# Can someone post some pics/descriptions of Hedge wood?



## tickbitty (Feb 4, 2011)

I have been reading on here about Hedge wood and how it's some good stuff.  I'm curious what it actually is, and it's not the easiest one to find on google.

I passed a guy trimming (actually he was like totally butchering/trimming) a big pile of branches and stuff from his yard trees, and he let me throw it all in the truck.  I knew what some of it was, but some was off of trees I still can't identify.  The trimming was in the summer and the trees looked almost like a fruit type or ornamental tree in shape.  (They have been butchered many times before though so they have that odd knobby look).  The wood is very heavy, dense, and dark orange in color.  It is not a moist wood, and seems almost dry already though I am going to let it season till next year. The bark is super rough on these branches, not craggy, just kind of rough textured like hemp rope is, scratchy-like.  The branches were not more than 5 or 6 inches in diameter.  I have tried to watch the tree to see what it looks like when it grows back but heck if I can tell.  Could that be hedge?


----------



## TreePointer (Feb 4, 2011)

I don't have any pictures because there isn't any around here, but it's also known as the following:

OSAGE ORANGE

HEDGE APPLE


----------



## CountryBoy19 (Feb 4, 2011)

You would know it if you picked the branches up when they were fresh cut. When it's fresh cut hedge is bright yellow, it's almost like a neon yellow of sorts.


----------



## Adios Pantalones (Feb 4, 2011)

Thorns





Fruit





wood: yellow, sometimes with orange streaks, ages to darker colors out to chocolate


----------



## smokinj (Feb 4, 2011)

Fresh!


----------



## 3fordasho (Feb 4, 2011)

tickbitty said:
			
		

> I have been reading on here about Hedge wood and how it's some good stuff.  I'm curious what it actually is, and it's not the easiest one to find on google.
> 
> I passed a guy trimming (actually he was like totally butchering/trimming) a big pile of branches and stuff from his yard trees, and he let me throw it all in the truck.  I knew what some of it was, but some was off of trees I still can't identify.  The trimming was in the summer and the trees looked almost like a fruit type or ornamental tree in shape.  (They have been butchered many times before though so they have that odd knobby look).  The wood is very heavy, dense, and dark orange in color.  It is not a moist wood, and seems almost dry already though I am going to let it season till next year. The bark is super rough on these branches, not craggy, just kind of rough textured like hemp rope is, scratchy-like.  The branches were not more than 5 or 6 inches in diameter.  I have tried to watch the tree to see what it looks like when it grows back but heck if I can tell.  Could that be hedge?




Almost sounds like the buckthorn we have around here, dark orange center, heavy, low moisture content.  Not really a tree and they only get to about 6" diameter maximum in this area.  Not really worth the effort because 6" sticks just don't make alot of firewood.   It does burn well though.


----------



## cre73 (Feb 4, 2011)

Three six inches pieces of hedge would burn all night though. It is my goto wood during very cold nights.


----------



## OhioBurner© (Feb 4, 2011)

Is osage orange related to black locust? The more I look at em the closer they seem. Obviously a huge size difference between the trees but similar bark pattern, similar colored wood (yellow-green), and very hard dense heavy wood. My BL even spits sparks all over the place like hedge is suppose too...


----------



## TreePointer (Feb 4, 2011)

â–ºâ–ºOhioBurnerâ—„â—„â„¢ said:
			
		

> Is osage orange related to black locust? The more I look at em the closer they seem. Obviously a huge size difference between the trees but similar bark pattern, similar colored wood (yellow-green), and very hard dense heavy wood. My BL even spits sparks all over the place like hedge is suppose too...



It sure would make one think that.  There are many ways to classify trees, and even the professionals (scientists, botanists, geneticists, etc.) constantly debate some species.  A popular classification has locust trees as a type of legume (beans, peas, etc.) and osage orange in order _Rosales _(cherry, apple, fig, rose, almond).


----------



## Adios Pantalones (Feb 4, 2011)

They are supposedly related, though BLs a legume.  Locust is much less strikingly yellow.  It's got a pale, almost sickly color next to osage.  The green tinge would probably only be in sapwood or branches I'd guess


----------



## smokinj (Feb 4, 2011)

First pic locust 2nd pic hedge.


----------



## OhioBurner© (Feb 4, 2011)

problem is color varies based on camera settings, ambient light, photo processing, and monitor. I have a lot of BL that is as much or more yellow than the pic on right. Then again from the same tree I've had more dull brown too.


----------



## smokinj (Feb 4, 2011)

â–ºâ–ºOhioBurnerâ—„â—„â„¢ said:
			
		

> problem is color varies based on camera settings, ambient light, photo processing, and monitor. I have a lot of BL that is as much or more yellow than the pic on right. Then again from the same tree I've had more dull brown too.



The hedge pics where taken seconds after it was split. Locust was about a week to 10 days. Same camera. Bl was much brighter when first split. They look very close to each other, but hedge doent get as big as locust.


----------



## bboulier (Feb 4, 2011)

Wikipedia has a very nice discussion of this tree:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera


----------



## cptoneleg (Feb 4, 2011)

Us Kids in North Texas  50s called them things horse apples, they were everwhere, I was told that after that great dust bowl and great depression that The goverment planted thes things in rows to stop eroson of topsoil.


----------



## cptoneleg (Feb 4, 2011)

[quote author="bboulier" date="1296878732"]Wikipedia has a very nice discussion of this tree:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maclura_pomifera[/quote


Thanks for this site reading that really brought back old times, playing in the, windbreaks of Texas


----------



## HardWoodW (Feb 5, 2011)

I remember my grandpa used to throw some green hedge on the fire for sparks/crackles.  I didn't realize it burns so well once seasoned.


----------



## Thistle (Feb 5, 2011)

Though he's been gone almost 40 yrs now,my Granddad in NW Missouri used hedge for posts all around the 160 acre farm Dad grew up on.The property has changed owners at least twice that I know of since then,in 2009 I drove past it & you can still see most all the posts he set back in the 1930's.There's still an abundance of it growing all over NW Missouri & SW Iowa.Was originally planted  back in the mid-late 1800's as a living fence (hedge) before the introduction of barbed wire.Native to parts of east Texas,Oklahoma & Arkansas,Osage Orange was planted all over areas of the Midwest & Eastern US.One of my older cousins has huge old hedgerows that border 2 sides of his farm.Been in his family over 100 yrs now.Not much is harvested anymore,occasionally someone will cut a few posts,but sadly more hedgerows are dozed out & left in a heap.


----------



## cptoneleg (Feb 5, 2011)

Shelterbelts thats what they were called; You could be in North West Texas and it would apeear that someone had removed all trees except for strips. Just the opposit trees were planted in strips by F D R and friends :exclaim:


----------



## tickbitty (Feb 7, 2011)

Thanks for all the posts on this.  I will try to take some pics of the cut pcs I have, though they've been laying outside a while.  Interesting stuff you all have posted though, thank you!


----------

