black birch or pin cherry?

[PA. Woodsman]

Here in PA. we also refer to Black Birch as "Cherry Birch" just to confuse everyone a little more lol!

 

[Kosmonauts]

Here in PA. we also refer to Black Birch as "Cherry Birch" just to confuse everyone a little more lol!

I'm in PA as well...I can see why it would be called cherry birch though, because of the color of some of the wood and it obviously gets mixed up with cherry, yes?

 

[CincyBurner]

As an aside . . .
yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) also has a wintergreen smell too, but is very easy to differentiate from B. lenta on older trees by its exfoliating yellow/ gray bark (with small saplings it's tough and best to go by twigs). Similar range to B. lenta. in Allegheny mountains.

 

[Kosmonauts]

As an aside . . .
yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) also has a wintergreen smell too, but is very easy to differentiate from B. lenta on older trees by its exfoliating yellow/ gray bark (with small saplings it's tough and best to go by twigs). Similar range to B. lenta. in Allegheny mountains.

Thank you man!! Yellow birch caught my wye

 

[Fanatical1]

I found this with a quick Google search... Sounds like a familiar debate between pin cherry and black birch. More common in appearance than we think?

http://www.forestryforum.com/board/index.php?topic=63004.0

 

[weatherguy]

Forgot to take the picture but your second picture is much clearer and it is black birch. The color of the wood is pretty uniform throughout the birch. Another thing I notice on black birch bark there are some white spots and there's none on the cherry, I can see the white spots in your second picture, actually greenish on yours.

 

[Kosmonauts]

Forgot to take the picture but your second picture is much clearer and it is black birch. The color of the wood is pretty uniform throughout the birch. Another thing I notice on black birch bark there are some white spots and there's none on the cherry, I can see the white spots in your second picture, actually greenish on yours.

Ok cool thanks a bunch!!

 

[paul bunion]

Here's a pic of an older big black birch on our property with a big burl on it... You can see how with this older tree the bark has become peeled, but still see some of those tell tale horizontal lines or wrap to the bark. Not really the best picture of a black birch to show the bark comparison but it's all I had.

View attachment 177415

Based on that photo alone I would call that a yellow birch. Although black birch can have a greyish/white surface appearance, it should have a much darker undertone than what you have there.

 

[Kosmonauts]

Based on that photo alone I would call that a yellow birch. Although black birch can have a greyish/white surface appearance, it should have a much darker undertone than what you have there.

Definetely not a cherry though you say?

 

[Kosmonauts]

As an aside . . .
yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) also has a wintergreen smell too, but is very easy to differentiate from B. lenta on older trees by its exfoliating yellow/ gray bark (with small saplings it's tough and best to go by twigs). Similar range to B. lenta. in Allegheny mountains.

Wow I took another smell today and it was very strong wintergreen. I peeled back the paperish bark and sniffed. SO HAPPY ITS BLACK BIRCH! score one for the stove!

 

[splions]

Wow I took another smell today and it was very strong wintergreen. I peeled back the paperish bark and sniffed. SO HAPPY ITS BLACK BIRCH! score one for the stove!

My favorite...easy to split, fast drying, burns hot with high BTU content, makes little ash...you will enjoy it.

 

[DBoon]

The older bark picture makes me 100% certain it is black birch. Pin Cherry is very light as well, much, much lighter than birch. I've planted a bunch of Pin Cherry trees on my property - they don't get that big before the break off and blow over. If it is more than 6" or so in diameter, I would find it hard to believe it would be a Pin Cherry.