What type of wood do you think this is?

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zoomzu

zoomzu

New Member
Sep 15, 2015
7
Puyallup, WA
So my friend found a bunch of this wood. We went and got some of it for me. Not sure what it is, Maybe Aspen? wondering if you could help me I.D. it.



Here's one still standing.




When splitting the wood, the bark is "stringy" comes off like paper. I know birch is that way, but with white bark. Thanks in advance.
 
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Birch.
 
Agree... Yellow Birch.
 
You can tell its birch by the way the bark is pealing. Aspen or Poplar doesnt do that.
 
First thought . . . yellow birch. Split it and smell the split . . . if it has a bit of a wintergreen like smell you'll be reasonably sure it is yellow birch.
 
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X3 Yellow birch. Burns fast and hot. Good for shoulder seasons.
 
Ideally before its bucked if you are not planning to split it quickly, run your saw down the trunk lengthwise at least once and possibly twice if it is large. YOu just need to cut down through the bark If it sits around in rounds with the bark on it will start rotting fairly quickly. Once you split it then its no issue. Make sure you save any bark sheets, the bark make a good fire lighter, one step away from pouring kerosene on a rag.
 
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birch in the foreground, pine in the background
 
My mom has a few birch trees in her yard with white bark. The leaves looked about the same, just never knew of a birch with dark bark. Thanks for the help.


peakbagger said:
Ideally before its bucked if you are not planning to split it quickly, run your saw down the trunk lengthwise at least once and possibly twice if it is large. YOu just need to cut down through the bark If it sits around in rounds with the bark on it will start rotting fairly quickly. Once you split it then its no issue. Make sure you save any bark sheets, the bark make a good fire lighter, one step away from pouring kerosene on a rag.
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Not sure how long it's been down, no longer the 12 months though. Some of it has started to rot. loads of termites too. Got a bunch split, hope to finish it within a week. How will it weather exposed to the elements over the winter? My plan was to split it and pile it up outside my wood shed (off the ground.) Then in the spring stack it up in the shed.

 
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zoomzu said:
My mom has a few birch trees in her yard with white bark. The leaves looked about the same, just never knew of a birch with dark bark. Thanks for the help.





Not sure how long it's been down, no longer the 12 months though. Some of it has started to rot. loads of termites too. Got a bunch split, hope to finish it within a week. How will it weather exposed to the elements over the winter? My plan was to split it and pile it up outside my wood shed (off the ground.) Then in the spring stack it up in the shed.

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If its got termites I'd just burn it outside.
 
I think the tree is White Birch. Yellow Birch doesn't grow in Washington State. Should be great firewood.
 
Termites don't live in the wood, they chomp on it then take it back to their ground nest.
You will want to get that stuff split sooner better then later. It tends to rot fast while in round form.
Top cover it an it may be fine.
 
Split a bunch more today, hope to get the rest done Sunday or Monday. Not one termite in the wood I split today. Makes me a bit nervous, since the rounds are so close to the house. Going to get some stuff and spray around my house.



Was able to get the splitter around my trailer. Wish I would have tried that Monday.



Some of the wood is starting to rot, the green wood is in the center and touch and go with the stuff that's almost dry.
 
Yellow birch out front, maybe a young balsam or red pine on top..? Good to get the birch split soon as you can. It is great firewood.
 
Wood Duck said:
I think the tree is White Birch. Yellow Birch doesn't grow in Washington State. Should be great firewood.
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I backtracked to original post and laughed. Dont know if I would volunteer the tree as Yellow birch based on geographic location. So I went searching.
Yellow birch is a valuable timber species and it appears in decline as far as its harvest. But as any species with a market value, one can expect "tree plantations" outside of its natural range.
The following is a direct quote from treeplantation.com
"Although native to Eastern North America, Yellow birch may also be grown in microclimate areas of the Western states and Canada, principally the coastal interiors of British Columbia and Washington State."
Not saying its Yellow birch, because there is a Western White birch with hybrid varieties that closely resembles the golden, bronze brown of Yellow birch. So both are possible, but only as cultivated/escaped types.
 
Applesister said:
I backtracked to original post and laughed. Dont know if I would volunteer the tree as Yellow birch based on geographic location. So I went searching.
Yellow birch is a valuable timber species and it appears in decline as far as its harvest. But as any species with a market value, one can expect "tree plantations" outside of its natural range.
The following is a direct quote from treeplantation.com
"Although native to Eastern North America, Yellow birch may also be grown in microclimate areas of the Western states and Canada, principally the coastal interiors of British Columbia and Washington State."
Not saying its Yellow birch, because there is a Western White birch with hybrid varieties that closely resembles the golden, bronze brown of Yellow birch. So both are possible, but only as cultivated/escaped types.
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I'm sticking with Yellow Birch! I have split many cords of it. I am 99.9% sure its Yellow Birch.
 
It could well be yellow birch. Or as someone mentioned a hybrid birch. It sure does not look like the yellow birch we have in the east.

I have lots of birch on my lot, of which many I thought were the good BTU yellow birch. The white/paper birch is all the same everywhere. The yellow that I think I have has much thicker bark. It still peals the same but it is thick.
 
Yeah the yellow birch on my property has thick bark on the bigger rounds, bark does not peel in sheets like white birch, more like skinny strands, but like the paper birch it burns like gasoline. There are a zillion varieties of birch, this one here may fall into some hybrid category, but I'd still put my $ on yellow birch.
 
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