[Sam Brown (OP)]

Cindy has asked:

"Where I live in Latin America, wood-cutters will cut down trees only on a full moon. In fact they have a special calendar produced for the year that give them the correct dates. Full moon is also when a lot of planting and harvesting takes place.

Is there any scientific basis for this?"

What do you think?

[Bored chemist]

Is there any scientific basis for this?"

No.

[evan_au]

wood-cutters will cut down trees only on a full moon... Is there any scientific basis for this?

If they are a bit late getting home with their big pile of wood, they can still see where they are going, by the light of the full moon?

[Colin2B]

The people who believe in moon based agriculture speculate that just as the moon affects tides it also affects the drawing up of sap into plants, so dictating the best times to cut, plant etc. Tests have failed to show a real difference.
If you wanted to cut wood at the best time you would choose reduced sap and that is more complicated than just full moon, but would also apply to new moon. I’d go with @evan_au suggestion, if you are working late you can see better.

[evan_au]

It might also be a sustainability thing - you are limited to how much wood you can extract on 1 day in 28 days...

...or maybe just a laziness thing? I can't get you any wood today - it's not a full moon...

[randomcrumb]

Sorry, rekindling an old post here but I think it's worth it to counter the previous responses.

Enter the following into researchgate dot com search engine and check out the study.

Lunar_Rhythms_In_Forestry_Traditions_-_Lunar-Correlated_Phenomena_In_Tree_Biology_And_Wood_Properties

[Petrochemicals]

So the tree spirits are appeased or protected against. Sycamore is a dangerous tree to cut anytime.

[toml]

It is obviously to hide the fact they are actually werewolfs

[ninaholm]

Some furniture builders insist on cutting wood during the growing moon to ensure that the moisture content is high since the sap is being drawn up into the trunk of the tree, which makes wood easier to steam and bend.

[Bored chemist]

since the sap is being drawn up into the trunk of the tree

What is drawing the sap up?

[costarican]

It is obviously to hide the fact they are actually werewolfs

Hahahah, indeed