# Wood ID Please



## ethanhudson (Mar 27, 2012)

Is this Oak?  There is a ton of it (must be at least 10 cord) behind a local Volunteer Firestation and they told me to take all I could.  If its Oak or another quality hardwood I will take it all.  Any info is greatly appreciated.


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## Blue Vomit (Mar 27, 2012)

looks like black locust, get it all.


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## ethanhudson (Mar 27, 2012)

Some of the pieces are HUGE; literally 40"-48" diameter but if its that high a quality of wood I'll mobilize a loader and dump truck to get it.  We don't often get high quality wood in my neck of the woods...


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## Blue Vomit (Mar 27, 2012)

ethanhudson said:


> Some of the pieces are HUGE; literally 40"-48" diameter but if its that high a quality of wood I'll mobilize a loader and dump truck to get it. We don't often get high quality wood in my neck of the woods...


 
might not be locust then... i dont think they generally get that big.
others will chime in soon, im sure


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## Jack Straw (Mar 27, 2012)

I  have seen very old locust that big. It does look like locust to me. Does it have thorns on the small branches. Are the leaves small and oval shaped?


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## ethanhudson (Mar 27, 2012)

Jack Straw said:


> I have seen very old locust that big. It does look like locust to me. Does it have thorns on the small branches. Are the leaves small and oval shaped?


 
No leaves to speak of this time of year.  I'm pretty sure it was dead and thats why the fell it.  They have a large pile of branches but I didn't look at any of them I will check if it comes down to it.  Im gonna take my pickup over tommorrow after work and grab the stuff I can get without heavy equipment.


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## Blue Vomit (Mar 27, 2012)

I would wait on an ID from the folks here before pulling out the heavy equipment, it may not be worth the time and effort for the huge ugly ones.


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## weatherguy (Mar 27, 2012)

Another member just had a locust bigger than that cut down, sure looks like locust to me.


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## Blue Vomit (Mar 27, 2012)

if you have locust 40 some inches in diameter and the heavy equipment to get it out of there, I think you hit the jackpot.


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## smokinj (Mar 27, 2012)

I think it's oak.


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## JustWood (Mar 27, 2012)

Fresh cut round in first pic on the left has a green tint to it. I'm leaning toward locust.


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## Thistle (Mar 27, 2012)

That deep rough bark & some of it being 40-48" sure says Cottonwood to me.


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## ethanhudson (Mar 27, 2012)

Thistle said:


> That deep rough bark & some of it being 40-48" sure says Cottonwood to me.


Say it ain't so...

I think it's oak but I am FAR from a tree expert; about the only thing I can tell you definitively is the difference between pine and spruce.


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## JustWood (Mar 27, 2012)

Thistle said:


> That deep rough bark & some of it being 40-48" sure says Cottonwood to me.


I had the same exact thoughts. The core wood is just darker than any I've ever seen in any cottonwood 'round here,,, but SD is a long way from NY.


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## NH_Wood (Mar 27, 2012)

LEES WOOD-CO said:


> I had the same exact thoughts. The core wood is just darker than any I've ever seen in any cottonwood 'round here,,, but SD is a long way from NY.


 
I think the darker color to the end grain is from a while in the sun - ends are already pretty well checked. I've had the end grain of beech get real orange in just 2-3 months. Wondering if that's why it might appear darker than  you might think. Cheers!


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## ohlongarm (Mar 27, 2012)

Sorry,not locust wrong color,locust aged or fresh is yellow. My guess cottonwood looking at a giant one as I type .
	

		
			
		

		
	

View attachment 64251


	

		
			
		

		
	
 Check out locust dry,and fresh bark on your trees similar but wrong color,imo. But good luck to you.


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## Lakeside (Mar 27, 2012)

Could someone post pictures of cotton wood ?

I would like to see what it looks like so I can not scrounge it.

I am not sure if we have cotton wood here in Connecticut.

Thanks in advance.


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## JoeyD (Mar 27, 2012)

I have some rounds that a homeowner told me were some kind of oak but I can't remember what kind he said it was. The bark is exactly the same. After splitting it is does look like some kind of red oak. On the other hand I also have about 1/2 cord of red maple he told me was oak also but after splitting it looks nothing like oak.


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## midwestcoast (Mar 27, 2012)

Thistle said:


> That deep rough bark & some of it being 40-48" sure says Cottonwood to me.


 


LEES WOOD-CO said:


> I had the same exact thoughts. The core wood is just darker than any I've ever seen in any cottonwood 'round here,,, but SD is a long way from NY.


 
These are my thoughts exactly.  I've seen some Cottonwood logs sitting out for a while around here get dark like that.  I just don't see Locust get bark that thick & deeply furrowed unless it's near the bottom of the trunk from a very big OLD tree. Several rounds in the picture look way too small for that.

