# black birch?



## CowboyAndy (Mar 26, 2010)

this was part of my log load. its nothing like what ive cut before, so i know its not sugar maple, black cherry, hickory, ash, poplar, aspen white birch, beech, grey birch or basswood. it smells like root beer when split, has a dark center and split pretty easy. actually had many peaces that popped right open when splitting.


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## smokinj (Mar 26, 2010)

yep Great guess root beer the give away!


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## raybonz (Mar 27, 2010)

CowboyAndy said:
			
		

> this was part of my log load. its nothing like what ive cut before, so i know its not sugar maple, black cherry, hickory, ash, poplar, aspen white birch, beech, grey birch or basswood. it smells like root beer when split, has a dark center and split pretty easy. actually had many peaces that popped right open when splitting.



Sassafrass.... boil the roots and make root beer...


Ray


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## CowboyAndy (Mar 27, 2010)

i know sassafrass can smell similar to black birch, but i cant imagine thats what this is. it just doesnt look like the sassafrass ive seen. besides, if it is, my wood guy is going to get a size 19 up his you know what for selling me a log load of premium hardwood with a wood in it that doesnt even rank on most btu charts... from the ones ive seen with it on it, it seems to be comparable to cottonwood...


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## gyrfalcon (Mar 27, 2010)

I'm no expert, but I burn a lot of black birch by preference, and this sure doesn't look like it to me.  Black birch has very dark gray relatively smooth bark with horizontal markings, not deep vertical grooves, and a mature tree has a very thick layer of red/orange underneath the outer bark layer.

If it is black birch, you've got some of the best-burning wood there is.


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## jpl1nh (Mar 27, 2010)

gyrfalcon's right, it's not black birch.  Too bad because black birch is excellent firewood.  I'm fortunate to have it all over my property and burn a lot of it.  Your wood looks like red maple to me though I can't explain the smell.   Red maple splits really easily and has a distinctive fine maple grain to it.  I'm not familiar with sassafras as a fire wood but don't think it generally gets as large as what you have.  No matter, though, it's wood.  Whatever it is it will heat your house nicely.


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## PA. Woodsman (Mar 27, 2010)

Post a clear picture of a split piece that shows the grain; that'll help.


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## JustWood (Mar 27, 2010)

It's red or silver maple. More likeLEE the latter. I'll eat the truck it came in if'n it ain't!
OK pros,,, poopoo away!


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## smokinj (Mar 27, 2010)

ApproximateLEE said:
			
		

> It's red or silver maple. More likeLEE the latter. I'll eat the truck it came in if'n it ain't!
> OK pros,,, poopoo away!



any thoughts on the root beer smell?


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## JustWood (Mar 27, 2010)

smokinjay said:
			
		

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Andy had a stuffy nose and,,,,   saps realLEE high in maples right now.Thus the sweet smell.


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## smokinj (Mar 27, 2010)

ApproximateLEE said:
			
		

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lol root beer through me off doesnt look like silver and  red I have never seen..


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## fyrwoodguy (Mar 27, 2010)

the pic's at the start of this thread AINT black birch.
here are a couple of pic's that ARE black birch.
i'm a lot better at wood cuttin' , than digital camera work.
sorry for the poor photo's


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## Backwoods Savage (Mar 27, 2010)

And it certainly is not sassafras either.


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## CarbonNeutral (Mar 27, 2010)

So this does look like black birch to me - I just bucked and split a black birch - the bark lower down the tree was scaled, further up had the traditional bark like Gyrfalcon described. Black birch smells more pepperminty to me, rather than root beer, but they are similar. The tree I bucked has very dark grey grain in places, sometimes bordered by a brilliant red - quite stunning.

Need more pictures, split, and of smaller limbs


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## Wood Duck (Mar 27, 2010)

That isn't Black Birch nor Sassafras. I think LEE is on the right track - maybe red maple that is slightly old/dead for a while and the bark has been beaten up in transport. Some portions of the bark look like maple, some parts look like maple that has been banged up.


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## gyrfalcon (Mar 27, 2010)

ApproximateLEE said:
			
		

> smokinjay said:
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Bingo.  Hadn't thought of that, but of course you're right.  (Black Birch has a distinct smell, but it doesn't smell like root beer to me, smells like birch beer!  But if you've never had birch beer, root beer might be the closest thing you could think  of.)


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