Power company wood ID

[Corriewf]

Was hoping for an ID on this wood I JUST scored from the power company doing their cuttings. The sound of the chainsaw woke me right out of bed after 30 minutes of sleep ( night owl ) and I went running. They were kind enough to let me have the wood but asked that I please remember to put pants on when I come back. I get so excited about free wood.

Ok, the general opinion is maple but im just not sure. I got some maple before from a neighbor that was supposed to be silver maple. This wood seems very heavy. It seems heavier than oak to me and has a sweet smell. Around here we would say it " smells pretty ".

 

[twitch]

Kinda looks like red oak to me based on the color of the ends, not so much the bark though. If you get a chance, split a piece and post a pic.

 

[JustWood]

U R rite. HM
w/bird peck!

 

[Corriewf]

U R rite. HM
w/bird peck!

I like to let the birds peck my wood a little bit, helps it season faster. ahah!

What is HM? Sure seems a lot heavier than red oak to me. I have hauled red/white/silver maple/hickory/cherry and this wood is the heaviest wood yet. I could not believe how heavy it was.

 

[Corriewf]

Kinda looks like red oak to me based on the color of the ends, not so much the bark though. If you get a chance, split a piece and post a pic.

Only one piece short enough to split right now. Came with lunch!

 

[gzecc]

Does look like rotten oak. Give it two yrs in the sun, hopefully it will be ready to burn.

 

[Corriewf]

Does look like rotten oak. Give it two yrs in the sun, hopefully it will be ready to burn.

You sure? At first glance I thought maybe oak, but the weight and the smell has really thrown me off. It is a very sweet smell that is almost as sweet at cherry....without it being cherry.

 

[gzecc]

Not sure. The split you pictured is rotten. Open another thats not rotten.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Lee said it was hard maple.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

You sure? At first glance I thought maybe oak, but the weight and the smell has really thrown me off. It is a very sweet smell that is almost as sweet at cherry....without it being cherry.[/quote]

It's BLACK BIRCH, also known as Cherry Birch here in PA. Very good fuelwood, has a Wintergreen smell to it.

 

[Corriewf]

Lee said it was hard maple.

Looks like hard maple is very high in btus. Better than locust?

 

[FLINT]

I don't know man,

That really looks like red maple to me. Could it be really heavy because its totally green and full of water?


I grew up in central Va, and sugar maple and black birch certainly do not grow there - and aren't really planted much either - well black birch isn't planted at all - not really an ornamental species.


Where in central VA are you?


do you have any twigs from that tree still around anywhere? if you can post a nice picture of the buds on the ends of the twigs I could probably tell.

Billy

 

[FLINT]

Lee said it was hard maple.

Looks like hard maple is very high in btus. Better than locust?

and no, hard maple is about like oak, not quite as good as locust. but still great wood - but I'm not yet convinced that's what you've got.

 

[Corriewf]

Ok finally done collecting wood. Second tree smells the EXACT same and has same weight as well. However im stumped. The second tree has bark like birch. It has to be the same type of tree though.

 

[mxjamie540]

well, I cannot explain why the smell was the same for the two woods, except maybe you're slightly intoxicated by the general aroma of FREE WOOD....... because pics of the first and second scores are NOT the same to me at all

The first wood has very large heartwood and the second has a very small heartwood. I would say that the first is a red oak limbs or hard maple.... and the 2nd being some birch.


They look nothing alike in your pics to me

 

[Corriewf]

well, I cannot explain why the smell was the same for the two woods, except maybe you're slightly intoxicated by the general aroma of FREE WOOD....... because pics of the first and second scores are NOT the same to me at all

The first wood has very large heartwood and the second has a very small heartwood. I would say that the first is a red oak limbs or hard maple.... and the 2nd being some birch.


They look nothing alike in your pics to me

Well the second tree was dead standing for a little while, the first tree was on it's way out but still alive. I thought the exact same as you " free wood and 30 mins of sleep " BUT I double checked and the aroma is the exact same. I can smell the difference between the 8 different types of wood I currently have and these two are the same. These trees were not very far from each other either. The weight is the same. This wood about killed me carrying it.... Quite heavy and im a big guy. I will say that it is quite easy to split.