Cottonwood, final answer


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## ohlongarm (Mar 27, 2012)

Lakeside said:


> Could someone post pictures of cotton wood ?
> 
> I would like to see what it looks like so I can not scrounge it.
> 
> ...


Another thing I've noticed is when locust gets as dry as shown in your pics the bark peels off,try peeling some bark off the rounds they should be wet and greasy when they come off,peeled enough locust always the same slimy result. Anybody else experience the same?


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## ScotO (Mar 27, 2012)

What you have there is what we refer to as Rock Oak here in central PA.  Seems to be everywhere in the mountains around here.  Great wood, burns long and makes a good coal bed.  Take all you can get.....


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## Locust Post (Mar 27, 2012)

I am not sure what it is. But I'm pretty darn sure what it isn't and that's Locust.


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## ohlongarm (Mar 28, 2012)

Locust Post said:


> I am not sure what it is. But I'm pretty darn sure what it isn't and that's Locust.


 Also known as chestnut oak. Man ya learn something every day on this site,must have turned down a chit load of that stuff thinking it was cottonwood.If it is what it is great score,should be quite heavy whereas cottonwood is light,bark on both scary identical.


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## ScotO (Mar 28, 2012)

Rock oak, chestnut oak, same tree.  Either way, if that's what it is,  great score.  I think that's what it is based on the end grain and the bark.


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## Wood Duck (Mar 28, 2012)

The rounds are checked in a pattern that looks like the medullary rays in oak. I think the wood is Bur Oak. I know I don't see many Bur Oaks here in PA, so I don't recognize the bark, but the photos posted here resemble pictures of Bur Oak I found online.


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## ISeeDeadBTUs (Mar 28, 2012)

The OP may wanna go back and see if some of the members here that claim it's Cottonwood have been raiding the pile!

I'm no expert on Black Locust, but . ..

While Chestnut Oak around here has deep furrows to the bark, those pics are NOT Chestnut Oak.

I would go get a P/U load, split it, take more pics and check MC and weight. Then burn it.

How does it do for it's MC? How dense is it. If you can't tell the difference between Cottonwood and any Oak/BL when you burn it, you have no business burning good wood


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## ethanhudson (Mar 28, 2012)

ISeeDeadBTUs said:


> The OP may wanna go back and see if some of the members here that claim it's Cottonwood have been raiding the pile!
> 
> I'm no expert on Black Locust, but . ..
> 
> ...


 
I will go back and grab a load cut/split and take more photos.  I'm afraid it is cottonwood.  One of the guys who works for us lives kinda by this site and he said he thinks it's cottonwood.  Unfortunately the stuff won't be ready to burn anytime soon regardless if its oak or CW so I cant find out that way.  But I will cut and split some as well as take some photos of the surrounding tree line and update this post...


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## ScotO (Mar 28, 2012)

You'll know by the grain if it is oak or cottonwood when you split it.  I have around 6 cord of BL and I can guarantee you that is not what you have there.  Could be cottonwood, but I'm sticking with rock oak.  I wanna see a close-up of a split.


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## Thistle (Mar 28, 2012)

The bark does look like Bur Oak,tons of it around here,within a couple blocks of me & acres more in pure stands within 2 to 100 miles. I dont see any medullary rays that's prominent with any oaks however,a closeup pic of end grain and/or split piece would really help. When he said "some of its 40-48" diameter",thats when I originally thought Eastern Cottonwood,very few Bur Oaks over 36" here,most are 24" to 36" max.


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## aansorge (Mar 28, 2012)

I cut a lot of Bur Oak here in Southern MN and it sure looks like that to me.  Probably the best oak there is. Splits as easy as pie but is in the white oak family, so high BTU's.


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## aansorge (Mar 28, 2012)

...and Bur oaks get huge here...275 inches in circumference is the state record (87.5 in in diameter)...


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## Waulie (Mar 28, 2012)

I'm not sure what it is, but it should be very easy to tell if it's cottonwood vs. oak/locust just by picking it up.


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## smokinj (Mar 28, 2012)

Waulie said:


> I'm not sure what it is, but it should be very easy to tell if it's cottonwood vs. oak/locust just by picking it up.


 
Smell of cotton is pretty nasty!


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## jackatc1 (Mar 28, 2012)

Cotton wood I believe, but tho the bark looks like rock oak 40/48" is a little much.


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## Woody Stover (Mar 28, 2012)

Scotty Overkill said:


> I wanna see a close-up of a split.


And a fresh-cut end grain...


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## Hickorynut (Mar 28, 2012)

I am going to guess cottonwood.  Bark does look like chestnut oak some but with the size of that tree probably not.  The wood must have alot of water.  It sure is cracking.  Split it and look for the oak grain!


