Different types of cherry

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
N

NickW

Minister of Fire
Oct 16, 2019
1,467
SE WI
I've noticed that I have 2 different types of cherry trees on my property in northern WI. Just trying to determine which is which. Is the darker rougher bark black cherry and the lighter not as rough bark choke cherry (almost looks like an oak or ash bark)? Or do I have that backwards? Or is none of it choke cherry? The bark isn't right for what I found about pin cherry, but I didn't find any good pics of black or choke cherry bark. I didn't think choke cherry got this big, but it's all definitely cherry. Pointed elliptical leaves with serrated edges, pink inside when split, smells great, good coals...

I remember getting a cherry log a few years back that had the same dark rough bark as the first one that was 22" dia. I have lots of the smoother bark ones standing dead in the swamp up to 15"+ dia. Pulled about 30 out over the winter.
 

Attachments

  • [Hearth.com] Different types of cherry
    20200704_152324.webp
    192.8 KB · Views: 400
  • [Hearth.com] Different types of cherry
    20200704_152340.webp
    214.1 KB · Views: 462
  • [Hearth.com] Different types of cherry
    20200704_152447.webp
    209.2 KB · Views: 415
  • [Hearth.com] Different types of cherry
    20200704_152458.webp
    166.5 KB · Views: 410
The darker one is definitely black cherry. Not sure about the one in the other pic.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stinkpickle
There are so many cultivars of cherry that you will need a local arborist/botanists to know for sure. Taste the berries when they ripen and that will help. Pin cherry, choke cherry, and most wild cherry species have bitter fruit.
 
SpaceBus said:
There are so many cultivars of cherry that you will need a local arborist/botanists to know for sure. Taste the berries when they ripen and that will help. Pin cherry, choke cherry, and most wild cherry species have bitter fruit.
Click to expand...
This is definitely a wild cherry. Much more numerous than the other ones (black cherry). Mostly growing in swamp and lowland on a previously "wild" piece of property. Only up here 5 or 6 times most years. Don't recall ever seeing fruit on them, but many are dead. I'll have to inspect some live ones closer... This is basically a curiosity question. Live ones will stay as they are, dead ones will become firewood.
 
  • Like
Reactions: SpaceBus and JimBear
The first bark photo is American black cherry, very distinctive. In the botany course I took in college, they described it as "burnt potato chip" bark. Its firewood is also distinctive. It has a specific use beside fireplace fires -- smoking meat, such as barbecued ribs done the traditional way.

Another distinctive thing about black cherry -- very easy to split with a maul. It's what I use to teach people to split their own wood. Instant success is almost guaranteed.

When I've used choke cherry branches for firewood, they've been disappointing. I'm not sure if your other photo is choke cherry.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Stinkpickle
that's an American Elm in second picture.
 
Look closely at the leaves. Elm will be doubly serrated. That is, each tooth will have a subtooth(teeth). Cherries will not.
 
Bark + leaves looks consistent for American elm.
Slice the bark tangentially with a knife. American elm bark will have alternating light and chocolate brown layers.
 
( . . . 3rd + 4th pics)
 
I didn't get notification that there were more reply's to this post, sorry I haven't responded. Heading back up tomorrow. I'll try to cut a couple logs up and split them with the ax. I usually use the splitter, but I'm not bringing it this weekend. The elm seems like it might be right, but I swear previous of these tree's smelled like cherry and had a nice straight grain - not stringy or twisted; but I don't recall having any bigger one's like I have now. They were all 5" max...
 
  • Like
Reactions: hickoryhoarder
After closer comparison between what came out of the swamp and what we think might be American elm on the shoreline, I think most of what I cut from the swamp might be ash? Split nice, smells a little like oak but not exactly the red oak smell I typically get. Thing is there's no other white oak on the property and only a couple of reds. We've owned it for 11 years and they've mostly been dead the whole time. There's a few D shaped exit holes, but not many. Maybe white oak...?more pics... Any way you look at it, it's primo wood...
[Hearth.com] Different types of cherry[Hearth.com] Different types of cherry[Hearth.com] Different types of cherry[Hearth.com] Different types of cherry[Hearth.com] Different types of cherry
 
Feel stupid. Mystery solved. It's ash. Classic dying ash with sprouts coming out at the bottom but canopy completely dead and compound leaves. Found a couple smaller live ones and one dying one. Certainly not completely peckered full of D holes like I usually see closer to home, but maybe it isn't EAB that got them...?
 

Attachments

  • [Hearth.com] Different types of cherry
    20200719_152007.webp
    160.1 KB · Views: 358
Don't burn that cherry. Mill it or use it for cooking meat. I burned cherry once and won't do it again. It smells/tastes too good to be firewood.
 
Like other fruit woods, cherry is great for cooking/smoking. In fact, there are many BBQ joints that prefer cherry over hickory because hickory can sometimes add a bitter taste.
 
  • Like
Reactions: hickoryhoarder
I here you. I have barrel's of cherry and apple at home. This is on some weekend property. We cook over the fire outside when there. The cherry is great for venison steak, burgers, brats, anything... Most of the cherry I took down in the building site is only 8" max and not very straight, so not worth milling. I have some cherry and black walnut slabs I made from some big tree's that I plan to do something with someday...
 
  • Like
Reactions: TreePointer
I burn some black cherry every year as I have some that will grow on my property and then die off . . . only issue is when I am splitting it up as I keep stopping to smell the splits as it smells wicked nice. Wife caught me doing so one time and yelled out "What in hell are you doing?" About near crapped my pants as I didn't even know she was standing behind me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: PA. Woodsman, Gearhead660, TreePointer and 2 others
firefighterjake said:
I burn some black cherry every year as I have some that will grow on my property and then die off . . . only issue is when I am splitting it up as I keep stopping to smell the splits as it smells wicked nice. Wife caught me doing so one time and yelled out "What in hell are you doing?" About near crapped my pants as I didn't even know she was standing behind me.
Click to expand...
My wife loves to "sneak" up on me when I'm working outside. Usually I don't notice her until I stop and take off my ear protection. I got her back yesterday when she was running the splitter and I brought her some water.
 
firefighterjake said:
I burn some black cherry every year as I have some that will grow on my property and then die off . . . only issue is when I am splitting it up as I keep stopping to smell the splits as it smells wicked nice. Wife caught me doing so one time and yelled out "What in hell are you doing?" About near crapped my pants as I didn't even know she was standing behind me.
Click to expand...
That is word for word what my wife said the first time she saw me splitting cherry... ;lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: firefighterjake
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

ReggieT
Wood ID Help?
Replies
15
Views
3K
The Wood Shed
stoveliker
stoveliker
skw
Name These Woods?
Replies
9
Views
1K
The Wood Shed
Rangerbait
Rangerbait
H
Log Splitter Options
Replies
16
Views
3K
The Gear
Dataman
D
ValleyCottageSplitter
  • Locked
Fallen Timber ID in NYC suburb area
Replies
6
Views
1K
The Wood Shed
Wood Duck
Wood Duck
P
  • Locked
So good to get out there today and split some wood
Replies
4
Views
977
The Wood Shed
heavy hammer
heavy hammer
Top Bottom