Maple color change

[southview]

The question is are  maples less likely to have blue/grey streaks if cut in winter or does not seem to make a difference?  How long does a person typically have to saw sugar maples before this starts to happen.

[Ron Wenrich]

I don't get to saw too much hard maple, but we get those blue/grey streaks in soft maple.  It comes from borers that get iunder the maple bark.  It leaves a streak in the wood.  But, that usually has occured years ago and has little to do with current cutting.

You can get sap stain in white woods by leaving them lay too long in the summer.  Maple isn't as bad as some of the softer woods.  I have some laying in the yard for about 3-4 weeks with no sap stain. 

[SwampDonkey]

Hard maple isn't as bad as yellow birch, but 4 or 5 weeks it's gonna check on the ends. I've seen hard maple turn black on the ends after 4 weeks (stovewood), especially pieces in the direct sun. But, I don't think the stain will travel until after the bugs get chewing and making galleries. Yellow birch will get blue-green stain in the sapwood after 3 weeks in the hot sun. In the winter months , in freezing cold climate, you won't get stain, accept maybe the ends at the end of April.

[southview]

You mention bugs causing the streaks and I was told it was the sugar in the sap that made it change color.  Either way I will find out how some logs a neighbor of mine has are doing.  They were cut last winter and I just found someone to saw them for me next week.  That would mean they have been on the ground 12-14 weeks since it thawed out from winter.  Then ends were sealed so hopefully that may have helped also.

[Ron Wenrich]

Take some pictures.  That'll help us out.