Difficult Wood ID

The bark, pitch ooze and grain appearance all say "pine" to me, but I don't know what types of pine might be in Victoria BC. I do know that some of the toughest stuff I've ever split has been knotty white pine, but it's not hard, it'll just eat your splitting maul.

A little more research is making me lean in the direction of it being 'western larch'. The bark is not quite right, but the color is, and it is supposedly as hard as elm. One of the hardest, if not THE hardest, North American softwood species. That would definitely make your splitting maul bounce. Also, larch has minimal to no odor, so obviously it won't smell like pine.

It's basswood or linden same thing

First glance I thought Pine. Its got a familiar bark, and the color looks familiar as well.

Could it be Hemlock?

FIshing_Fool said:

Ok guys I surrender! A consensus will not be reached.

Pine lovers I'm sorry I can't believe its pine. I haven't met every species but this is completely unlike the other 3 - 5 pine species I have processed.

I want it to be mullberry but from what I've seen most nurserys in bc sell white mullberry and I think in the end that is fairly unlikely although not impossible.

I think the winner is western larch AKA Tamarack which sounds sweet! I found a picture of a round that looks very similar.

I only had a quick look at basswood I don't know much about it besides I hope that's not it and I don't believe a poor firewood could be such a bear to split.

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Tamarack is a pine species!

If it makes you feel any better, since I'm in the process of splitting 5 cords of pine right now, I hit a crotch yesterday that my 27 ton splitter could almost not handle. First time ever that this thing came to a dead stop and hesitated for more than 3 seconds. I split over a full cord of box elder and a half cord of elm, and neither were as tough as this. I didn't think such a thing was physically possible.

Crotches in any species can be tough, but not relevant here. He's having trouble just splitting the straight and clean rounds!

FIshing_Fool said:

What the F is this wood I scrounged? I got it from a tree service they were probably laughing as I loaded it. When I slam my axe or maul into this it bounces off like its solid steel. I can peel off the edges but they are too skinny so I need to pound a wedge through it which is also very difficult. Even pieces with no knots are a bear to split. If there is any tougher wood out there I don't want to meet it.View attachment 155497 View attachment 155498 View attachment 155499

Note I'm in the pacific north west so you gurus from the east this is an extra challenge.

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That red grain looks very similar to the way fatwood looks......

Yikes... if that's it, then split very small!

FIshing_Fool said:

Ok guys I surrender! A consensus will not be reached.

Pine lovers I'm sorry I can't believe its pine. I haven't met every species but this is completely unlike the other 3 - 5 pine species I have processed.

I want it to be mullberry but from what I've seen most nurserys in bc sell white mullberry and I think in the end that is fairly unlikely although not impossible.

I think the winner is western larch AKA Tamarack which sounds sweet! I found a picture of a round that looks very similar.

I only had a quick look at basswood I don't know much about it besides I hope that's not it and I don't believe a poor firewood could be such a bear to split.

Click to expand...

I tally about 8 votes for Pine (including nrford, to whom we all pretty much defer as The Authority), one for Mulberry, one for Larch. Not quite consensus, but pretty darned close for us bunch. Larch isn't native to the Island, so it'd have to be from a nursery. Seems a long shot to me.
Maybe you just don't WANT to believe it's Pine

I'm not surprised that it could be that hard to split. Growing conditions can affect split-ability as much, or much more than species.
As a boy/teenager I never met a tree in the farm woodlot that I couldn't split with a lil' single bit axe. Now I scrounge yard trees & several have got the better of me despite a Fiskars, sledge, wedges & the 25 lbs of belly-muscle I've put on since those days .
Noodle that Pine, or put it aside for a splitter rental day. Still good firewood.

Without seeing it, just from the photos, I'm sticking with my original guess... Red Mulberry.

Red Mulberry:

Every tree is different. Was it growing in a swamp, or on top of a dry hill? There are so many variables it is almost impossible to identify a piece of wood over the internet.
It looks like firewood to me!
Split it and burn it. Maybe it wont burn as hot as a piece of Oak, but I don't think it really matters as long as it burns.
I have a feeling it will burn hot enough to keep you warm in the winter.

Happy splitting.