Birdseye grain distortions in sugar maple must be identified to capture the full value of a timber sale throughout the economic range of birdseye's occurrence. Even when relatively common, birdseye veneer typically makes up less than 1 percent of the harvested volume, but may account for one-half of the value of the sale. With prices recently reaching $50,000 per Mbf for prime logs, omission of birdseye (when present) from cruise data could cause significant economic loss for the forest landowner. But figured wood can sometimes be detected in standing timber (Pillow 1955). Field identification of birdseye sugar maple is critical for two principal reasons: (1) it allows for the enumeration of a valuable resource that may influence management decisions, and (2) it may prevent improper manufacturing of logs at the job site. Both factors should help increase overall timber sale return. The objective of this paper is to provide a background on birdseye sugar maple and a detailed sequential methodology for field identification of birdseye in standing trees.