Let's play, Is It Oak or Ash?

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ADK_XJ

ADK_XJ

Feeling the Heat
Nov 18, 2014
325
Saratoga Springs, NY
Cleared several bunches of 10-15" DBH trees this fall on the south facing side of my younger sugar maples in our small (sugar) bush. Of course I forgot exactly which tree was which after dropping and now they have no leaves but they were mostly oak and ash that were blocking my maples' canopy/crowns.

Started hauling them in, who wants to play is it oak or ash? I am just about 99.9% on what's in the ATV trailer but also enjoy the chiming in from y'all:

Tree A:
image.jpg

Tree B:
image.jpg
 
Red oak x2 is my guess.
 
A) Ash
B) Oak

If you'd give us good shots of the end grain it would be a cinch.
 
Ash. Little pinhole on the ends. Right in the center, Dead giveaway!
 
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It's entirely possible they're both ash. I'm pretty confident A is ash.

That second load (B) was heavier that I had in the stack but that may be due to the fact it was cut last week and the stuff in the wagon (A) was cut in early November.

Now that I think of it, load B was heavy but not that gold brick oak heavy.
 
ADK_XJ said:
It's entirely possible they're both ash. I'm pretty confident A is ash.

That second load (B) was heavier that I had in the stack but that may be due to the fact it was cut last week and the stuff in the wagon (A) was cut in early November.

Now that I think of it, load B was heavy but not that gold brick oak heavy.
Click to expand...

I agree with you on group A - It's likely Ash. For the second group, I'm not sure. There are no visible rays, and the bark isn't convincing enough to say its Red Oak.
 
Im still looking for the pinholes on the end in the center??
 
Edav said:
The pinhole is a full proof way? Never heard of that.
Click to expand...
It's not foolproof. Other trees can have them, but if the bark lines up and it has a very consistent and pronounced white BB hole in every log end its 9.7/10 an ash.
 
Maple
 
Is the pin hole in the end or the middle, or the middle of the end? I just go by bark.
 
OK, last piece of evidence - fresh split from group B. Split really easy with the old 6lb maul:

image.jpg
 
So, to tip my hand I was pretty sure these were A:Ash and B:Oak but, as I look closely at my own pictures, i'm now thinking B is actually Bitternut Hickory because of that straight grain with the reddish heartwood and the heft to it over the ash. Def think A is Ash but I never saw a distinct pinhole...
 
Post a close-up photo of the end of the rounds and we can tell for sure if it is oak.
 
TedyOH said:
Im still looking for the pinholes on the end in the center??
Click to expand...
There are other spieces that probably have a pinhole, but ash is dead center and BB size.
 
Wood Duck said:
Post a close-up photo of the end of the rounds and we can tell for sure if it is oak.
Click to expand...
Are the photos I posted in #4 in response to you not close enough? Should be able to get the full view clicking on the thumbnails. Need closer?
 
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