Red bud ?

[Steve bellinger]

I have what i think is a eastern red bud tree. The only thing is it's 60 to 70ft tall. Everything i've been reading these only get 30 to 40ft tall. It's out in my woods which is a mixed hardwood lot of 6 1/2 acres. The reason i'm wanting to take this down is, it has a couple burls on it, and i want them.:p So is this worth taking down and turning or should i leave it there and let it grow?;)224506224507224508

[John Keeton]

Steve, it is unlikely it is rebud, given the size and the bark doesn't look right. However, you should know here in about 45 days or so, as they usually are blooming by the first week of April.

Personally, I would not take any healthy tree down just to get a couple of burls, but others may feel differently about that.

[Jeff Fagen]

My folks have one that is full of burls that has to come down.I can't wait.:D

[Bill Hensley]

Steve I'm not much help but I feel pretty sure that isn't a red bud. There are a lot of them in my area and they typically aren't big trees. The only time you notice them is in the spring when they bloom. I have one in the yard as an ornamental that isn't but a few years old and I can look at the bark tomorrow in the light.

[Steve bellinger]

Steve, it is unlikely it is rebud, given the size and the bark doesn't look right. However, you should know here in about 45 days or so, as they usually are blooming by the first week of April.

Personally, I would not take any healthy tree down just to get a couple of burls, but others may feel differently about that.John the tree is all ready buding and yes it has red buds coming out as i type. There are a number of these trees on my place that are budding, but this is the only one with burls.

[Nathan Hawkes]

Lots of trees have red buds in spring, but only the Redbud has unmistakable purple flowers which appear before any leaves. If it is a redbud, it is a HUGE one. I don't think that it is however; it looks nothing like the ones we have in Virginia, which are very common where I live. As far as taking a tree down for turning stock, this debate goes on. I personally think it'd be a mistake, but you are the one that has to make that decision.

[Tom Collins]

From here the image of the crown looks like it could be one of the soft maples, either red maple (Acer rubrum) or silver maple (Acer saccharinum). They are some of the first trees to bud out in the spring and have large red buds. The bark doesn't really look like maple I am familiar with but bark looks much different on trees from different regions. To me the bark is similar to ironwood (Carpinus caroliniana) but they don't usually get as large as the one you show. My guess would be a maple. The soft maples are low on the commercial value scale and removing it would give room to more desireable trees growing nearby.

TomC

[Steve bellinger]

Nathan i'll try to get a good pic of the buds in the am. As far as cutting it down better me than letting the weather taking it down. Also as 95% of my place is woods this one little tree ain't gonna be missed by the squirrels or deer.

[Michael Menzli]

The unseasonably warm weather has a number of trees budding early. Hopefully they dont succumb to a major freeze. Im in agreement.. this is most def. NOT a Redbud tree..Redbuds dont get that big ...sorry. Im going to take a shot and say it looks to be a Black Gum tree. Not 100% of course but it does appear that one of your photos has some leaves attached to branches. If thats the case it will be much easier to identify. The Redbud leaf looks like a heart.

I would not cut it for the sake of burls..or any healthy tree for that matter. When you say burls Im assuming your talking about healing growth over branches...unless they are MONSTERS they wont be worth it.

[David E Keller]

I'm with the doubters here… The redbud is the state tree of Oklahoma, and this would be considerably larger than any I've seen.

[Jim Burr]

I could care less...just glad to see you runnin' around!!

[David Starks]

Ill garauntee thats no redbud. the redbud also has flakey red/brown bark and they typically dont get more than 20' tall. They can get burly and the wood is pretty when turned.

Not sure what that is.

As for cutting down a healthy tree...to each thier own.. I do it all the time but not necessarily just for the burls.

[Steve bellinger]

Well thanks for all the replys. Still to dark out there to get a pic. A lot of folks think it may be a red maple, here and else where, and we do have red maple around. Just didn't think i had any. The red leafs, red buds, is the reason i was asking.

