Birds Eye Maple. Can't find the label.

[IamSherwood]

How can one identify a BEM?, if at all?
I can't seem to find the labels.

I have a forest full of maples and I don't really want to
clear cut to find that one tree.

[SeeSaw]

Try this link it's the only one that I'm aware of.

http://nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/rp/rp_nc317.pdf

[Dodgy Loner]

Interesting read, SeeSaw :P.  Thanks for posting.  Wish I had some birdseye maple around here :-[.

[SwampDonkey]

I have seen plenty, but mostly at the saw mill, lumber broker and public forest land. I can identify it easily just by looking at bark and not even injuring the tree. There no way to know it's the good stuff until it's cut off the stump, some only goes into the sapwood and is no good for the good prices. I had one with a 14 " top with the figure in the sapwood only, the buyer walked away and the log went to the chip plant.  :


I think that FS document is one we have referenced a few times on the forum.

Occasionally, we find it in yellow birch and white ash, but rarely.

[SeeSaw]

No problem Dodgy Loner,

I think I may have a few on my 40 acres up north.  I have a lot of thinning to do there but the maples are some of the best trees that I have so they will probably be some of the last that I take out.  But as SD said you never really know for certain until it's down. :(

[roger 4400]

     Hi !   Two years ago I had cut many maples for firewood,  the next automn,while getting my wood into the house, I dropped a 16 in. log, the bark got out the log...........and you surely know what I saw.......nice birds eyes...I took the log inside, cut it square and even put it on my planer ....now I have a nice 16 in. birds eye maple log in the house to remember how careless I was when I cut it.
   Before  I even bought a specialized book on how to identifie  BEM in the wood because I have 145 acres of maple forest....Well that,s life.........have a nice day . 
Roger