Drilled a 3/8" hole about 3" deep into the side of a maple tree - in
order to mount a screw eye.

Turned out to be the wrong location and now the tree has that hole in
it.

What would you do to minimize the insult?

I'm thinking just sterilize a 3/8" bolt and put that into the hole.

??
--
Pete Cresswell

On Sun, 29 Jan 2017 11:19:28 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Drilled a 3/8" hole about 3" deep into the side of a maple tree - in
order to mount a screw eye.

Turned out to be the wrong location and now the tree has that hole in
it.

What would you do to minimize the insult?

I'm thinking just sterilize a 3/8" bolt and put that into the hole.

??

Maybe drive a wooden dowel in the hole and cut it off or put a tap in
it and collect maple syrup :-)

On 01/29/2017 09:19 AM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Drilled a 3/8" hole about 3" deep into the side of a maple tree - in
order to mount a screw eye.

Turned out to be the wrong location and now the tree has that hole in
it.

What would you do to minimize the insult?

I'm thinking just sterilize a 3/8" bolt and put that into the hole.

When you tap a sugar maple the recommended procedure is to pull the
spile and let the tree heal itself. Putting a dowel or stick into the
hole interferes with the healing and the foreign matter rots.

An arborist may come along with a better answer but I'd let the tree
take care of itself. People used to paint the tree with pruning paint
after removing branches but that's not recommended anymore. I don't use
it and the tree seems to be doing okay.

On Sunday, January 29, 2017 at 11:19:38 AM UTC-5, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
Drilled a 3/8" hole about 3" deep into the side of a maple tree - in
order to mount a screw eye.

Turned out to be the wrong location and now the tree has that hole in
it.

What would you do to minimize the insult?

I'm thinking just sterilize a 3/8" bolt and put that into the hole.

??
--
Pete Cresswell

Leave it alone.

It used to be common practice to tar over the wound caused by cutting
off a limb or to pour some sort hardening material in holes. This is
now considered not only unnecessary, but also probably harmful to the
tree.

Trees have natural mechanisms for healing themselves and preventing rot
and disease, especially from a simple wound like the one you described.
New wood has already started to grow and other internal processes have
already begun.

I quote from just one of the many websites found on the ole' interweb.
Granted, they are discussing those large holes that you often see in
tree trunks, but the same advice holds true for a small hole such as yours:

"Is Filling Holes in Tree Trunks a Good Idea?

In the past, it was often recommended that filling holes in tree trunks
was a good way to correct the tree hole. Most tree experts now agree
that this advice was incorrect. Filling holes in trees causes problems
for several reasons. The material that you fill the tree hole with will
not react to the weather in the same way the tree wood will. The material
you use will expand and contract at a different rate, which will either
cause more damage to the tree or can create gaps where water (which leads
to more rot) and disease can get trapped. Not only that, but if the tree
must be removed at a later date, fill materials can create dangerous
situations to the person removing the tree. Imagine if someone using a
chainsaw were to hit a concrete fill that they were not aware of in the
tree."

....or in your case, "Imagine if someone using a chainsaw were to hit a
3/8" bolt that they were not aware of in the tree."

On 01/29/2017 10:43 AM, Oren wrote:
Maybe drive a wooden dowel in the hole and cut it off or put a tap in
it and collect maple syrup :-)

Even if you're tapping you pull the spiles at the end of the season and
the hole closes up. Next year, new hole, like a junky looking for a
fresh vein.

There's not much I miss about that part of the world but sugaring is one
of them. Nothing like going to a sugar house and feasting on jack wax.

http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre...ple-candy.html

And, no, I don't have a clue why it's called jack wax.

On Sun, 29 Jan 2017 18:20:09 -0700, rbowman
wrote:

On 01/29/2017 10:43 AM, Oren wrote:
Maybe drive a wooden dowel in the hole and cut it off or put a tap in
it and collect maple syrup :-)

Even if you're tapping you pull the spiles at the end of the season and
the hole closes up. Next year, new hole, like a junky looking for a
fresh vein.

There's not much I miss about that part of the world but sugaring is one
of them. Nothing like going to a sugar house and feasting on jack wax.

http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre...ple-candy.html

And, no, I don't have a clue why it's called jack wax.

I agree to let the tree heal itself, let nature fix it. We don't even
know if Pete can collect syrup from his tree.

On 01/29/2017 06:31 PM, Oren wrote:
I agree to let the tree heal itself, let nature fix it. We don't even
know if Pete can collect syrup from his tree.

Hint: the leaves of a sugar maple have a U between the lobes.

http://www.wikihow.com/Identify-Sugar-Maple-Trees

In any case Pete better not be thinking about a new business
opportunity. It heavily depends on the weather but a conservative
estimate would be 10 gallons of sap from a healthy tree and it's about a
40:1 ration when you're boiling it down. Sugar houses are the original
humidifier. Still, a quart of good maple syrup is better than a kick in
the teeth any day.

On Sun, 29 Jan 2017 11:19:28 -0500, "(PeteCresswell)"
wrote:

Drilled a 3/8" hole about 3" deep into the side of a maple tree - in
order to mount a screw eye.

Turned out to be the wrong location and now the tree has that hole in
it.

What would you do to minimize the insult?

I'm thinking just sterilize a 3/8" bolt and put that into the hole.

??

Dont do anything, it will heal itself. That is such a small hole that
you wont even see it in a few months. If you're having winter now. you
might notice sap running out in a month or so. You could stick a short
piece of 3/8 OD steel pipe in it, (like fuel line tubing), and you might
get a gallon of sap. (Which will make very little syrup, but it could be
a fun project). Google "make maple syrup" for more info....

I think there is something toxic to a tree about copper tubing, so dont
use that. ( I might be wrong).

On Sun, 29 Jan 2017 19:59:47 -0700, rbowman
wrote:

On 01/29/2017 06:31 PM, Oren wrote:
I agree to let the tree heal itself, let nature fix it. We don't even
know if Pete can collect syrup from his tree.

Hint: the leaves of a sugar maple have a U between the lobes.

http://www.wikihow.com/Identify-Sugar-Maple-Trees

In any case Pete better not be thinking about a new business
opportunity. It heavily depends on the weather but a conservative
estimate would be 10 gallons of sap from a healthy tree and it's about a
40:1 ration when you're boiling it down. Sugar houses are the original
humidifier. Still, a quart of good maple syrup is better than a kick in
the teeth any day.


Use real pure maple syrup if you want to make bacon from pork belly.
Not the fake stuff that is not pure on a jar. :-\