[Michael Menzli]

Steve I was going to go with maple initially but the bark looks a little different to me (deeper grooves). I realize this varies from tree to tree. Also the lack of lower branches from what I can tell. Maple is entirely possible and will turn some sweet bowls. Perhaps there is some ambrosia damage . I would take a look at the leaf litter and try and match those that are attached to the tree (if what Im seeing is right)

[John McClanahan]

The bark in the photo doesn't come close to the bark on the Red Bud tree in my back yard.

[Chris Studley]

As noted above, for many it has been a very mild winter. In the northeast I am seeing buds on many trees and it is still February. In my area it is common to expect snow up until April. The timing of these budding and flowering events will likely be skewed some this year, I'm sure some species are more effected than others.

As far as whether or not to take it down... My two cents would be, dont take it down "just for the burls".

However, after identifying the tree type, you may get all exited about not just the burls but the rest of the tree's wood as well. This is better as it would be less wasteful, but given the size of the tree, I don't think you can turn it all. For me this would not justify killing an otherwise healthy tree.

Now if a local turning club and its members wanted enough of the rest of the tree as to justify the sacrifice, leaving little wasted, that may sufficiently honor the tree making it worth taking down. At that point you may even get help cutting up all that wood.

[Steve bellinger]

Well i did take it down this am. No it's not red bud as i hoped, but i do believe it's red maple. That's even better as far as i'm concered.All ready started cutting it up into blanks.havn't gotten to far as i am working right up the road,trying to finish up a little job. I'll more than likely just take what i want for now and leave the bulk out in the woods and cut off it as i see fit.Maybe the rest will do some nice spalting if i'm luckly.

[Dean Chapel]

It's your tree. Take it down for any reason you choose. Kinda like the guy who is against hunting deer, as he sits and eats his steak. It is not morally superior to have someone else cut down a tree for the burls and then sell them to you. I would argue the exact opposite. In my opinion, it is "honest" harvesting, the same as when a man shoots a deer for his freezer or grows his own garden. Or, it's OK to cut a tree for firewood, as that warms your house, but not in the name or art... or science...or development... or etc. Your land has fed and nourished this tree. It belongs to you. Let its wood become a lasting testament to your land and times by being remembered in the form of a bowl, lumber, container or object of your choosing. One day both you and the tree will be gone. The object you make can be a testament both to the tree's and your life.

[Steve bellinger]

224645224644Well as that little job i had to do took longer than i thought , i didn't get as much done as i had hoped. This tree will give me lots of wood to play with, as from the ground to the first branch(crotch) was right at 28 ft.Started off at 19" at the butt, and at the crotch is 15". So my guess at about 60ft was real close. This pic is of the 2nd crotch as the first was to heavy to drag to the shop. And ofcorse the tractor battery was dead. Have the charger on the battery so i'll be able to drag some more to the shop tomorrow. Thanks again for the help.224643

[charlie knighton]

pretty wood, and you got plenty of it what ever it is, looking forward to seeing some turnings out of it

[John Keeton]

Steve, looks like you have some nice Ambrosia AND some nice feather! Sounds like you will utilize much of the tree and that makes it worthwhile.

[Cody Colston]

That's not a Red Bud. I have some soft Maples that had small red blooms on them a couple of weeks ago. They have since fallen off. I'm not sureif that's what it is but I am certain it's not a Red Bud.

[Steven Green]

From the look of the bark I'd say Hackberry. Also if you have redbuds in with other trees they will grow taller just to compete for light. We see them all the time around here close to the roads, can't miss them in the spring.

[Jamie Donaldson]

When red buds start to bloom, that means the crappie are coming to the banks and it's time to go fishing!

[Michael Menzli]

When red buds start to bloom, that means the crappie are coming to the banks and it's time to go fishing!

My kinda talk...although im more into the smallies myself

I think the OP realizes this is not a redbud from previous posts. It does appear to be a maple of some sort but still looks a bit strange to me after its been cut up. I checked a few red maples on the farm and some larger ones do look similar with a number of them missing lower branches...this makes the most sense.