How long can wood be exposed to elements before unusable?

Hey all so we are currently looking at potential property to move to and build either an unground build like a wofati or a berm backed wofati esque structure. I am seeing a lot of the parcels in our price range have been timbered in the last year or 2 and many have piles of timber that must have been deemed not good enough for sawing down. Do you guys think these might be usable for something like a wofati build?

Often they appear to already be cut to 6-9 foot lengths which makes me think they could be prime for a palisade style wofati. I understand that conditions and species would probably determine what is or isn't usable. Here in Missouri we often get around 30 in of rain and the species would most likely be oak, maple or cedar for the larger trees. We do also have black and honey locust which I'm guessing most timber companies wouldn't want. My biggest worry is probably turkey tail or similar white rot fungi setting in. It is very prevalent and I often see it on blown down trees the next year on our property but I don't know if that is just because some of it has dead limbs that blow down. I think they could absolutely be used for hugel beds but if we can essentially buy precut building materials at the edges of the clearings we may use for a homesite that would be amazing.

It largely depends on whether the logs have been stripped of bark, and what species the logs are. Some species are more rot resistant than others.

But more importantly, the bark will attract beetles, fungi etc which will destroy the timbers rather quickly. If they've been stacked properly, you might be lucky but if they've been left out for a couple of years they'll probably be complete junk, barely suitable for firewood, I'm sorry to say.

Andrew Pritchard wrote:they'll probably be complete junk, barely suitable for firewood, I'm sorry to say.

I kinda figured. Hopefully they would be good for hugel beds since I suspect they would rot down to humus quickly but I was hoping I might be able to find a more constructive use for them.

You might be lucky and there may be some useable timber there, but I wouldn't count on it.

However, you are lucky that you might have some trees for Hugelculture. Is it truly a waste in that case?

Here in Indiana nothing other than Black Locust would have a useful lifespan in contact with the ground. Eastern Red Cedar if it's big enough, might be used but it doesn't last as long as locust. If the logs are piled or stacked woods like oak or hickory might be good for firewood for few years if they are on top and not in direct contact with the ground. I suppose they would all be fine for the hugel mounds.

We have abundant limestone in all our creeks, that's what all the old foundations, root cellars and even fences are made of, and some are easily 200 years old.

if its white oak  it will last years in direct contact with the ground,water does not move through the  cells very well,its uses for  ship building depleted much of it in  many regions for this reason

depending on species the sap wood might be decaying but the heart may be just as good as the day it fell,stick it with an axe to check it

if nothing  else use as   firewood or where you don't need much strength,fence pickets or nest boxes, raised beds etc.

I would not buy a timbered property.
The work involved in just making the land useful is too much for most people and if you had equipment it would cost more than purchasing a better property in the first place.
I purchased a rock covered property once and it broke my heart in the end.