Milling Question

Had an unfortunate event this spring- One of my favorite trees "gave up the ghost" and had to be cut down this week. Since I'm interested in using the wood for wood working I've started reaching out to people about milling the wood.

* Is there anything I should do for the next week or two to keep it from cracking on the ends or from hurting the quality while I'm finding someone? * What are the risks of it just sitting in my backyard for a week or two?