Osage ?

[Jim Davis]

Will Osage sprout  from a stump?

[Danzn Bar]

Yes ... it is call "second growth" wood, can make some great staves with nice rings.  All those roots to feed much less tree.
DBar

[osage outlaw]

Absolutely.  It will also sprout up new growth from the trunk of a tree that fell over.  Like the Dancing Bear said, it will usually have thick rings.

[Pat B]

Some of my favorite osage is a 2" sucker. I've made a few very nice bows from second growth.

[DavidV]

Yep it will. All my osage is pipe straight 4-6" second growth only 15 or so years old. Pick one strong leader, or two if it was a wide base. The sprouts will keep branches from growing out.

[Jim Davis]

Thought so, but needed to hear from those that know.

[Badger]

  Jim, I have osage growing in pots for the past several years, bonsai pots. I routinely chop them off to stumps 1" high and they waste no time comming back. I rarely ever loose one to anything unless it doesn't get watered.

[missilemaster]

  Jim, I have osage growing in pots for the past several years, bonsai pots. I routinely chop them off to stumps 1" high and they waste no time comming back. I rarely ever loose one to anything unless it doesn't get watered.

 Planning on making a mini bow are we Steve?

[George Tsoukalas]

One of the quickest bow I've made was from an osage sucker. It pulled in the high 40's, had a quite  a bit of natural reflex (5").

It had a sapwood back. The belly was mostly heartwood but had some sapwood on the outer edges.  I did get a few chrysals in the sapwood in one spot.

Jawge

[Eric Krewson]

Osage is called "hedge" in the Midwest for a reason. They would plant an osage seed slurry in a trench to form a hedge row of thorny sprouts that would keep their cattle contained. Every few years the farmers would cut the larger spouts back so they would regrow from the stump and maintain a cattle proof barrier.

Barbwire was invented around 1870, this new invention did away with the need for the labor intensive maintenance of osage hedge fencing and it was no longer used as such. Farmers did find an osage fence post was superior to most other post out there, many are still in use today.

[Jim Davis]

Guess I knew about the sprouting, but forgot in my concern over the possibility that a big tree on my place might be an Osage. Never looked at it carefully until a few days ago.

It made me think about the outcome if I were to cut the tree. Don't really think it's an Osage  because it is very straight, but it is within 50 feet or so of where there  was one. Will check it out again when I get time.

[Danzn Bar]

Jim,
I'm in KY where bouts are you???

I cut some real straight trunked osage about 12 -14 in dia. in a small wood lot that had very "thin rings"  .... It would be very suspect as to whether it would spout shoots due to the overhead canopy.    

Just thought I would add some of my experience for thought as to where your tree is located.
DBar

[Jim Davis]

Danzn  Bar, I can open the canopy. It's my own patch of woods. I do wish I could find get a sample of the wood without  cutting the tree. I could probably use a bit brace and see if it produced yellow shavings...

[osage outlaw]

In the right circumstances and cover osage can grow tall and straight.  If its open they tend to be more scrubby bushy type trees.  Just my observation.

[Danzn Bar]

Clint, aka OO
I would take your opinion of osage over most anyone else....I've seen your place and it has more mature osage on it than I have ever seen.  And as far as harvesting osage staves who else has experience like yours who is willing to share their experience...thanks!
Jim ,
You probably know and have read in one of the TBB books or maybe Dean Torges book can't remember which one, about taking a core sample, I think that would be a good way of getting a sample without cutting down the tree.
DBar