Wood ID

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rshanno1

Member
Aug 20, 2011
20
Central Ia
Had a standing dead leaner, a section of a larger tree, that finally blew down last week. I cut it up today and it appears to be hickory but I'm still not great at wood ID so what do you think? The leaf in the pic is from another section of the tree, MC of the splits is about 32%. Thanks!
 

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Leaf pic could be better, but look like it might be American Elm. Doesn't look super-stringy though...how hard was it to split?
 
I don't think that's swamp oak. I'm leaning towards an elm. Leaf looks like elm, wood looks like ash or oak......intriguing.....
 
Bark & wood look a lot like Siberian Elm.Fair amount around here in older yards,some urban lots & a few along rural fencerows too.Can be pretty stringy sometimes,still much easier splitting than most American/White Elm.
 
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The leafs look very similar to that of a elm. What did it smell like when split?
 
I think that leaf is Virginia Creeper. Are you sure it was part of the tree and not a vine growing on the tree? The bark, the brown color of the wood, and the apparent stringiness of the wood make me think Elm.
 
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Thanks for the responses. I split the rest of the load today and it did have a distinct smell but more like that of the oak I've split. It split easily, a few stringy pieces but no more than some of the oak and hickory I've split and less so than alot of the elm I've worked with. Here's another shot of a remaining section of the tree if that helps. Guess it doesn't really matter what it is cause it will burn and isn't needed for another year or two.

Rik
 

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I'm thinking chesnut oak?
 
Bark is really different in the second pic! I'm liking Dairyman's call, although the natural range of Chestnut Oak doesn't show IA. The splits certainly have an Oak-y look to them. Any acorns on the ground?
 
No Chestnut Oak around here.In SE IA & a few southern counties you'll find scattered Swamp White Oak,Overcup Oak though.Closely related,all are technically White Oaks.
 
Thanks again everyone. Thistle, I'm in southern Warren County so sounds like maybe swamp white oak is a possibility?
 
Thanks again everyone. Thistle, I'm in southern Warren County so sounds like maybe swamp white oak is a possibility?


Possibly.Some reports of that near creeks,streams & certain rivers like the Des Moines,Middle & South Raccoon for example.I havent see any yet.You cant be much more than 35 miles from where I'm sitting right now.One of my cousins,his wife & 3 boys live on an acreage near Milo.Very pretty country down through there,nice rolling hillsides,deep bluffs near the river bottoms,not 'flat' like most people think of Iowa - that's north central & parts of northwest last I remember.
 
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