Help Identifying Fallen Tree

[internet.user.human]

Long time lurker, first time poster here. A 40-50 foot tree fell in the wooded area behind my house and I wanted to put it to good use. I’ve started to mill it with my chainsaw and the figure/grain inside is very interesting, but I’m having a hard time identifying it. The bark was rough at the base and towards the canopy it was smoother. I did find a few immature leaves still hanging on from the summer and they look like red maple to me. See pics, any advice? Thanks for your help!

-J

 

[lone wolf]

Sure looks like Red Maple.

 

[internet.user.human]

Sure looks like Red Maple.

Thanks for the reply lone wolf. Does that heartwood seem normal to you? I haven’t seen it that dark and red before but admittedly I’ve never milled a maple before either. I’m guessing some of those darker marks is spalting?

 

[lone wolf]

Thanks for the reply lone wolf. Does that heartwood seem normal to you? I haven’t seen it that dark and red before but admittedly I’ve never milled a maple before either. I’m guessing some of those darker marks is spalting?

well I see that all the time.

 

[Del_]

Thanks for the reply lone wolf. Does that heartwood seem normal to you? I haven’t seen it that dark and red before but admittedly I’ve never milled a maple before either. I’m guessing some of those darker marks is spalting?

Spalting is only normal, sometimes.



https://www.google.com/search?q=is+...ome..69i57.11131j0j9&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

[ATH]

On a technicality, that MAY be spalting. But it is what we call "wormy maple". Pretty flat ground around here and almost all of the woods are low/wet. Almost 100% of the Silver maple from those is wormy. Used to be a significant defect...now people pay more for it.

(PS: agree that is Red maple)

 

[internet.user.human]

Thanks everybody for your help. That’s the first I had heard of wormy/ambrosia maple and I’m glad I came to here to ask. Can’t wait to get it dried and sterilized for some projects.

-J

 

[Stone8824]

I know its an old post but those leaves and really red wood definitely remind me of box elder which is still categorized in the maple family. Id just be interested to see how the wood turned out in your projects. Ive never thought box elder was good to mill even with the cool red wood. Its hard to imagine a red maple that big and twisty even out in the woods. Box elder are notoriously twisty and gnarly.