cherry or black cherry

[joshlaugh]

Here in my part of Ohio, the biggest cherry species is black or wild cherry(P. serotina), we have choke cherry which is more of a shrub and not worth burning. I was hiking with the family out at Flint Ridge and we found a pin cherry tree. Large tree over 50' and DBH around 20. Smooth bark unlike black cherry. I would like to burn some and see how it compares.....

 

[stint9]

FWIW

Black Cherry has always been referred to by all the old timer Farmers around here as "choke Cherry"

This was because if horses eat the leaves they often start "choking"...usually not deadly though

This was also why these trees were always culled from fencerows and kept well out of horse's reach

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I have some monster cherry trees here. A forest ranger told me they are not supposed to get as large as the ones I have. They are like humans and have a limited life, whereas Oak trees can grow for many centuries. There is one tree that is in my deed as a property line marker that is from the 1800s, and it was considered large then, according to the deed. I have one I have to cut down this year to make room for a pole barn. It is easily 36 inches in diameter and 80 feet high. What happens when they get that large they will start dropping a huge branch now and then. I would like to take some to the saw mills but my township is supposedly a real pain to deal with and the sawmills will not even deal with coming here with all of the regulations. As far as burning most people around here love them. Some people will not burn anything but cherry.