Logs are kept under sprinklers during storage for avoiding the development of sapstain fungi. According to literature, sapstain fungi do not develop if the moisture content is above 120%. It is supposed that, the water sprinklers maintain the log's moisture content above this value, but, very often, sapstain is found on sawn lumber cut from these logs. Logs are harvested and transported to the sawmills on trucks. This procedure can take from one to five days or even more before the logs begin to receive the water from the sprinklers. Results of evaluating Pinus radiata sapwood moisture content show that: 1. Freshly harvested logs have a high moisture content, and this is higher as higher we go through the trunk, with values ranging between 130 and 180%. 2. The moisture content decreases during the transportation, reaching very often values of preference for fungal development. 3. Moisture content measurements of logs stored in the yard under water sprinklers indicate that the initial moisture content is maintained, at least during the first 15 to 30 days of storage. 4. Measurements of sapwood temperature show that, keeping logs under water sprinklers avoid the increase of temperature during the high temperature hours of the day.

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