Just a cart-full of Soft maple

[Danno77]

Neighbor asked if I'd cut down a soft maple that was on its way out. He trimmed the heck out of it last year and it wasn't doing so well afterwards (he works for the electric company so was up in a bucket cutting the top off last year).

I think the thing was on it's way out because it looks like there is spalling in the main trunk when i cut it up. The rounds are actually pretty light considering this thing was "alive" when i took it down yesterday.

So, it's my understanding that spalling is a fungus. is that right? what I'm calling spalling is this odd shaped black "ring". If I had to take a picture of it I could....

Also, if it is a fungus, this isn't something that would be likely to spread to the other soft maple in his yard is it? he has another very healthy one sitting about 20-30ft away. I shouldn't be worried about my bigger maples, should I?

 

[quads]

Can't help you with your tree questions, but that there is a cart FULL of wood! Nice!

 

[webie]

Not sure about your soft maple but I have lots of them in my woods and they seem for the most part a pretty tuff tree to kill un less they loose a part of there top . In my case the dieing ones are usually lack of enough sunlight or wind damage where the top got broke off . That black ring I find often even in what seem to be healthy trees . Soft maple thrive with lots of water . I had a dry summer here not sure if you also did in IL . Soft maple will rot standing up in one year time . They are death traps felling if the bark is coming off at all . Generally when they hit the ground there isnt much to cut up as it will all break up . Soft maple will rot in log lengths pretty fast too . I try never to have log length soft maple more than 12 months as it will be getting punky in that time already . The wood is relatively light even green and splits great , not sure how much moisture it holds . If you cut it green and buck and split it it lasts quite a long time .
As far as killing a soft maple I have many places where I have cut trees down to find about 10 growing out of the stump . Soft maple do not like to be topped much as I get a fair amount of wind damage and if I find one with the top off I take them down pretty quick as they seem to rot from the top down killing the tree . If he really cut the top back he may have killed the tree . It may actually grow new trees from the stump since you took it down completely . I know this seems weird but it happens with me .

 

[LLigetfa]

...but that there is a cart FULL of wood! Nice!

Ja but it looks tiny behind that tractor. You need to take the pic from a different perspective to make it "look" bigger like this. I need a bigger cart too.

As for a fungus, I'd be a tad worried. Often a fungus will be spread to other trees by insects but airborne contamination is a possibility. We have a Schubert Chokecherry that is susceptible to Black Knot and we are always carefully pruning, taking care not to spread the spores.

 

[wood spliter]

The black ring could it be more olive?? If it is the fungus is called Verticillium wilt. It is common among Maples. It usually defoliates a tree form one side to the other.

 

[Danno77]

The black ring could it be more olive?? If it is the fungus is called Verticillium wilt. It is common among Maples. It usually defoliates a tree form one side to the other.

well, it doesn't look like the verticulum wilt that I'm familiar with. I don't know what that looks like in its early stages, but what i've seen is a darker and wider ring. What this tree had is a very thin black ring. I tried to find an example on google images, can't find one with the end grain. it does look kinda like this though:

 

[wood spliter]

That looks like to me. I believe it stars with a small rind but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Not sure about your soft maple but I have lots of them in my woods and they seem for the most part a pretty tuff tree to kill un less they loose a part of there top . In my case the dieing ones are usually lack of enough sunlight or wind damage where the top got broke off . That black ring I find often even in what seem to be healthy trees . Soft maple thrive with lots of water . I had a dry summer here not sure if you also did in IL . Soft maple will rot standing up in one year time . They are death traps felling if the bark is coming off at all . Generally when they hit the ground there isnt much to cut up as it will all break up . Soft maple will rot in log lengths pretty fast too . I try never to have log length soft maple more than 12 months as it will be getting punky in that time already . The wood is relatively light even green and splits great , not sure how much moisture it holds . If you cut it green and buck and split it it lasts quite a long time .
As far as killing a soft maple I have many places where I have cut trees down to find about 10 growing out of the stump . Soft maple do not like to be topped much as I get a fair amount of wind damage and if I find one with the top off I take them down pretty quick as they seem to rot from the top down killing the tree . If he really cut the top back he may have killed the tree . It may actually grow new trees from the stump since you took it down completely . I know this seems weird but it happens with me .

I could not agree more! You are right on webie!

On the rotting, it does not seem to make any difference, or very little, if the log is touching ground or not; they will rot pretty fast.

As for the problem with this tree, I doubt it would spread. At least I've not seen that to be so.

 

[webie]

The black ring could it be more olive?? If it is the fungus is called Verticillium wilt. It is common among Maples. It usually defoliates a tree form one side to the other.

well, it doesn't look like the verticulum wilt that I'm familiar with. I don't know what that looks like in its early stages, but what i've seen is a darker and wider ring. What this tree had is a very thin black ring. I tried to find an example on google images, can't find one with the end grain. it does look kinda like this though:

Sure looks to me like the tree is starting to rot and thats it ......what ever you all want to call it I would cut split pile and burn it when its dry . I see many soft maples look the same you are getting it at a good time .