 

[Wood Duck]

The first set of pictures is tough to ID, but it could be Red Maple. In the south a lot of Red Maples are relatively smooth barked with tons of lichens, like the tree you have. The second set of pics appears to be mostly aspen, or maybe a closely related tree. I don't really know how to reconcile my guesses with your report that it has a nice smell and is very heavy, but fresh Red Maple and Aspen can both be reasonably heavy. At this time of the year the sap should be rising perhaps making them a little heavier than they were in the winter.

 

[FLINT]

hmmm,

those really do look a lot different.

I still think the first one looks like red maple.

the second pics look like birch - the only other thing that has those horizontal marks in the is bark cherry, and sweet cherry can look like that.

maybe PA woodsman is right, could be black birch - although the bark is usually darker than what you've got in those second set of pictures.

if you could get a twig from that first tree that was still alive and post a picture of that, we could tell if it was birch or maple pretty easily.


oh yeah, and what county/town are you in???? did these trees look planted or like they grew on their own?

 

[CrawfordCentury]

Pics of first load are of sugar maple. Damn fine firewood. The way the bark is coming off from some of the dead limbwood's a dead giveaway. Got a near-dead sugar maple that's coming down soon.

This one looks like aspen/popple. Burns like paper. I use it and pine to get the stove hot - or to quicken the oven when it's time to bake biscuits.

 

[Corriewf]

Tell you what guys, I am quite happy with this score today. I have somehow managed to scrounge enough wood in the last couple months to cover my butt for next winter and this wood for 11-12. Thank god for the power company making it's rounds and nice people letting me have it.


I don't think it is Aspen. Took a poplar down in the backyard back in early Jan that was light as could be. Here are some more pics of the second tree. I split a piece and smelled it again, smelled just like first. So weird. I have smelled my way through so many other species.

Also im in Richmond, Virginia. The trees probably were planted by someone that developed the neighborhood across the street.

I really appreciate everyone's help. I wish I had a better eye for this stuff, but growing up in Florida didn't give me much wood burning experience. I am learning though. Thanks.

 

[CrawfordCentury]

Still thinking it's a kinda poplar. Based on the bark - but also the feathery-ribbony stuff at the bottom of this pic. That's the cambium from beneath the bark.

But again, I'm just south of the White Mountains on the far end of the Appalachians. So it might be some sorta tree we don't see up my way. Still looks like popple to me.

 

[FLINT]

yes, its a good score for sure,

thanks for the twig pic.

we can definitely rule out maple - your twig has alternate branching, and maple has opposite branching.

I'm not familiar with aspen as those aren't native.

i've got to go to a meeting but I'll look closer when I get back,

i'm leaning towards Birch - especially since you said it smelled good.

 

[Corriewf]

Still thinking it's a kinda poplar. Based on the bark - but also the feathery-ribbony stuff at the bottom of this pic. That's the cambium from beneath the bark.

But again, I'm just south of the White Mountains on the far end of the Appalachians. So it might be some sorta tree we don't see up my way. Still looks like popple to me.

Man I hope not... ahaha! I couldn't use a wheel barrel to get it and had to walk most of those pieces one at a time about 50 yards. They were just as heavy as the first tree. That Tulip Poplar I got in the back yard, I could have carried two pieces the size of these cuts. It also stunk quite a bit. I think if I have another poplar die, I might give it away to someone on craigslist. I like the burn (short fast ) but splitting was painful. This stuff split very easily.

 

[billb3]

Tell you what guys, I am quite happy with this score today. I have somehow managed to scrounge enough wood in the last couple months to cover my butt for next winter and this wood for 11-12.

You promised to wear pants.



I'm thinking birch, of some sort, too.
Certainly not anything that I'd recognize growing around here.

 

[Corriewf]

yes, its a good score for sure,

thanks for the twig pic.

we can definitely rule out maple - your twig has alternate branching, and maple has opposite branching.

I'm not familiar with aspen as those aren't native.

i've got to go to a meeting but I'll look closer when I get back,

i'm leaning towards Birch - especially since you said it smelled good.

Sorry for the shotty twig pic. It was the best I could do. Calling an A-Team meeting on this one? :lol: The only type of poplar I have seen around here is Tulip and it normally has some purple banding of some sort. I really hope this isn't some type of poplar. Wishful thinking probably.