The Rural Voice, 2006-06, Page 45BERNIE McGLYNN
LUMBER LTD.
BUYER OF HARDWOOD BUSHLOTS
Wholesaler - Hardwood Lumber
Box 385, R.R 2,
Wingham, Ont. NOG 2W0
BERNIE McGLYNN
Ph/Fax (519) 357-1430
SAWMILL -
R.R. a #5, Mildmay, Ont.
(519) 367-5789
irk QT - d�
N
DAVID E. GREIN
LOGGING
Buyer of Standing
& Felled Hardwood Timber
& Bush Lots
• Competitive Pricing
• Quality Workmanship
R.R.#1 Neustadt (519) 799-5997
EXCEPTIONALLY SAFE
EFFICIENT - DURABLE CHIMNEY
CHIMTEKTm
"Help minimize pollution"
SAFETY - $AVE $$$ - burn Tess solid fuel!
Masons - home owners, for info please contact
EBERSOL \MASONRY CHIMNEY SUPPLY
Line 67 # 4922, R.R. #2,
Milverton, ON NOK IMO
Voice Mail 519-595-4919
or Frank at 519-699-4092
PACKERS: WE BUILD
RUBBER
TIRE
PACKER
SPECIALISTS
Also large fold -up steel drum
packers, lawn & estate rollers,
custom manufactured
HAROLD JONES
ENTERPRISES
RR #2, Arthur, Ont. (519) 848-2799
Woodlot Management
Birdsege maple: an unsolved mgsterg
Steve Bowers
is a forester
and forest
owner, a
member of
the Huron -
Perth
Chapter of
the'Ontario
Woodlot
Association
and
Stewardship
Co-ordinator with the Huron
Stewardship Council.
For many years I'd eagerly
anticipate a mid -summer trip to the
town of Durham to visit their annual
wood show. No doubt my wife
viewed these pilgrimages more with
apprehension than anticipation,
wondering what new piece of
woodworking equipment I'd
convince myself that I couldn't do
without.
One of the highlights of the show
was always a tour of the woodwork-
ing competition. Without fail there
would be a few pieces in the show
crafted from birdseye maple and
these always caught my eye.
Birdseye maple is very distinct
and relatively rare figure or grain
pattern in the wood that looks like
small circles or eyes. It is prized by
fine woodworkers and since it is both
expensive and uncommon, is
typically used for higher -end
products and trim. One of the more
famous uses for birdseye maple is in
the dashboards of Rolls Royce
automobiles.
Birdseye maple is not a separate
species of tree; it is caused by grain
distortions and found most commonly
in sugar maple. Birdseye grain can
also be less commonly observed in a
number of other species including
other maples (red, black, silver and
Norway), yellow birch, white ash,
black walnut and American beech.
The cause of birdseye grain
remains a mystery, although many
theories have been suggested over the
years. One hypothesis is'that it is
caused by bird pecks, but that has
been discounted by many researchers.
Many other causes have been
suggested including, adventitious
(dormant) buds, deactivated cambium
due to fungal infection, suppression
(shade) early in the tree's life, soil
texture and fertility or even viral
infection; however, none have been
proven. It does not appear to be of
genetic origin either, as attempts to
grow birdseye maple from seedlings
or cuttings have been unsuccessful.
Very little is also known about the
geographic range of birdseye maple.
Even in areas where it is more
common, logs with birdseye suitable
for veneer make up well under one
percent of the commercial volume
harvested.
One U.S. Forest Service
researcher developed a publication to
help with identification of trees
containing birdseye grain. His
purpose was to help maximize timber
sale values obtained by landowners
and to improve utilization of trees
with birdseye grain. He cautions that
even if birdseye is present, it only
adds appreciably to lumber or veneer
value if the figuring is in a suitable
combination of size, frequency and
distribution. The log must be of
adequate quality as well.
Also, location of birdseye may be
incon-sistent within a tree: i.e. it may
be present on one side of a log and
not the other, or be present in one log
but not other logs from the same tree.
He suggests several approaches to
help determine if birdseye is present.
One option is to examine the bark,
looking for dark spots or
indentations. These features may be
easier to see if any loose outer bark is
removed. He also indicates that a
constricted or "Coke -bottle" form in
the lower trunk may also be an
indicator of the presence of birdseye.
Another option is to remove both
the outer and inner bark, exposing the
surface of the wood. Birdseye will
appear as small indentations or
dimples in the wood. This should
only be done to trees immediately
before harvest or to harvested trees.
as such wounds will expose the tree
JUNE 2006 41