Sycamore Problem

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Sycamore Problem
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Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 11 9:18 pm Post subject:
Sycamore burns very well when dry, and it dries quite quickly, but it isn't the densest of woods so doesn't last that long. Carves easily. As for ring-barking, will it not just shoot from the stump from under the ring-barking?

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 11 9:40 pm Post subject:

Yes & you will then in years to come have standing dead wood which whilst great for wildlife can be a bugger to deal with it there are any "targets" in its branch drop zone or worse in its uncontrolled felling zone.

PS

I love sycamore as a firewood. As has been said it cuts easy, splits easy & dries quick. You do have to watch for it getting full of mould if left on the ground or cut at the wrong time.

Last edited by RichardW on Mon Jan 24, 11 9:42 pm; edited 1 time in total

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 11 9:42 pm Post subject:
I like it as a wood. Fast growing, many uses as a timber as well as fuel. Reasonably straight grained & not too knotty. Leaves break down to humus fast unlike oak & beech so good for the understorey. When I first started harvesting it I wanted to get rid & replant with ash & oak, now I just accept that without chemical poison I wont get rid, so just keep the bigger smaller & plant around them.

gil
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Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18420

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 11 9:49 pm Post subject:

RichardW wrote:

I love sycamore as a firewood. As has been said it cuts easy, splits easy & dries quick. You do have to watch for it getting full of mould if left on the ground or cut at the wrong time.

I like it too, but you can have too many of them.
I've noticed it moulding - what time of year would you recommend cutting to avoid this ?

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 11 9:55 pm Post subject:
It's also an excellent nectar source for honey bees. Makes a mild light honey.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 11 11:03 pm Post subject:
Ah yes, dont park under a sycamore cos they drool/dribble like mad. I wonder if sycamore will make a good maple syrup as it is from the same family. Shake a branch & watch the insects fly.

RichardW

Joined: 24 Aug 2006
Posts: 8443
Location: Llyn Peninsular North Wales

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 11 11:06 pm Post subject:

gil wrote:

I like it too, but you can have too many of them.
I've noticed it moulding - what time of year would you recommend cutting to avoid this ?

I cant remember lol. I think its when the sap is down which make sense as there would be less sweet food for the mould.

I cleared a patch last year. This year about 20 new ones came up per m2. Compared to about 10 other tree types in the complete area of about 400m2

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Mon Jan 24, 11 11:31 pm Post subject:
We're cutting some this year for firewood. Bit of a weed tree but excellent fuel and seasons so quickly.

Shane

Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 3467
Location: Doha. Is hot.

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 4:28 am Post subject:
My two pet hates with sycamores are the aforementioned dribbling (all over the car and windows in our case) and the weekend after weekend that you have to spend pulling hundreds of saplings out of the garden. Mind you, I've recently decided that I prefer that to no trees whatsoever

Tavascarow

Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Posts: 8407
Location: South Cornwall

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 9:59 am Post subject:

RichardW wrote:

I wonder if sycamore will make a good maple syrup as it is from the same family.

I'm sure I've read that it can be tapped like maple & birch but I don't think it's as high in sugars as either.
Probably better for wine or beer instead of syrup.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 10:30 am Post subject:
25g of sugar per litre according to notes in PFAF. I know it self seeds freely, just like ash, but there's none on our woodland despite neighbouring trees. I think the deer must keep all the seedlings down.

Shane

Joined: 31 Oct 2005
Posts: 3467
Location: Doha. Is hot.

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 11:26 am Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

I know it self seeds freely, just like ash, but there's none on our woodland despite neighbouring trees. I think the deer must keep all the seedlings down.

Someone once told me that the fast-growing, highly-fertile trees like sycamore tend to be found on the outskirts of woodland. They are the trees that allow the wood to colonise more land, and other, slower growing trees follow in their wake. Never looked into the truth of it, but it might explain why you're not finding any in your wood.

gil
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Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18420

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 11:28 am Post subject:

Tavascarow wrote:

RichardW wrote:

I wonder if sycamore will make a good maple syrup as it is from the same family.

I'm sure I've read that it can be tapped like maple & birch but I don't think it's as high in sugars as either.
Probably better for wine or beer instead of syrup.

Yes, lower sugar content even than birch sap. I did make wine with sycamore sap one year, and it was OK, quite like birch but more woody.

Treacodactyl
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 12:03 pm Post subject:

Shane wrote:

Treacodactyl wrote:

I know it self seeds freely, just like ash, but there's none on our woodland despite neighbouring trees. I think the deer must keep all the seedlings down.

Yes, it's a pioneer species so it can be good for establishing new woodland although in can also exclude out other trees. I have a mix of newly planted and old woodland so would have expected the odd seedling. Along with deer though we have a large number of voles which I expect eat quite a few seeds.

Just curious really, apart from blackthorn and gorse there's not much natural regeneration in our woodland.

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45723
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Jan 25, 11 12:05 pm Post subject:

Treacodactyl wrote:

Just curious really, apart from blackthorn and gorse there's not much natural regeneration in our woodland.

We've got maple, birch and blackthorn but all the natural regeneration seems to be self seeded oak and ash, mostly oak

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