Underwater Treasures
Provided by Todd Morrissette of Deadhead Lumber Company
Hello again! Hopefully you all read my previous blog about the river drives. This blog is a little follow up about them. Remember how I mentioned about 10% of logs transported downriver sank each year? Well picture this – if there were about 8.7 BILLION logs that went to the mills via river, imagine 10% of that number sitting on the bottom of the waterways that participated in the drives. That’s a huge number! Those sunken logs are called Deadhead and that, my friends, is what I’ll be talking about today.
Deadhead are logs that sank over 200 years ago in the river drives that now sit on the bottom of Moosehead Lake and similar bodies of water that partook in the drives. When log rafts broke or storms saturated the logs and caused them to become water logged they sank to the bottom of the lake. Hardwood was also tested on the water and turns out, it doesn’t float so well. So, all these logs have been sitting on the bottom of the lakes since before 1976 when the river drives ended. The same thing has happened in other states and, perhaps, their efforts to salvage those logs are what sparked our interest in them. Over the years people have become interested in these logs and with good reason. Logs submerged at the bottom of these lake beds don’t rot. Pretty amazing, huh? Well because they are 20-60 feet below the surface, parasites, oxygen and sunlight are not threats to the logs. The water keeps them preserved, waiting for us to find them.
Unfortunately, you and I can’t just go out onto the lake and grab these logs at our convenience. In 1999 the State of Maine claimed all submerged logs as their own and any logs found by salvage operators must be purchased from the state. In order to become a salvage operator you need to acquire a permit through the state. Applications are $100 each, non-refundable. You must state your purpose for finding the logs and abide by a strict set of rules prepared by the state. The rules were created to protect our waters and the creatures that inhabit them. The general salvage season is May 1 to September 30. These dates are subject to change to account for ice out and to avoid the disruption of spawning fish. Once you have acquired a permit and begin to search for these logs, you must pay the state at least 20% of the market value for the logs after they are salvaged and ready for sale or processing. There are also salvage limits on how much deadhead you can salvage in any given season. As of right now, you cannot salvage more than 125,000 board feet of sunken logs. For more detailed information please see http://www.maine.gov/doc/parks/programs/subla...59c055.pdf .
One company in particular that has obtained such a permit is the Deadhead Lumber Company of Scarborough, Maine. Deadhead Lumber Co. owns a vessel that is equipped to not only remove logs from salvage waters but it also allows the operator to find the logs. The vessel is equipped with cameras and displays that show images of the lake bottom, making it easier for the operator to locate these valuable logs. The boat is specifically designed like a container port crane in order to haul up each log.
These logs are especially valuable due to their history and preservation. Deadhead Lumber Co. sells the lumber (depending on grade, width, cut and length) for $13 to $20 per square foot of old growth white oak for flooring, compared to other companies that charge $0.30 per square foot of red oak. As you can see by this one example, submerged logs have an extremely higher value than most logs. According to articles I found about the Deadhead Lumber Co., flooring is their number one product, accounting for about 90% of their product. They also offer other products such as finished products like furniture and counter tops, as well as lumber for building homes. Anyone from homeowners to contractors can purchase their products. They offer a variety of woods such as maple, yellow and white birch, white oak, cypress, red oak, and beech wood.
It is a lengthy process to prepare the logs for use. I have a feeling this is one of the reasons the price for submerged logs is so significant. After the logs are discovered there is a three day limit the logs can be out of the water and exposed to oxygen before they are milled. Once milled, the logs are stored in a warehouse for 6-8 months to dry out. Once this step is complete, the logs are then put into a kiln for another month before they are ready.
The river drives provided us with much more than a fun story to tell friends and loved ones. They provided us with an interesting history of the use of our waterways and access to these incredible logs. It’s remarkable how something can go from being a loss at one point in time to a major gain many years later. Thank you river drivers. Thank you Mother Nature. My, what a beautiful treasure you’ve created for us.
