Wood identity

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jj3500

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Hearth Supporter
Picked up some rounds from a non wood burning neighbor. Looks like red oak. Got it home and split it. Its mustard yellow on the inside and red at the ends. Anyone know what this is without the photo (having issues trying to load pics).

Thanks
 
little hard to tell without pics, but I am gonna say based on your description, it's... Firewood??

Internet rules apply - pics or it didn't happen.
 
If it is yellow inside, and reddish-brown on the ends, I will guess that it is Mulberry.
 
Mulberry.
 
Here are some pictures from jj3500

[Hearth.com] Wood identity


[Hearth.com] Wood identity


[Hearth.com] Wood identity


[Hearth.com] Wood identity


[Hearth.com] Wood identity


More to follow.
 
[Hearth.com] Wood identity


[Hearth.com] Wood identity


[Hearth.com] Wood identity


[Hearth.com] Wood identity
 
First two are beech. Rest is mulberry. Both in the red oak regime for BTU's.
 
That red area. Is that the way the tree responds to the cut/exposed section to the air?
 
Yeah, the freshly split areas will turn red/brown after a while. It's neat wood. Black locust and I think osage orange are similar in that respect.
 
Osage Orange is a cousin to mulberry. I found a guy with some on his property that he was cutting down. I got one good piece to make a Bow out of and the rest I burned. Burns hot, better than Red Oak in my opinion because it dried a lot faster.
 
DONT BURN the mullberry - it is the pine of the hardwoods - instead, kindly deliver it to zip code 50049, and I will properly dispose of it for you - seriously one of my favorites, and killer wood to smoke meat with.
 
willisl64 said:
DONT BURN the mullberry - it is the pine of the hardwoods - instead, kindly deliver it to zip code 50049, and I will properly dispose of it for you - seriously one of my favorites, and killer wood to smoke meat with.

That's interesting. I have a couple of small Mulberry trees that have to come down. Not really big enough to bother with for firewood, but I could chunk it up and use for smoking. What kind of flavor does it give?
 
Adam_MA said:
willisl64 said:
DONT BURN the mullberry - it is the pine of the hardwoods - instead, kindly deliver it to zip code 50049, and I will properly dispose of it for you - seriously one of my favorites, and killer wood to smoke meat with.

That's interesting. I have a couple of small Mulberry trees that have to come down. Not really big enough to bother with for firewood, but I could chunk it up and use for smoking. What kind of flavor does it give?

I knew a guy who once tried it for smoking but soon went back to his cigarettes. Said the flavor was terrible.
 
DiscoInferno said:
First two are beech. Rest is mulberry. Both in the red oak regime for BTU's.
I would have to agree. Nice truck too. :coolsmile:
 
The mullberry looks just like the mullbery we had cut down a couple years back. Actually, only 1/2 was cut down. The rest is still in the yard, making a big 'ol mess. Bruns nice, splits nice by had AFTER partial seasoning (it was a bi**h when green). Ours had powder post beetles so we didn't wanna keep much more in the house than we'd burn in one day.

We haven't gotten any actual mullberries from that tree since we built that super-hiway for the squirrels (i.e., a guest house about 8 ft. from the tree).

The mullberries were tasty, 'tho.

Peace,
- Sequoia
 
Whether it's Mulberry or Black Locust or whatever, I have definitely processed and burned some of the wood type in the last photos. It has very distinct yellow core wood, beige white sap wood, and is very heavy, too. I definitely recognize that bark. I found that it seasoned fast and was quite usable the same year. Verified with moisture meter. The stuff felt heavier per unit volume than Red Oak. Mine also had the yellow turn a rusty red color when exposed to air. The inner wood remains yellow. Coals great and throws a bunch of heat. Definitely right up there with Oak BTU's. Unlike Oak, it does throw a bunch of smaller sparks, at times. Just watch it and you'll be fine. Great score!
 
mulberry doing a fence line full of it.(wish it was hedge)
 
Its not black locust we have in NJ.
 
willisl64 said:
DONT BURN the mullberry - it is the pine of the hardwoods - instead, kindly deliver it to zip code 50049, and I will properly dispose of it for you - seriously one of my favorites, and killer wood to smoke meat with.

Can I be next in line 56469?
 
I plan on targeting Mulberry due to it's BTU value, which is actually a bit higher than red and white oak. That stuff grows like an invasive week here in NJ. It is one of the first intruders to an open piece of land, along with sweetgum and redcedar juniper (also called a Primary succession tree by ecologists). Every hedgerow or woods border has some ugly Mulberries growing. I never thought about it as a tree until I saw the BTU charts for firewood. I am now a fan of Mulberry. The berries are tasty too, but they sometimes have worms inside and I know I've eaten the worms. Burn baby burn!!!

I bucked and split some wood recently that was dropped by some friends. One type had YELLOW wood, from what I've read here, that was likely Mulberry.
Brian
 
Hmm the old locust I have been splitting is also yellow inside, smells kinda nice also.
 
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