Tree limb perch help!

[noodles123]

So on the 18th, I posted about a tree limb perch that I was making out of a sugar maple that was being cut down nearby.
I had to place the wood on my deck until I was ready to deal with it. On Tuesday, I noticed wood wasps hanging out, so I promptly sawed up the wood and wrapped it up (some on bags, some in foil).
Today when I had time to deal with it (the 25th), I took it inside and soaked it in my tub for a few hours in very hot water (+scrubbing with a bristle brush). I noticed that a blackish discoloration was scrubbing off very easily from the exterior bark and I can't remember if it was there originally or not... I wouldn't have noticed it except for the fact that it scrubbed off in the tub quite easily---it isn't jet black....more like a darkening....Kind of like when you scrub a potato and the lighter skin is exposed. I have been baking the limbs all day (post scrubbing), but at 250 for one hour, is that sufficient if this is a type of early rot? There was a bit of lichen, but that was original and I scrubbed it off as well.


I couldn't get to this project until now with work etc and it did rain, but the limbs look okay other than the darkening---again---wouldn't have noticed until I started scrubbing.


On the 18th I got the wood and put it outside. On the 20th or so it rained. On the 21st I saw the wood wasps and I covered the wood in plastic or foil. Today, when I opened the bags there was some moisture inside, but I soaked, scrubbed and baked anyway. I SOOOOO HOPE I CAN STILL USE IT!!!!


Is it safe?!

 

[C3mommy]

So on the 18th, I posted about a tree limb perch that I was making out of a sugar maple that was being cut down nearby.
I had to place the wood on my deck until I was ready to deal with it. On Tuesday, I noticed wood wasps hanging out, so I promptly sawed up the wood and wrapped it up (some on bags, some in foil).
Today when I had time to deal with it (the 25th), I took it inside and soaked it in my tub for a few hours in very hot water (+scrubbing with a bristle brush). I noticed that a blackish discoloration was scrubbing off very easily from the exterior bark and I can't remember if it was there originally or not... I wouldn't have noticed it except for the fact that it scrubbed off in the tub quite easily---it isn't jet black....more like a darkening....Kind of like when you scrub a potato and the lighter skin is exposed. I have been baking the limbs all day (post scrubbing), but at 250 for one hour, is that sufficient if this is a type of early rot? There was a bit of lichen, but that was original and I scrubbed it off as well.


I couldn't get to this project until now with work etc and it did rain, but the limbs look okay other than the darkening---again---wouldn't have noticed until I started scrubbing.


On the 18th I got the wood and put it outside. On the 20th or so it rained. On the 21st I saw the wood wasps and I covered the wood in plastic or foil. Today, when I opened the bags there was some moisture inside. I SOOOOO HOPE I CAN STILL USE IT!!!!


Is it safe?!

I don't know much about what your asking. I do have a question, not sure you know the answer. Can you use any tree limbs?



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[noodles123]

C3mommy- no you can't-
You can only use safe trees (non-toxic wood) and you want to avoid limbs that have been near busy highways and/or exposed to chemical run-off/pesticide/herbicide.

Take a leaf from the tree you want to use and Google it because certain sub-species of trees are safe, but others are not. For instance, mine is maple and maple CAN be toxic due to a fungus unless the bark is removed. Also, Red Maple is toxic (possibly for separate reasons...not sure). Thankfully, mine is a sugar maple, so that is fine, but do you get what I mean? Knowing a tree is "a Maple" isn't enough information....

If you get any natural branches, make sure they are safe, soak/scrub and then bake. There are lots of nasty little critters that live inside of wood----insects, mold, fungi etc. I have never made a natural perch before, but what I am telling you is based on lots of research + replies to previous posts from other members who have made perches. Surface disinfecting is not enough, as birds like to chew and living organisms (the microscopic kind) like to multiply over time.


For wood safety, I used this website as a baseline:
http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml
but then I specifically Googled "maple safe for bird perch" and that is when I learned about the dangers of the Red Maple......So it is a good starting point, but it may not be complete with regard to necessary details.

 

[ChristaNL]

So...you started out with good parrotsafe and healthy branches (if sugarmaple is parrotsafe?)- then tight wrapped up the wood for a few days .. it got a bit yucky/fungoid/rotten looking because no moisture could escape during that time -> you scrubbed those spots right off and then baked the branches...


Sounds okay to me: you removed the slight ickyness and then sterilized it ...imho it should be fine.

 

[noodles123]

From what I have read (here and elsewhere) Sugar Maple is safe--(some recommend removing bark).
Anyway, I normally wouldn't wrap wood, but I had to or it was going to be eaten and destroyed by the wood wasps/ horntails- they lay eggs in wood and inject a fungi, then the larvae eat their way out of the softened wood. I couldn't have them doing that....
So yes, ChristaNL, I DID LOLOL. And I would do it again ...maybe...lol- I scrubbed the best I could, but it blends in fairly well (like I said- it didn't look odd until I noticed the contrast between the scrubbed and non-scrubbed wood, but again...not easy to see) I honestly can't tell if I got it all...but again, it was just darker in color...not fuzzy/textured or anything.
When I unwrapped the wood, it was mostly dry----and not slimy or anything out of the ordinary---smelled fine too.
I just knew it wasn't safe in in my home and I knew that things would get way worse outside if pests were coming---my deck was the only place I could "safely" store it and there is no cover, so water was imminent (hence the wrapping, following bug issue).


Here is a link to horntails/wood wasps (it is from a pest control site, so it does hype it up a bit, but you can see why I didn't want them in or around my house):
https://www.catseyepest.com/pest-library/bees-hornets-wasps/wood-wasps-horntails

 

[ChristaNL]

LOL I get it you do NOT want those in your home!
Thanks for the link- it's always fun to read about new species.


My friends have a lot of hornets (the oversized meat-eating wasps) this year (every warm year they get more northern, so I'm still hornetfree / this year anyway...)
They are also not happy with the incidental houseguest.



Enjoy the branches!

 

[SailBoat]

You really called this one correctly and your process was spot on!

Sugar Maple wood is very light in the branch sizes you are using. The rapping of the moist branches increased the rate in which the Bark rots and the common dark color of the Bark is what you are seeing as the Bark begins to break down.

I always remove the Bark from any Branch that I use for all the reasons stated above. Its just not worth the many problems that come from leaving it in in place.

Congratulations on a job well done!

 

[noodles123]

Thank you! I will remove what removes after I am done baking...I know that may make it harder, but I want to be able to store it indoors eek!

 

[Flboy]

I don't know much about what your asking. I do have a question, not sure you know the answer. Can you use any tree limbs?

Where you live, sycamore is a great choice!