Spalted Maple, when to harvest

[Joe Little]

My Vermont property is lined with big old maples. There is one that has died over the last couple years. My question...how can I tell if it will be spalted? There is no visable rot on the tree and it still looks pretty solid with no limbs dropping yet, but it is dead. It will eventually take down a powerline and I can either wait for that to happen or take it down myself. It will be expensive to remove. Can it be spalted and still be standing?

Thanks
Joe

[Cody Colston]

Can it be spalted and still be standing?

Absolutely. I cut down several standing dead Elm trees last year that were heavily spalted. The spores that cause spalting are everywhere in the air and once the tree is dead, the fungi will start to grow as long as the MC is above 20%.

[Jim Becker]

Yes, it can be spalted and still standing. Two of the Norway Maples I took down when we first moved to this property were exactly in that state.

[Scott T Smith]

My Vermont property is lined with big old maples. There is one that has died over the last couple years. My question...how can I tell if it will be spalted? There is no visable rot on the tree and it still looks pretty solid with no limbs dropping yet, but it is dead. It will eventually take down a powerline and I can either wait for that to happen or take it down myself. It will be expensive to remove. Can it be spalted and still be standing?

Thanks
Joe

Yes, it can be spalted and standing.

Be VERY CAREFUL if you choose to fell the tree yourself. Professionals refer to standing dead trees as "widowmakers" due to their propensity to drop large, heavy branches on the feller...

[Graham Wilson]

My Vermont property is lined with big old maples. There is one that has died over the last couple years. My question...how can I tell if it will be spalted? There is no visable rot on the tree and it still looks pretty solid with no limbs dropping yet, but it is dead. It will eventually take down a powerline and I can either wait for that to happen or take it down myself. It will be expensive to remove. Can it be spalted and still be standing?


Power companies in these parts are pretty good about cutting down trees that threaten lines. It might be worth contacting them and seeing if they'll drop it for you. It it is dead, I'd drop it. I'm by no means an expert on spalting but almost every maple tree that I've found on my in-laws 25+ acres seems to spalt if left on the ground for a few months. The spores are associated with fungi so the sign of mushrooms on the trunk or ground near where the tree rests is usually a good sign.