Bark is too smooth to be hackberry. I am not familiar with the NC trees, but my guess for out there would be beech or gum.
Pretty sure it's not beech. Bark is off, as well as the structure of the tree. And the leaf is deff not beech.I'm leaning towards American Beech
Hackberry is from the elm family. So it is about mid-range in terms of BTUs (better than poplar, worse than oak, about equal to cherry), probably on the more difficult side to split.
It has wildlife value though, specifically birds. So if you have any interest in that, you can cut elsewhere.
The tree in your picture isn't really a shining example of the specimen, so if you have other trees like it nearby and want to open up the canopy a little bit, I'd say it's a good candidate for firewood. All those branches will make the main trunk a doozy to split though.
We use essential cookies to make this site work, and optional cookies to enhance your experience.