Large Norway maple taken down

[HItz]

Had this 60 foot tall Norway maple in my yard that was 2/3 dead (2 of the 3 trunks). Paid some guys to take it down to about 12 feet tall since it was hanging over my garage and the neighbor's fence. I took it down from 12 feet to the ground. At the base it was about 5 feet across (one picture has a 4 foot level on the stump). I haven't split any of the wood into firewood size chunks but I estimate it is about 3 cords overall. Was probably a bit much for my MS 271 with an 18 inch bar but shegot it done eventually. Had to sharpen the chains several times especially at the bottom of the tree since it was rotted out and had dirt accumulation. Now, for the pictures, enjoy!

 

[FaithfulWoodsman]

Awesome! Where's Norway fall on the btu charts?

 

[Hasufel]

Impressive! Love the pic of the chainsaw on the stump...looks like the tree could have swallowed it whole. Amazing that you managed all that with an 18" bar!

 

[Firefighter938]

That will make some fine firewood.

 

[HItz]

It's pretty good for BTUs as far as I can tell. It's like 60% of what I burn here in CT since it grows like a weed.

Edit: Another post on the site says it is like sugar maple, so 26M BTU/cord or so.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/norway-maple.50085/

 

[TheAardvark]

Awesome! Where's Norway fall on the btu charts?

I burn alot of it from trying to recliam a woodlot where it took over. Its better than red and silver. Not quite as good as sugar(hard) maple in my experience.

 

[HItz]

I burn alot of it from trying to recliam a woodlot where it took over. Its better than red and silver. Not quite as good as sugar(hard) maple in my experience.

It'll fight you the entire time. I am constantly mowing down baby Norway maples every spring from the seeds. The stumps don't die easily either. I had another tree taken down and the next year it had a dozen or so sprouts that were 6 feet tall before I noticed.

 

[Wood Duck]

I think Norway Maple is between Red /Silver Maples and Sugar Maple. but since it is an invasive weed it is more satisfying to burn.

 

[baseroom]

Agree with prior poster re btu's. It does dry relatively quickly but burns well. That's a nice haul!

 

[TheAardvark]

It'll fight you the entire time. I am constantly mowing down baby Norway maples every spring from the seeds. The stumps don't die easily either. I had another tree taken down and the next year it had a dozen or so sprouts that were 6 feet tall before I noticed.

Indeed. When I cut one down I poison the stump with undiluted herbicide. Its amazing how the native plant life comes back when you clear out an area. I wish they would ban selling these trees. They totally kill native forests if just 1 of them manages to take root.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Had a Norway in the backyard taken down last Spring, same thing, was starting to rot, I just piled the rounds and pieces on a pallet for splitting this March and it is very dry already. Burns nice, like others have said better than Red and Silver but not as high as Sugar but the price was right and it was right in your yard!

 

[Jeffm1]

Had this 60 foot tall Norway maple in my yard that was 2/3 dead (2 of the 3 trunks). Paid some guys to take it down to about 12 feet tall since it was hanging over my garage and the neighbor's fence. I took it down from 12 feet to the ground. At the base it was about 5 feet across (one picture has a 4 foot level on the stump). I haven't split any of the wood into firewood size chunks but I estimate it is about 3 cords overall. Was probably a bit much for my MS 271 with an 18 inch bar but shegot it done eventually. Had to sharpen the chains several times especially at the bottom of the tree since it was rotted out and had dirt accumulation. Now, for the pictures, enjoy!

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Sweet!

 

[HisTreeNut]

Very nice haul.

 

[Sodbuster]

It'll fight you the entire time. I am constantly mowing down baby Norway maples every spring from the seeds. The stumps don't die easily either. I had another tree taken down and the next year it had a dozen or so sprouts that were 6 feet tall before I noticed.

Hit the stump with some almost straight round up, it will kill the roots.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

Indeed. When I cut one down I poison the stump with undiluted herbicide. Its amazing how the native plant life comes back when you clear out an area. I wish they would ban selling these trees. They totally kill native forests if just 1 of them manages to take root.

Norway maple (Acer platanoides) was imported by one of our most famous and original american botanists, John Bartram (1699-1777). John Bartram lived in Philadelphia. They are now prolific in SE PA. Very invasive.

I cleared every last one from my acreage before we moved here, and I am now loving it as firewood It is still thick on all the neighbors land. They grow fast, are ridiculously prolific from seed, and definitely crowd out the natives Once they get big, they are brittle and break off at the branches frequently. Beautiful bright yellow fall foliage, they are the last ones to turn and drop in autumn (except for beech, which hang onto their leaves all winter). The stumps from the ones I cut down 4-5 years ago have already rotted out to the point that I can kick them out.

I noticed once on a visit to Valley Forge National Park that they have taken over much of the woodland in the park. As noted before, because of their brittleness, there are ugly swaths of busted up, largely norway maple, woodland areas in the park.