

[goatchin]

right now im workin on a pile of beech logs from when we logged in fall of '06. the mill took only the straightest and knot-less logs, dropped a couple others as culls and left a couple standing here and there.

I was also wondering what the red was on the bark...guess i know now. it seems to only develop on the logs on the ground not the standing trees.

some of the logs that im workin on are those that came from the wood edges or open spots and LOTS of branches started in the crown....really tough splittin on rounds w/ knots on 3 sides LOL. could be easier to split if i had a hydraulic splitter but alls i got is a splittin maul, a sledge, and 2 steel wedges ....but hey the wood still gets split

 

[farmer]

I see the red on standing live beech trees. It means they don't have long to live. It will be sad to lose all the mature beech. They were a beautifull and unique tree.

 

[JPhilip]

I think allmost any wood is easier to split after it dries even a little bit you can see the small cracks opening up where the wood wants to split.

That makes alot of sense to me. Yet some people say you should split wood logs not long after they are cut! It must help them dry out faster, because it isn't easier to split green wood in my experience.