For many people, the surprise about salvaged or recovered timber is the condition. It is important to note that recovered timber is as bright and sound as the day they sank or were flooded by reservoir waters. In fact, the soundness of submerged timber is not just idle opinion. That salvaged logs are commercially useable was scientifically confirmed by John Hatton, Principal Scientist at the Canadian Pulp and Paper Research Institute at UBC back in the 1990s.

http://forestnet.com/archives/May_96/sinkers.html