Big maple yardbird scrounge..sugar or soft?

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osagebow

Minister of Fire
Jan 29, 2012
1,685
Shenandoah Valley, VA
Got a big maple at a friend's going, tree guys still need to do trunk. 3 loads so far, maybe 3 more in trunk and remaining pieces. Used the sharp hatchet method to load all of these pieces quickly, impressed the tree guys - "we gotta try that!" Taught the one 10 years ago, so , so might have more wood coming down the road.

No brush, nocutting, no cleanup, small sections, and all the lemonade I could drink. I could get used to this!:cool:

Her Neighbor says he planted it 40 years ago, and it's a sugar maple.I don't think so - Whaddaya'll think?

Gonna process and stack the loads in my nieghbor's yard, may pull some for next year if it dries fast.





Some old stuff under where I dumped this load.
 
I think that's soft Maple of some kind. Is that the leaf from it in the first pic? That leaf doesn't look like Red...maybe Silver, but doesn't look quite right for that either... I'm baffled. :confused:
 
I didn't think it was a sugar.(edit) I'm pretty sure that leaf came from it - I got there after the brush was cleaned up.Another maple (he said it was a norway) is still in the yard though.
 
Think you are right, kemosabe!
 
Yep it's silver I get a bunch of it from the tree guys. I'd be shocked to see a sugar grow that big in 40 years.
 
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Bet it's wet & heavy .
Looks like soft, still good wood though.

1 big tree. Will make some great firewood & lots of it ;)

Great score & looks like you're having fun :)
 
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Yes Sir.......silver. Mother in law had a big one topped a few months ago. I haven't burnt any in quite a few years because like you said most are yard birds. Still need to split the 2 pickup loads I hauled home from her tree. It will be for another winter down the road.
 
Silver, without a doubt. Bark and leaves are tell-tale. And I'd definitely be taking it, in a heartbeat. You split that stuff up now, you'll be able to use it this fall and winter. Fantastic shoulder season or mixed load wood......I have tons of silver and red maple in my stacks and I wouldn't be without it.....
 
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I guess that's a different variety than the Silver I've seen here. The leaves I've seen have more jagged edges and pointy lobes; In the above pic, they look more rounded. That is the White Oak of Silver Maple! :)

I'm working on a Silver score myself; I've gotten four 1/3-cord loads so far, with about an equal amount to get. The last load I got, I split before loading it on the trailer...it's already stacked. :cool:

I'm taking a break for a couple days; Still nursing a shoulder strain from a big, wet Red Oak I got a few weeks ago. Dove in and hammered that stuff day after day. Should have eased into that job, as out of shape as I was. I might have to resume some stretching and strengthening exercises I was doing a while back. I ain't gettin' any younger, and there have been a couple of rotator cuff blowouts in the 'hood recently...don't want that. :oops:
 
I guess that's a different variety than the Silver I've seen here. The leaves I've seen have more jagged edges and pointy lobes; In the above pic, they look more rounded. That is the White Oak of Silver Maple! :)

I'm working on a Silver score myself; I've gotten four 1/3-cord loads so far, with about an equal amount to get. The last load I got, I split before loading it on the trailer...it's already stacked. :cool:

I'm taking a break for a couple days; Still nursing a shoulder strain from a big, wet Red Oak I got a few weeks ago. Dove in and hammered that stuff day after day. Should have eased into that job, as out of shape as I was. I might have to resume some stretching and strengthening exercises I was doing a while back. I ain't gettin' any younger, and there have been a couple of rotator cuff blowouts in the 'hood recently...don't want that. :oops:


Yeah, I wasn't to upset when the tree guy said he bent his bar felling the trunk and wouldn't be able to finish it up till next week!
 
I'm jumping in here to stir the pot. The large pieces look like silver, but the smaller rounds on the top of the pile don't look like silver at all. I have a silver out back here and all the smaller branches are rough and scaly like the base of the tree. Are there two different trees in the picture? The bark looks completely different.
 
Nope, same tree. bark is inconsistent - That's why I was stumped <> ....hahaha... Some of the longer poles near the lower crotches are scaly transitioning to smooth, though. Lots of silver cultivars and hybrids, I've found out.
 
Mother in law had 2 silvers topped recently. Both had the rough bark at the bottom and one had smooth upper limbs, the other had rough upper limbs. Trees were about 20 feet apart.
 
Bark is always a little different from tree to tree and varies with age. Upper limb wood is usually smooth on the yard birds I get.
 
Used the sharp hatchet method to load all of these pieces quickly, impressed the tree guys - "we gotta try that!"

I see the mark on the ends. Ever try a pulp hook? I have found that they are much easier to 'pop' into the log/round and they have a much better 'angle of grab' because your wrist isn't twisted straight in an axe grip. They have a much more natural swing and grip.
 
Nope, same tree. bark is inconsistent - That's why I was stumped <> ....hahaha... Some of the longer poles near the lower crotches are scaly transitioning to smooth, though. Lots of silver cultivars and hybrids, I've found out.

Ok, I went out on a limb as I have never seen that before.
 
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I see the mark on the ends. Ever try a pulp hook? I have found that they are much easier to 'pop' into the log/round and they have a much better 'angle of grab' because your wrist isn't twisted straight in an axe grip. They have a much more natural swing and grip.
?? Got a video?


Yeah, Paul, definitely Looking for an old pulp hook at yardsales, They look fun to use, as well. Picked up a small homemade cant hook for 10 bucks recently I have to post. I'll try to get some pics or an vid of tusing the hatchet when i get the rest.
 
Ok, I went out on a limb as I have never seen that before.

haha...I've learned quite a bit about trees on here. Gotta ask to learn!
 
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