This one has me stumped

I would guess some kind of young maple or maybe some young trash tree.

Something about the bark and wood make me think your picture shows the younger branches of a Pignut Hickory. I see the bark starting to show low ridges like Pignut, and the wood you have cut, which appears to be youngish branches, is starting to show the dark heartwood of a hickory. I'd expect much more dark heartwood in the trunk or larger branches. However, the bark also resembles Tulip Poplar, and the description of the tree as 'huge' fits Tulip Poplar, which is generally the largest tree in the forest in most of the appalachians. How's that for a non-answer?

In either case I'd say the wood is worth collecting. Hickory is harder, denser wood with more BTUs per cubic foot, but Tulip isn't bad either. Green hickory branches shouldn't be too hard to cut, so the fact that you say the saw tore through it doesn't rule out hickory, I think. is it worth it? It all depends how hard the wood is to get to and how far you have to lug it out of the woods.

last pic has me doubting maple, but maybe. looks it at first.

What does that sap taste like ?

Is that red staining in the center of the rounds in the lower left pic? Its hard to tell from the pic. If so, its boxelder.

TULIP Double Shock power on that one!

If the OP is correct about the alternate leaf buds, that rules out all maples and boxelder. The pic on the upper right reminds me of hickory, can't say which species, though tulip poplar is also possible. Tulip poplar would be much lighter than hickory and the wood usually has streaks of greenish colored grain running through it. I don't see any green in that pic.

does it feel really heavy?

The last picture with some of the branches in it make me feel that it's sumac - I have a ton of it around my place. Cuts and splits extremely easy. Seasons good - bark peels back like paper. Stinks when it burns - but gives off just as much heat as poplar or better. Largely regarded as a trash wood - not suitable for heating - so I've been told, yet I burn what falls at my home.

I also think it looks like Hickory. thats the only thing that I can think of which really white wood and a red heart. the bark does look like that on a hickory limb.

can you post a picture of the trunk near the base. if the bark is really hard with tight furrowed ridges, then it could be hickory.


I don't think its tulip poplar - i've never seen it with red in the wood. a tulip limb will usually have a greenish tinge to it.

I'd say Hickory, with one big caveat: I've never cut or burned Tulip Poplar so no idea if it could be that.
Our woodlot in S. Ontario hasn't been cut for 80 years and the bark on the hickories is still smooth like that, especially the branches.

OK, its not boxelder. Though they do get big.. don't know about 100' high, but I've got one at the folks' place which is 50' and massive.

Never cut poplar, but does kind of look like a hickory. If its very dense and heavy it could be hickory, which would be great.

Hard to tell from looking at the pictures on my phone. Does the wood stink when cut? If so my guess is alanthus.

Looks like Hickory

I'm new to the ID game, but I thought it looked like sumac too.

It is Tree of Heaven, Ailanthus. Its not worth picking up as far as firewood.

Ailanthus - yeah that's what I have - except mine doesn't flower. I've had a few fall over near my shed that I've bucked and split. Heavy rounds when green and then dry very light. Burns alright - but I wouldn't pick any up if I found it as a scrounge. I only burned mine as a clean up of the yard.

I agree. Tree of Heaven. I have burned some. Dries quickly. Splits like a dream. But very low BTUs. I would not go out of my way for it, but I don't turn much down either.

t

-1,000,000,,,, it's pig hickory.

honorabLEE said:

-1,000,000,,,, it's pig hickory.

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lol I think you should have to put a buck in to open!

Are you sure it is only one tree? I thought the thing looked like hickory, and still do think the first three pictures look like Pignut Hickory. however, the fourth picture, with the peely bark, looks just like Ailanthus. Could there be pieces of two trees here?

Wood Duck said:

Are you sure it is only one tree? I thought the thing looked like hickory, and still do think the first three pictures look like Pignut Hickory. however, the fourth picture, with the peely bark, looks just like Ailanthus. Could there be pieces of two trees here?

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twolips shaggy can look like that on the inside but that outside screams 2lip