A lumber transfer system and a method for individually transferring lumbers from a feeding conveyor to an outfeed conveyor. Detectors are used for monitoring a lumber presence along a corridor on a longitudinal conveying surface. Motorized blocking fingers located about the corridor and transversally spaced along the conveying surface are provided and are configured for moving between blocking and unblocking positions. A controller is also provided, the controller having at least one input for receiving detecting signals from the detectors respectively, the detecting signals of the detectors being respectively associated to the motorized blocking fingers. The controller also has at least one output for sending independent control signals to the motorized blocking fingers respectively, in response to the detecting signals, for moving the respective blocking fingers for which a lumber presence is detected from a blocking to an unblocking position, and otherwise keeping the respective motorized blocking fingers in their blocking position.