Went up for Beech..........................

[thewoodlands]

and came down with some sugar maple. This has been down for a couple years, the closer I got towards the trunk of the tree the better the wood is, with plenty left on the hill.



Looks like the beech I went up for will need the trail cleared so I can get there.







GIBIR

 

[loon]

looking good zap ;-)

loon

 

[nrford]

Zap, I'm pretty sure you have Soft maple there not Hard. Sorry to say.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Looks like you saved that one just before it was headed downhill Zap. Mighty kind of you to give it a decent end.

 

[thewoodlands]

Zap, I'm pretty sure you have Soft maple there not Hard. Sorry to say.

Usually your soft maple trunks will be shorter then split but you could be right. Most maples that I saw in that area had sugar maple leaves, either way I'll take it.






Zap

 

[thewoodlands]

Looks like you saved that one just before it was headed downhill Zap. Mighty kind of you to give it a decent end.

If I would of cut it when I was supposed to it's end would be this winter.




Zap

 

[SolarAndWood]

lol, I think when you were supposed to is when you did by definition.

 

[thewoodlands]

Zap, I'm pretty sure you have Soft maple there not Hard. Sorry to say.

nrford, when I go up again I'll get a better look at the trees in that area. Are you going off the bark for the I.D.?



zAP

 

[nrford]

Bark and wood.

 

[nrford]

Zap, I'm pretty sure you have Soft maple there not Hard. Sorry to say.

Usually your soft maple trunks will be shorter then split but you could be right. Most maples that I saw in that area had sugar maple leaves, either way I'll take it.

Zap.


I've seen soft maple grow a single straight bole that would rival the best hard maple. And hard maple that would make you think it was really poor soft maple. You can not judge on tree form. I depend on bark more than anything else. Leaves would be second, mostly because they may be 40-60 feet of the ground and hard to see. As a lumberman/forester I need to be sure. Wood and it's appearance is my third factor, only because I can not use it in the woods until tree is felled, or sawn at the mill.
NRF

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I go somewhat like nford for judging what the tree is. I've never taken the time to learn much about the leaf but do know a few. I also don't know many trees that do not grow here so I am a bit limited.

I also agree with nford on the growth. We have lots of soft maple here; some are twins or triplets and others are single.

Like Zap, I'll take it. I have no problem with soft maple and normally burn a lot of it except right now we are burning primarily ash trying to get it before it rots. The good part is that ash rots very, very slow.

 

[firefighterjake]

Not sure what type of tree it is . . . but like BS and NFord when I was looking at the pics I was thinking that the bark didn't look much like the smooth-looking (often on younger beech trees) or pock-marked bark of the beech I'm used to seeing in my neck of the woods.

 

[nrford]

Not sure what type of tree it is . . . but like BS and NFord when I was looking at the pics I was thinking that the bark didn't look much like the smooth-looking (often on younger beech trees) or pock-marked bark of the beech I'm used to seeing in my neck of the woods.

That's why he thought it was Hard Maple! He went out for beech but had to cut this to get to the beech. I'm 99% sure it is soft maple. I burn alot of it to, don't mind it at all!

 

[thewoodlands]

Not sure what type of tree it is . . . but like BS and NFord when I was looking at the pics I was thinking that the bark didn't look much like the smooth-looking (often on younger beech trees) or pock-marked bark of the beech I'm used to seeing in my neck of the woods.

That's why he thought it was Hard Maple! He went out for beech but had to cut this to get to the beech. I'm 99% sure it is soft maple. I burn alot of it to, don't mind it at all!

I took a ride up tonight and these are the smaller trees around it, these look like sugar maple. Pictures 1 & 2 are trees growing on either side of the tree I bucked up.



Zap

 

[nrford]

Not sure what type of tree it is . . . but like BS and NFord when I was looking at the pics I was thinking that the bark didn't look much like the smooth-looking (often on younger beech trees) or pock-marked bark of the beech I'm used to seeing in my neck of the woods.

That's why he thought it was Hard Maple! He went out for beech but had to cut this to get to the beech. I'm 99% sure it is soft maple. I burn alot of it to, don't mind it at all!

I took a ride up tonight and these are the smaller trees around it, these look like sugar maple. Pictures 1 & 2 are trees growing on either side of the tree I bucked up.



Zap

Agreed those are hard maple. That doesnt mean anything for the one you cut up. I have seen Hard and soft maple growing off the same stump. still 99.4% certain it is soft.

 

[nrford]

The heart wood is not hard maple. 25 years as sawmiller, and forester,+ grandfather and father the same. I'm sticking to my guns Soft.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Time for the blind lift test. Pick up a round, if it feels like Pine it is Silver, Beech it is Sugar.

 

[thewoodlands]

Time for the blind lift test. Pick up a round, if it feels like Pine it is Silver, Beech it is Sugar.

I lift lots of Cherry which is close to soft maple and the Maple up top seemed alot heavier. We do have a big maple up there that I can't tell what the leaves are so the binoculars are going up when I cut the rest of whats down.


The plan for tomorrow is the good size Beech on the side of the hill.



Zap

 

[fossil]

What difference does it make...it's firewood. Rick

 

[Backwoods Savage]

On the weight of soft maple, there is a huge difference in weight once it has dried but cut green can still be heafty.

 

[nrford]

On the weight of soft maple, there is a huge difference in weight once it has dried but cut green can still be heafty.

That wood has also been on ground, soaking up all the moisture we've had this spring! And agreed it doesn't matter all that much it will burn just fine as I said before.