Commissioned Commissioned by mutual friends of Corey and of Whispering Hope Ranch Ministries in Rose City Michigan. These were given by our friends to the ministry.

Category: Signs | Wall Decor Tree/Wood Species: Sugar Maple Harvest Year: 2019 Milled Year: 2021 Crafted Year: 2022 Harvest Location: Zionville, NC

In January 2019, two large sugar maple trees near the workshop showed significant signs of decline, indicating they were nearing the end of their lifespan. Due to their size and proximity to buildings and the road, professional arborists were brought in to safely fell the trees. Although Corey did not have the equipment to mill the lumber at that time, he anticipated doing so in the future. After the trees were felled, Corey processed them by cutting the logs into manageable pieces and relocating them to a gravel bed to minimize decay. Usable branches were trimmed and stored inside the workshop, while smaller branches and brush were either burned or repurposed as firewood for maple sugaring.

In the fall of 2021, when Corey acquired a sawmill, these logs were among the first to be milled. Given the high decay rate of maple compared to other hardwoods, the logs had started to develop spalting, a natural process that enhances the wood's value. Over the course of several weeks, most of the logs were milled into 1 inch live edge slabs and carefully stacked with PVC spacers inside the workshop. There, they air-dried for over a year before Corey began using them in various projects. Portions of the logs with cavities were also cut into cookie slabs, which were stacked and stored for future use.