Took more pics of my mystery wood

[Ralphie Boy]

It is black locust. the same type of tree will look different based on many different factors including, but not limited to: geographic growing region, area the tree was growing within the geogrphic region, soil condition, rain fall age of the tree and so on.

 

[gzecc]

Except thats like having fresh split oak dry after 8 mos, it doesn't happen.

 

[StihlHead]

Attached are pics I just took of BL that has been seasoned for approx 16mos. IMO the pictures you've posted are not black locust. The bark is not furrowed enough and the growth rings are way to far a part.

I do not know why you persist with this line of argument, but I can attest that the photos posted by the OP look EXACTLY like the black locust that I have in my stacks, and I can assure you that I do not have Siberian Elm. My locust wood has growth rings that are fairly wide apart, and they appear the same as the OP.

 

[Flatbedford]

Black Locust for sure.

 

[Bret Chase]

Upon reviewing the pics, I don't think it's locust either.

This is from a standing dead locust in a dying stand across the street from my house.
The only thing I don't likeabout locust is those God-forsaken thorns..

 

[ScotO]

To follow up on my post above, I did not know what BL was 2 years ago. It is a commonly planted tree here used in landscaping in suburban yards. I was offered a half cord of black locust for free about a year ago from an arborist that hordes wood like Scotty The Overkiller. This guy's house and detached garage is surrounded by 6 foot by 4 foot stacks of firewood under tarps and under eves and dormer roofing, as well as in loose piles of fresh firewood that he gleans from his business. The BL was cut, split and dry. It was in a loose pile and he pointed to it for me to load, and I was told not to load any other wood from his hordes. From the look of it, most of his stacked wood was Doug. Anyway, he helped me load the last few logs and mentioned that he hoped I had 'a good stove to burn this stuff in', meaning he thought it was all crap. I mean, why else would an obvious overkill hoarder get rid of firewood? You would think it was Tree of Heaven or Cottonwood. I had read here that locust was good stuff, and I was downright giddy thinking about my good fortune. I was running low on good dry wood last year at that time. That wood got me through last spring, easy peasy. I do not see what the fuss is about burning this stuff, but it seems to be hard wood for some people to burn. It does take time to dry well, but so does white oak.

....one persons trash is another's treasure. I take all the BL that I can get.

Yes, I have hoards of wood......mostly black and honey locust!!

As for some people "having trouble burning it", you are exactly right. Most people expect to be able to chuck a heap of locust splits in the stove and for it to take off in a raging inferno. That is not the case. It starts out really slow for most people, but it gasifies for HOURS AND HOURS, and leaves a great coal bed. The key, IMHO, is to have that gasifying. You want that in a good woodstove, that's where the efficiency comes from. And even though the locust fire doesn't look as hot as say a pine fire does, it still puts out more heat over a LOT longer period of time.......I take all I can.

so those of you east of the Mississippi.....send me your wretched locust. Those west of the river, send yours to Stihlhead. We'll get rid of it for ya!!

 

[Woody Stover]

No mystery there; Black Locust, 100%. If I cut some that's dead on the ground, it will be brown....but the MC will be <18%. Those splits have been cut a while, and they will turn brown then, too. OP's description of the stringy stuff under the bark is right on. Only thing he didn't mention was the stench when you pull the bark off, as Ralphie said. Classic BL..
I've got quite a bit stacked in a double row last summer, split fairly big. Some were dead but others were somewhat fresh. Bark was loose on most of mine, and I pulled what I could. Maybe that'll help. From what you guys are saying though, I'll be letting it sit a couple more years. I'll just keep hammering on the Ash, Cherry and soft Maple. I do have about a cord of BL that has been stacked a year. Gotta be good next winter...gotta be!
I have a buttload of wood stacked, but can't burn any of it for years!

Did I mention that fab's wood is Black Locust?

 

[IanDad]

Concur: Locust.

It is indeed difficult to get rolling without a good bed of coals. Fantastic for overnight burns though with a strong bed of coals in the morning. Rinse. Lather. Repeat. 24x7.

