Maple with rotted centers

[Woodhog]

I am cutting firewood in a fairly wet area. I notice most of the center of Maple has all started or is well into a rot stage.

I was wondering what causes this, they are anywhere from about 6 to 12 inches at the butt in diameter. It would be hard to find a sawlog in this spot.

I am in Nova Scotia. I think they call it Acadia forest type..

[tonto]

I just took down 4 - 16" to 20" maples last week for a customer and all 4 were rotten 4" to 8" in the centers. I'm in Lower NY and it was pretty wet were they were. Still made some nice firewood though.

[Splinter]

http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/Volume_2/acer/rubrum.htm

"Damaging Agents- Red maple is generally considered very susceptible to defect. Especially on poor sites, red maple often has poor form and considerable internal defect. Discoloration and decay advance much faster in red maple than in sugar maple (43). In northeastern Pennsylvania, average cull ranged from 13 percent in 30 cm (12 in) diameter red maple trees to 46 percent in 61 cm (24 in) diameter trees. Only associated beech and black birch were more defective (26)."

I have heard that if you are looking for timber from red maple it needs to be on a good site. it grows in swamps but its not at its best there.

[thecfarm]

The white maple I have,it's almost all rotted in the middle or very dark in color.Even the ones that are high and dry.I have no idea the real name for it.

[Left Coast Chris]

I cut a big silver maple and the rotten centers were near crotches where water got in or a cut limb where water got in.  Injuries can start it off too.   Its just rot prone and won't take water from what I have seen.

[Ranger_School09]

Chances are being in Nova scotia it is probably Red maple (acer rubrum) as silver doesnt occur in NS to the best of my knowledge. Red maple will grow just about anywhere you can imagine and is prone to heart rot on wet sites, if it sits up on a hummack and higher then the water level sometimes it can be alright...Still makes decent firewood if they arent to punky in the center

[SwampDonkey]

The red maple might also suffer as a result of moose scrapes that eventually heal over. The bark of a sugar maple seems to be tighter and the long legged swamp donkeys can't rip the bark off them. Sounds like typical red maple growing on lowlands though. Red maple is fine for firewood in a pinch, you won't freeze too death at least. But, I prefer sugar maple. Lots of defect maple of any species in this country, so you don't mind using it to keep warm.  Red maple on old burnt land isn't much for quality either.

Even in NB, silver maple is mostly a river bank, river island or lake side and flood plains tree. You won't find it too far from the river and never on the sugar maple-yellow birch- beech-white ash type. Some people confuse them with Manitoba maple (box elder) a non native tree to NB.

[Banjo picker]

Not sure as to what maple I'm talking about ,,,but here in Miss. I've found a lot of what you have discribed as of late....I cut a nice gum ( for ties) it bumped a maple of about 16 inches on the way down....broke that sucker of about a foot off the forest floor...was rotten all the way through except about a couple inches around the outside...Seemed to be better farther up ...going to saw it up and see what becomes of it....Maple makes pretty banjo necks you know....Tim

[SwampDonkey]

banjo picker, was thinking about you when I saw a banjo on antics road show appraised for $10,000 and it was made with hard maple. 

[Banjo picker]

Swampdonkey I built some what not shelves out of what was told to me to be wormy maple once...I liked them....could those little fellers making those holes be causing the trunk to decay?? Tim

[SwampDonkey]

Sure possible, since you could call them 'fungus farmers'.