Ronald W. Anthony is the President and Wood Scientist at Anthony & Associates, Inc. (woodguy@anthony-associates.com)
The Montezuma Valley Irrigation Company Flume No. 6, also referred to as the McElmo Creek Flume (the Flume), located near the City of Cortez in Montezuma County, Colorado, is the last remaining flume of a water delivery system designed to irrigate the flat, open Montezuma Valley. The Flume is historically significant as an irrigation system of early Euro-American settlement.
…
All wood is subject to some degree of seasoning, i.e., drying until it acclimates to the humidity conditions of the surrounding atmosphere at in-service conditions. Seasoning occurs when the wood is air-dried, dried in a kiln under controlled conditions, or subject to radio frequency drying. As wood loses (or gains) moisture, it will shrink (or swell) until it reaches equilibrium with the constantly changing level of moisture of its immediate environment. As shown in Figure 1, seasoning checks are separations of the wood fibers that develop along the length of lumber or timber due to shrinkage of the wood as it dries.
…