The maple was one of the only sources of sugar for the native peoples & as such, it was seen as a gift from the creator. While the maple is a gift, the native tales are clear that this gift takes work.

The majority of maple trees are considered “pioneer species” meaning they are hardy enough to persevere. They are able to repopulate damaged and disrupted ecosystems because they have the ability to adapt to many different soil types & climates.

Flame is a type of figuring in which the growth of the wood fibers is distorted in an undulating chatoyant pattern, producing wavy lines known as "flames".

Burl wood is anything but average. The swirls, twirls, and eyes dancing in the bark all create a unique, highly figured wood grain. A burl is an unusual-looking collection of tree cells. These are callous tissues. These are formed usually as a response to environmental damage such as injury or fungal colonies. The callous tissue then forms burls that are so admired.

The term derives from the French word “chatoyer”, which means “to iridesce, like a cat’s eye.” If you’ve ever seen the stone tiger’s eye, you get the idea. In woodworking, chatoyance is a similarly striking optical quality in which areas of light and dark grain seemingly shimmer or shift depending on the angle of view.