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## ISeeDeadBTUs (Mar 28, 2012)

Wait a Cotton-Pickin minute!!

Let's get Sherlock on it . . .

There are 10 cord () sitting in a pile behind the fire house. Many firemen have trucks and burn wood. Why have they not taken it?

Sherlock might also wonder if this explains why some members bi+ch about trying to burn Oak. He might deduce that some of you think you're burning Oak when it's actually Willow or some other wood.

Let the flaming begin


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## Blue Vomit (Mar 28, 2012)

ISeeDeadBTUs said:


> There are 10 cord () sitting in a pile behind the fire house. Many firemen have trucks and burn wood. Why have they not taken it?


 
Good point, I cant see oak or locust lasting long around a firehouse. Knock on the firehouse door and ask them, Im sure they know.


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## weatherguy (Mar 28, 2012)

Ive never heard of Bur Oak, probably not much around here so I looked it up, it does look like it could be Bur Oak


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## HittinSteel (Mar 28, 2012)

Waulie said:


> I'm not sure what it is, but it should be very easy to tell if it's cottonwood vs. oak/locust just by picking it up.


 
+1 ....easiest way to tell. Unfortunately I'm leaning cottonwood. I'd take some of it anyway and split it small. Burns nice in the shoulder season and will eventually make good ultra dry kindling


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## ethanhudson (Mar 28, 2012)

My new saw (555) won't be here til friday so I'm gonna wait 'til then and kill two birds with one stone.  I'll post some better pics Friday night.  I appreciate all the input.


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## Woody Stover (Mar 29, 2012)

Blue Vomit said:


> Good point, I cant see oak or locust lasting long around a firehouse. Knock on the firehouse door and ask them, Im sure they know.





ethanhudson said:


> There is a ton of it (must be at least 10 cord) behind a local Volunteer Firestation and they told me to take all I could.


"Oak...yeah, it's Oak, _that's_ the ticket!"


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## Woody Stover (Mar 29, 2012)

But if there's ten cords maybe it's not _all_ Cottonwood...


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## nsfd95 (Mar 29, 2012)

smokinj said:


> Smell of cotton is pretty nasty!


Does it smell like cat pee when split?


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## smokinj (Mar 29, 2012)

nsfd95 said:


> Does it smell like cat pee when split?


 
Yea thats one way to smell it.  Lots of jucie flying too!


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## cptoneleg (Mar 29, 2012)

Chestnut Oak and Black Locust, get confused in pictures, to me it looks like Chestnut Oak,  When you cut B L with chainsaw the chips will remind you of treated lumber, kind of green.  I have no idea what cottonwood looks like, but there is alot of it in your area.  I would say someone in that firehall could I D the wood.


Here is a Chestnut Oak in my front yard
	

		
			
		

		
	



	

		
			
		

		
	
 And some B L in the truck


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## Flatbedford (Mar 29, 2012)

I processed about 6 cords of BL last year and while your wood is similar, I d not think it is BL. I have nothing to add about what it might be though,


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## Lakeside (Mar 29, 2012)

I amstill thinking I to may not have Black Locust.too. See link to my earlier wood ID quest.  Link

Anybody care to contrubute a thought or two , please follow up on my thread , I do not want to hijack this one.

This dag Black Locust seems to be difficult to ID, at least for me.


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## Backwoods Savage (Mar 29, 2012)

Ye old cottonwood.


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## cptoneleg (Mar 29, 2012)

Backwoods Savage said:


> Ye old cottonwood.
> 
> 
> 
> That sure is a little Woman


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## Backwoods Savage (Mar 29, 2012)

To the mods that hate pictures:  When I posted that, the pictures showed much smaller; like the ones in the quoted reply. Why?


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## ethanhudson (Apr 1, 2012)

In case it wasnt already decided; definately cottonwood.  I got a new saw on Friday and ran out there and cut about 50 cookies, didn't take any home though...


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## ampamp (Apr 11, 2012)

ethanhudson said:


> In case it wasnt already decided; definately cottonwood. I got a new saw on Friday and ran out there and cut about 50 cookies, didn't take any home though...
> 
> View attachment 64579
> 
> ...


 
Just curious.  I've never burned any cottonwood.  What's everybody's thoughts on BTUs with cottonwood.  Any good to burn?


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## ScotO (Apr 11, 2012)

IT'S JUNK.  Hey you wanted an opinion, right?


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## muncybob (Apr 11, 2012)

Must not be very good as only White Cedar has a lower btu rating on my chart. Too bad though as I have a mosnter one on our property that would like to take down one day. I'm always picking up debris from it after a windy day.


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