My neighbor just had a maple tree cut down and I had a sawyer come up
with his portable mill to make 5/4 (and a bit of 8/4) boards from the
trunk. The operation was pretty successful although it was apparent
that the maple had been tapped a number of times.

A few of the small pieces that were sawn off before the 5/4 was sawn
have very nice patterns and are surrounded by bark. I do not have
plans (or the time) to make anything with bark on it at the moment.
However, I can envision a decorative piece that has bark, etc.

I am going to sticker the 5/4 and 8/4 boards and let them dry in my
backyard. If I let the small pieces with bark dry as well, will the
bark just dry up and fall off? I suspect so but I do not know. Should
I seal the bark now, while the wood is freshly sawn? What is the best
way to try to preserve some of the bark look?

Thanks, mh