Minor Red Maple Score - Sometimes I cant resist it

[peakbagger]

I got my annual inspection on my Unimog today, the spring road bans are still on side roads but the ban is for 6 tons and the Unimog scales out at around 10,500 pounds empty so I can haul a bit of wood but not a full load. The utility was around the neighborhood a few weeks ago and dropped a big red maple. I have wood over at my wood lot but this one looked too good to let it rot. The lot is owned by an absentee owner who rarely if ever visits it so I was not worried about poaching his wood. If the utility is on an active lot where someone lives, they either haul it off or cut it up for the homeowner but on large undeveloped lots they just drop them and let them fall where they may. It was down off the road so I got the Fiskars out to make the rounds manageable. It was typical red maple where it was in clump. One had died off and the rot had spread into the other one. Still a lot of good wood.

The other conclusion was after being sidelined with a broken ankle since last November, boy I am out of shape Once the road bans are off in 4 or 5 weeks I will go start hauling back from my woodlot.

 

[patrickk222]

thats a pretty nice haul man ..... im kind of fond of red maple and im its kinda underrated for firewood wise

 

[peakbagger]

thats a pretty nice haul man ..... im kind of fond of red maple and im its kinda underrated for firewood wise

BTW They also dropped a popple (Aspen) nearby, its going to sit there and rot. It might be a good sawlog but not worth the hassle. IMO Red maple that size is dense and is getting very close to typical sugar maple.

 

[Caw]

I agree about red maple. It's my primary fuel source here (along with red oak) and I think it performs a lot better than the other soft maples like box elder, silver, and Norway. Much closer to sugar than anything else.

The other conclusion was after being sidelined with a broken ankle since last November, boy I am out of shape

Tell me about it. I'm out here today splitting a few logs after being out since Jan 8th with a broken shoulder. I do 3 or 4 then take about an hour break from exhaustion and pain. It's good for me though, gotta get back out there and get some stress on the shoulder to promote healing.

 

[peakbagger]

I went and climbed a mountain today. I had to buy new tall boots for ankle support. SO I was breaking in new boots with marginal ankle. It took me 1.5 times my usual time. The only way for soft tissue to come back is use it and break up the scar tissue.

 

[shoot-straight]

Love maple. My new hunting property has an abundance- that and sweet gum. Lots log big but also lots about 6-10". Perfect one split wood. I'm killing and dropping as many as I can To release the white and red oaks and help them grow faster. I have an endless supply, but the property is so wet it makes getting the wood out more than a chore.

 

[SpaceBus]

I went and climbed a mountain today. I had to buy new tall boots for ankle support. SO I was breaking in new boots with marginal ankle. It took me 1.5 times my usual time. The only way for soft tissue to come back is use it and break up the scar tissue.

It's uncomfortable/painful, but true.

A local told me a few of the trees on our property were popples, but the bark looks more like Basswood. From photos the leaves are very similar, but the bark on our "popples" is dark and not the stark white I normally see on Aspen trees. We do have shoots coming up everywhere, but that doesn't help identification.

 

[ABMax24]

A local told me a few of the trees on our property were popples, but the bark looks more like Basswood. From photos the leaves are very similar, but the bark on our "popples" is dark and not the stark white I normally see on Aspen trees. We do have shoots coming up everywhere, but that doesn't help identification.

Balsam Poplar maybe (aka Bam)? They are often confused here for Trembling Aspen. Around here they drop sticky buds in spring, and give off lots of Poplar fuzz (often confusing them with other Cottonwoods). They have a leaf similar to Aspen, but without the sawtooth edge and with a more pointy tip. Young trees have a more aspen like bark, but as they get older they turn grey with V-grooves.

Makes for junk firewood, is often rotten, has low BTU, and produces tons of ash. About the only wood I won't take for firewood.

balsam poplar

A database that provides information on more than 200 native tree and shrub species, and on almost 300 insects and 200 diseases found in Canada's forests.

tidcf.nrcan.gc.ca

 

[Caw]

I went and climbed a mountain today. I had to buy new tall boots for ankle support. SO I was breaking in new boots with marginal ankle. It took me 1.5 times my usual time. The only way for soft tissue to come back is use it and break up the scar tissue.

Bone is similar. You're not breaking up scar tissue but once it's solid enough to work putting stress on it stimulates growth.

 

[peakbagger]

And the only way it really gets strong is to get the hardware out of it. I got lots of hardware

 

[SpaceBus]

Balsam Poplar maybe (aka Bam)? They are often confused here for Trembling Aspen. Around here they drop sticky buds in spring, and give off lots of Poplar fuzz (often confusing them with other Cottonwoods). They have a leaf similar to Aspen, but without the sawtooth edge and with a more pointy tip. Young trees have a more aspen like bark, but as they get older they turn grey with V-grooves.

Makes for junk firewood, is often rotten, has low BTU, and produces tons of ash. About the only wood I won't take for firewood.

balsam poplar

A database that provides information on more than 200 native tree and shrub species, and on almost 300 insects and 200 diseases found in Canada's forests.

tidcf.nrcan.gc.ca

I'll have to get some pics once they start leafing, the trees we have have very saw edge leaves. The larger specimens (8+" DBH) have smooth bark transitioning to deep furrows. Bark tends to be flaky with a coarse under layer and the wood is very light in both color and weight. Unfortunately that also describes most poplar, basswood, and aspen, which to my knowledge all three reproduce with shoots and seed.

 

[Takenname_7]

One my fav.s.. for sure. Good score!