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ABOUT RIVER RECOVERED LUMBER

Sinker cypress and pine is also known as river reclaimed, river recovered, old growth, deadhead and virgin. Sinker cypress and virgin pine is preferred due to its durability, historic significance, green build benefits, and the beautiful color variation. This fine quality cypress and pine lumber is no longer available in our growing forest today.

All heart cypress and river recovered heart pine provide quality antique lumber that is recognized by the tight growth rings (18-35 growth rings per inch). This fine quality cypress and pine lumber is used for many green build projects to obtain LEED points.

Sinker Cypress History

Sinker Cypress is cypress logs that have been submerged in water. These trees were cut during the late 1800s. Many of these logs were ax fallen from virgin forests during the industrial cypress harvest from 1880 to 1930. They were 150 to 1500 years old at the time of harvest. After the logs were fallen they were then hitched to oxen and taken to the rivers for transport to the nearest riverside sawmill. As the logs were floated down the river, many became waterlogged or were caught in a log jam and sank due to these circumstances. Since the day the log sank, our product has been aging in the river bottoms completely preserved. The minerals in the water in which the log rested play a part in the color of the finished lumber. Sinker cypress is now retrieved and sawn into lumber for historic restoration and new construction.

Retrieving Sinker Cypress

Sinker logs are now retrieved by divers. The divers hook cables to the logs and winches or airbags are used to pull the logs to the surface. The logs are then loaded on a barge or pulled by a pontoon boat. Some logs are pulled from the swamps during the dry season where they rest completely submerged under the soil.

Drying Sinker Cypress

These historic logs are sawn into lumber and stacked on sticks so they can air dry for a period of time depending on the thickness of the lumber. Later the logs are put in a kiln to bring the moisture content to 8-12%.  If the lumber will by dried by a high heat kiln the material must be left to air dry for a longer period of time in order for the wood to stabilize. The inner moisture level should be close to the outer moisture level. Cypress holds moisture in pockets and if the wood is dried too quickly, it will cause the pockets to explode or collapse causing cracks, splits, checking and honeycomb. The rule of thumb for air drying sinker cypress is one year per one inch thick.

Another process of drying this material is to air dry for a shorter period of timek, then use a low heat dehumidification kiln. The material will stay in the kiln at a low temperature as the moisture is slowly pulled out of the atmosphere. The key to drying sinker cypress is stabilizing the wood slowly and consistently. The drying process sometimes takes as long as 2 years.

Pecky Sinker Cypress

Pecky is a porous part of a tree that usually starts in the center. The pecky part of a log is caused by a fungus that only grows while the tree is alive. This fungus “stereum taxodil” usually takes 125 years to germinate inside the living tree. Once this process is started, tubular pockets are formed vertically up and down the tree. This fungus started the process of hallowing the log. This pecky wood is usually used for decorative purposes in hunting and fishing lodges, and high end houses. It is preferred by interior decorators and architects to create a rustic look.  An example of Pecky Cypress is seen in the photo to the right.

Cypress Species

One of the best traits of sinker cypress is its external durability and longevity. You can expect this wood to last over 150 years. The reason for this durability is it's natural preservative oil, known as cypresseine, which gives the wood resistance to rot and insect attack. This virgin timber also has very tight growth rings, making it denser while increasing stability and durability. These traits are what makes this virgin growth lumber attractive to architects, interior designers, contractors, builders, cabinet-builders, wood-workers and craftsmen.