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Birdseye is actually a grain type
most often found in Acer saccharum (sugar maple), but millers also find the
deformation (Birdseye figure) in red maple. Trees that grow in the Great Lakes
region of Canada and the United States yield the greatest supply, along with
some varieties in the Rocky Mountains. Although there are a few clues in a
tree's bark that indicate the lumber might have Birdseye, it is usually
necessary to fell the tree and cut it apart before you know for sure.
Birdseye maple has a distinctive
pattern that looks like tiny, swirling eyes disrupting the smooth lines of
grain. Birdseye maple isn't a variety or species of maple, but rather a
phenomenon that occurs within several kinds of timber due to an unknown cause.
Research into the cultivation of
Birdseye maple has so far discounted the theories that it is caused by pecking
birds deforming the wood grain or that an infecting fungus makes it twist.
However, no one has demonstrated a complete understanding of the combination of
climate, soil, tree variety, insects, viruses or genetic mutation that reliably
produces the effect.
Birdseye maple has a medium density
and variable color. The outer rings of the tree create lumber that's usually a
creamy, light amber color with darker Birdseye patterns. The inner rings,
called heartwood, might be deep amber or reddish with dark brown Birdseye.
Depending on the frequency of the Birdseye swirls, each about 0.11" to
0.39" wide (0.3 -1 cm), the wood may be extremely valuable. Since it is such
a rare and unusual timber type, it's very expensive, often hundreds of times
that of ordinary hardwood.
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