 

[fabsroman]

No mystery there; Black Locust, 100%. If I cut some that's dead on the ground, it will be brown....but the MC will be <18%. Those splits have been cut a while, and they will turn brown then, too. OP's description of the stringy stuff under the bark is right on. Only thing he didn't mention was the stench when you pull the bark off, as Ralphie said. Classic BL..
I've got quite a bit stacked in a double row last summer, split fairly big. Some were dead but others were somewhat fresh. Bark was loose on most of mine, and I pulled what I could. Maybe that'll help. From what you guys are saying though, I'll be letting it sit a couple more years. I'll just keep hammering on the Ash, Cherry and soft Maple. I do have about a cord of BL that has been stacked a year. Gotta be good next winter...gotta be!
I have a buttload of wood stacked, but can't burn any of it for years!

Did I mention that fab's wood is Black Locust?

Not only does the stuff stink when you peel the bark off, but the smoke from it stinks pretty good too. I think it is the only one from the bunch that I cannot really stand. With the others, when I go up my stairs after feeding the furnace I get a sense of nostalgia of my parents old fireplace. When I have locust in the furnace, I just get sick when I go up the stairs.

I think the real thing that will settle the debate on siberian elm versus locust is whether the bark falls off siberian elm in the same manner as locust (i.e., leaves strings behind and smells like crap). Seems like a lot of moisture gets caught between the bark and the sap wood until the bark is pulled off. Would also love to see a cross section of siberian elm. I know black locust grows aplenty around this area. Even had a client offer me 3 of them last summer, but never had the time to go get them. Have yet to run across siberian elm, unless this actually turns out to be siberian elm.

 

[Woody Stover]

growth rings are way to far a part.

I get my BL from a grove on the edge of a farm field, that also grows back into the woods a ways with other trees. Big growth rings as it competes with other trees (and other BL) for light.

Not only does the stuff stink when you peel the bark off, but the smoke from it stinks pretty good too. I think it is the only one from the bunch that I cannot really stand. With the others, when I go up my stairs after feeding the furnace I get a sense of nostalgia of my parents old fireplace. When I have locust in the furnace, I just get sick when I go up the stairs.

I think the real thing that will settle the debate on siberian elm versus locust is whether the bark falls off siberian elm in the same manner as locust (i.e., leaves strings behind and smells like crap). Seems like a lot of moisture gets caught between the bark and the sap wood until the bark is pulled off. Would also love to see a cross section of siberian elm. I know black locust grows aplenty around this area. Even had a client offer me 3 of them last summer, but never had the time to go get them. Have yet to run across siberian elm, unless this actually turns out to be siberian elm.

I try to get as much of the bark off as possible, and don't notice too much of an odor when burning bark-less BL. Maybe my nose is full of sawdust, though...
Those last two end grain pics? Claaaasic BL.

 

[Redlegs]

I am going to take a different tact on this and suggest considering cottonwood. While the endgrain lookd pretty tight in the side-on views, the bark views looked a lot like this snap of I grabbed from google images (searched for "cottonwood bark")...just a thought.

 

[Redlegs]

So I grabbed a pict of black locast bark the same way above to compare/contrast. Boy from just lookin at these picts on the computer screen, it looks close?

 

[Redlegs]

In my search I found this thread from another site...
(broken link removed to http://www.arboristsite.com/firewood-heating-wood-burning-equipment/168452-3.htm)
So I guess I am not alone in struggling to ID trees via computer.

 

[fabsroman]

I am going to take a different tact on this and suggest considering cottonwood. While the endgrain lookd pretty tight in the side-on views, the bark views looked a lot like this snap of I grabbed from google images (searched for "cottonwood bark")...just a thought.

Yeah, definitely not cottonwood. From what I have been reading on here, cottonwood is like poplar. I cut down a poplar a month after this "mystery wood" and the poplar is at 19% and light as can be. In fact, I brought a couple huge pieces into the house the other day, one in each hand, and my wife thought I was strong as can be until I told her they were really light. This "mystery wood" is pretty dense.

 

[Jon1270]

August is probably the worst time of year to take down a tree, in terms of starting MC.

I was curious about this, did a bit more searching and it seems I was wrong. The idea that moisture content in live trees changes significantly over the year is apparently an old myth.

Seasonal sap flow and moisture content in trees

 

[Wood Duck]

That still doesn't look like Black Locust to me. The growth rings are too wide and the color seems wrong. I don't know what it is.

 

[Stax]

BL ALL DAY.