Burl questions.

[Toney Robertson]

I found a couple of burls in the woods. Both trees are hard maple. Here they are.

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj101/iublue/Misc/IMG_3595.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj101/iublue/Misc/IMG_3596.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj101/iublue/Misc/IMG_3597.jpg

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj101/iublue/Misc/IMG_3598.jpg

The first one (as you can see) is close to the ground and about 4' in diameter. The other one is much higher and not as big. The questions.

Are burls just on the outside or do they reach into the trees core?

If it is just on the outside, I assume that since the first burl wraps around the tree I could not remove it without killing the tree?

Is it normal for them to have voids?

As large as it is, do I risk rotting or hollowing if I do not harvest it?

TIA

Toney

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Toney,

A friend gifted me with some burls. It did both....some were superficial and didnt' go all the way through the tree. Some did go all the way through. Good luck with those!

[Jack Mincey]

WOW! looks like you found some nice wood. The wood in the tree where the burl grows from the tree can be very pretty so you should cut the tree down on the larger burl if posible. If you can cut the tree you can cut the burl off just off the center of the tree. In doing this you will get any of the pretty wood that is in the trunk as well. The smaller burl looks like it might have a lot of pen burl in it. I don't have hard maple where I live so this is just a gut feeling I have by looking at the picture. You are going to need some help on getting the big burl out of the woods. I hope you have are know someone with some equipment that can do the job. Here is a pic of a bowl I turned from a birch burl. This bowl came from where the trunk and the burl merged. It was much nicer wood than the burl it's self. This is why I think you should think about that part of the trunk on the large burl.
Good Luck,
Jack
http://usera.ImageCave.com/flyrod444/100_0455-copy.jpg

[Jeff Nicol]

Toney, THe big one will have to be taken with the whole tree. If the trees are on private property that you can get them on that is great. If on public property like county land you may have some trouble, but could not hurt to contact the county and see what they think. The one up high could be cut off and maybe not kill the tree as it is high enough up, the tree does not look like it is the greatest for lumber so it is a firewood tree or a bowl turners dream! I have tons of them an they look just like those, with more coming. Some maple burls are not as nice as others if they are in layers like an onion, if they have the eyes and are highly figured those are the best. I seem to find a lot that are like the onion and they have a tendency to be more fragile and with more voids.

Good luck,

Jeff

[Toney Robertson]

Thanks for the input.

Jack, that is some PRETTY wood. I hope that my maple burl will look that good. Thanks for the advice on the trunk.

Jeff, the tree is on my Mom's property so no problem with dealing with the government. We are going to have the woods logged so maybe if I ask nicely they will drop the tree for me.

Does anyone know if not harvesting it will cause potential problems?

Toney

[Gary Herrmann]

If you just slice off the burls, the tree will have a significant wound to heal. Whether it does or not is anybody's call.

Based on the size of the bottom one, I'd think you'd get more yield if you harvest the whole tree.