Dark red/purplish heartwood...?

[PA. Woodsman]

STop worrying about what it is and just burn it. You have cut it up, split it and now you want to what it is. It's firewood.

I also would want to know what wood it is, that's part of the learning process when harvesting fuelwood.

I have no idea what it is but I am sure it isn't Walnut or Mulberry, doesn't look right at all for them. The only wood that I have dealt with here in PA. with a purple tint is Box Elder but the grain doesn't look right for that either.

This is a real good one!

 

[NickW]

I don't think there's going to a definitive answer... if it's hickory, locust or walnut it'll be fine when it gets in the rotation; if it's an oak it might give some issues if I burn it in 2 years. There's not a lot, so it won't be a big deal.

Just had a thought... maybe an apple of some sort or even pear...? I've only seen crabapple once and never pear...

 

[Caw]

I don't think there's going to a definitive answer... if it's hickory, locust or walnut it'll be fine when it gets in the rotation; if it's an oak it might give some issues if I burn it in 2 years. There's not a lot, so it won't be a big deal.

Just had a thought... maybe an apple of some sort or even pear...? I've only seen crabapple once and never pear...

Crabapple has very similar colors but it's much more red than brown with a tighter grain. Here's one I split up a couple months ago:

So, I'd say that's def not apple. I dont have a picture of the bark but just to be sure I'll take a pic of my tree out back when I head to work shortly.

Edit - ok its pouring rain so I didn't go out back. My tree is probably only a foot in diameter so with age it could change, but from memory the bark is smoother and not a very uniform pattern. It's very distinct looking.

 

[Caw]

Crabapple bark as promised. Very different than what you have.

 

[nrford]

It's Soft Maple...

 

[WoodScrounger]

It's Soft Maple...

I have a lot of soft maple in my wood yard right now. I would agree just looking at the bark however what I have is mostly very light. Maybe what I have is an exception.
I’m a bit of an outdoor enthusiast and learning about trees and wood types is one of the many reasons I have a wood burning appliance

 

[Eureka]

It's Soft Maple...

Yes

 

[NickW]

I could see the possibility of soft maple. I've seen silver maple heartwood that dark. If it is, it's gotta be 90% mc... unbelievably heavy for the size...

 

[pvfjr]

STop worrying about what it is and just burn it. You have cut it up, split it and now you want to what it is. It's firewood.

Judging by the description of "The Wood Shed", I think he's obsessing over it the perfect amount. Isn't that what we do here?

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Judging by the description of "The Wood Shed", I think he's obsessing over it the perfect amount. Isn't that what we do here?

Absolutely, like I said it's part of the learning process when harvesting fuelwood, and it let's you understand and learn how the certain species burn and how long they take to dry and how much heat they expel etc., it's part of the fun. Plus it helps others on here just by looking at the pictures, perhaps one day we will come across some wood and remember "I think I saw this on the Wood shed thread" and know what it is or at least be able to look it up.

 

[Easy Livin’ 3000]

I almost took a pic of some big birch rounds today to do a ID thread, but thought better of it...

So I've been splitting 3 loads from a tree services storage pasture and have one that I'm not familiar with and "the Google" isn't helping.... No leaves, no buds, etc... Just bark and split. It has a dark red/purplish heartwood, purple streaks in the sapwood, platelike bark similar to honey locust, and is pleasantly fragrant but I can't identifylike what... Nothing like the white wood and pink/red streaks in the box elder. Doesn't stink or split like elm. So far in the 3 loads I have ash, elm, birch, box elder, pine, some sort of willow (I think).

I don't think it's black locust, not brown enough.... maybe lilac - seems too big? Not mulberry, that's more yellow heartwood; although there's some yellow in the bark fiber... It's very heavy and split like hardwood. Maybe some other sort of ornamental? Trying to figure out where to stack it. If all else fails it'll go in the 2 year seasoning sugar maple/birch/hickory/honey locust stack... Other stacks are softwoods and "quick" hardwoods... No oak stack yet, but that's coming sometime.

Photos don't do the color justice... it's absolutely gorgeous.
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I think it's butternut.

I have a giant specimen right in my front yard that is on it's last leg. I've only burned branches that have broken off, but the bark looks the same and even the branches have a dark core like your pics.

Before it went completely downhill, it gave us a few nuts, just enough for me to ID it.

Everything else you say to describe it
matches.

 

[Dieselhead]

I’m going through a shagbark hickory pile now and had some purple stain in the splits I’ll grab some pics next time I’m out at the pile.

 

[Dieselhead]

A little late with that pic, I had to get some fresh split pics, after sitting exposed for a couple days the purple seemed to turn brown. Only spots I saw it was where limbs (old cut off ones) intersected the main leaders. Maybe the purple stain is like blue stain on other species, a sign of disease or rot?