The Rural Voice, 2006-07, Page 50Woodlot Management
More information on wood grains
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.
In last month's column I talked
about birdseye maple. There are a
number of other unique grain patterns
sometimes found in locally grown
wood that are valued in specialty
woodworking.
Curly grain has a pattern of waves
or stripes across the grain and is
sought after by woodworkers. It can
be found in wood from several maple
species, but is also seen in other
species such as cherry, oak and
walnut. Curly maple can come from
hard maple but is much more likely
to be found in soft maple trees.
The stripes in the grain have the
interesting characteristic of changing
appearance if the wood is tilted so the
light hits it at a different angle (much
like a hologram). The appearance
also varies depending if the wood is
flat sawn, quarter sawn or rift sawn.
Depending on the intensity of the
figure, where you are and who you're
talking to, it can also be known by a
variety of other names including
Tiger, Tigerstripe, Flame and
Fiddleback. The Fiddleback maple
term was coined because it has often
been used for the back of violins
(fiddles) due to its appearance and
resonance properties. Logs with curly
grain can often be identified if the
bark is removed. It shows up as
"muscular" ridges perpendicular to
the length of the log.
Burls are another feature found on
trees that can be valued by
woodworkers. particularly for
,1\$L.s
P
'0our+o scf
v
Marvin L. Smith
B Sc F (Forestry). R.P.F.
Farm Woodland Specialist
570 Riverview Dr.
Listowel, Ontario N4W 3T7
Telephone: (519) 291-2236
Providing advice and assistance with:
• impartial advice/assistance in selling timber,
including selection of trees and marking
• reforestation of erodible or idle land
• follow-up tending of young plantations
• windbreak planning and establishment
• woodlot management planning
• diagnosis of insect and disease problems
• conducting educational programs in woodlot
management
• any other woodland or tree concerns
CO
Tree Marking,
Advertising,
Woodlot
[�Assessments �'4
T
6 Foresters & Certified Tree Markers
ULTIMO 1-888-923-9995
Dave Taylor & John Todd Harold Frost Eleanor Reed
Jim Eccles Paris, ON Clinton, ON Orillia, ON
Owen Sound, ON 519-442-3102 519-482-7176 705-328-4584
519-794-9992
46 THE RURAL VOICE
turning. They are an interesting
phenomenon. As with birdseye or
curly grain there is much speculation
about what causes burls but the actual
cause is not really known. Sound
burls yield very highly figured wood.
Large burls are sometimes sawn into
lumber or even sliced into veneer.
Other interesting grain patterns
can sometimes also be found by
utilizing wood from various parts of
the tree that often end up in the wood
pile, such as crotches or stumps.
•••
This year is shaping up as an
unusual one from a tree seed
production perspective. There
appears to be a particularly heavy
seed crop on quite a number of
species. Most tree species only
produce significant seed crops at
intervals of two to five years, some
even less frequently (this is called
periodicity).
Locally this year I've seen good
crops on silver maple, sugar maple,
black maple, white ash, beech,
basswood, white cedar, Norway
spruce, and some others. It's
unusual for so many species to have
heavy crops in one year. Of course
insect infestations or bad weather
could still cause a crop failure.
The Ontario Tree Seed Plant in
Angus processes and stores seed for
nursery production of tree seedlings.
For some species it has been quite a
while since there was a decent crop
and the amount of seed in storage is
getting quite low. The seed plant is
no doubt looking forward to
replenishing their seed bank and will
be buying as much seed as their
budget allows this year. Obviously a
good supply of seed from the
appropriate geographic source is
' critical for any future tree planting
efforts. In order to find out about
becoming a certified seed collector,
contact the tree seed plant at 705-
424-5311 or the Forest Gene
Conservation Association at 705-755-
3284.
It is interesting to speculate why
there is such a heavy crop this year.
Some folks feel it may have been