Apple wood drying question.

I've just scored two loads of apple wood. They are the branches from trees that were over 20 years old and had stopped producing apples so the orchard owner put the wood up for sale. I got in the deal with some others and two trips later, this is what I got:



These branches are from 5 inches to 9 inches in diameter and they range in length from 4 feet to 7 feet long. I'm going to cut them down to firebox length or smaller and then cut them in half lengthwise.

What I'm wondering is do I need to let them dry out before I cook with them?

Thanks for all the comments.

I wasn't aware that apple is low BTU, so I'll make sure I use it with charcoal or lump.

I am planning on cutting them down to smaller pieces and it sounds like I should do that up front to speed up the drying. Hopefully there won't be to many black widows in the pile when it's dried enough to use. I found four or five in the last pile of wood I had.