Tree ID Please...

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kbrown

Feeling the Heat
Oct 19, 2008
297
SE, Michigan
Found large pieces of a tree that I think a tree service just dumped in a field. Been there for at least a year, maybe two as I can recall seeing it there in the past but I wasn't a scrounger then! The area was actually going to be developed for a commercial business park, but all they did was clear the land and put in nice roads. Never went any farther and now people just drive by an dump stuff.
This was a big tree; trunk piece is at least 3' across and 5' long and bigger than my saw could ever handle. Did get some very nice pieces though and the bark just falls off. Other than that this stuff is SOLID. I am thinking oak? The bark is about 1-2" thick in some places and has deep grooves. Wood is a medium brown color with very very tight growth rings. This was an old tree by the looks of it but certainly did not die of old age or disease from what I can see from the stuff left.
I know the picture isn't much to go on, but I know there is someone out there that can ID this! LOL ;-) Hoping this will be next season stuff; going to leave it in rounds and split it later this winter.
 

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split it and post a picture of the splits.
 
Iam going with willow!
 
Archie said:
Willow or Black Tupelo, but then again, I'm cheating. I have a book with pictures....

If you were cheating with a book that has pictures, then how come you gave us two options?? It can only be one. :lol:
 
Jags said:
Archie said:
Willow or Black Tupelo, but then again, I'm cheating. I have a book with pictures....

If you were cheating with a book that has pictures, then how come you gave us two options?? It can only be one. :lol:

Good catch. Sometimes, I need more than bark, I need leaves. And sometimes I need more than that.
 
Archie said:
Jags said:
Archie said:
Willow or Black Tupelo, but then again, I'm cheating. I have a book with pictures....

If you were cheating with a book that has pictures, then how come you gave us two options?? It can only be one. :lol:

Good catch. Sometimes, I need more than bark, I need leaves. And sometimes I need more than that.


lol when i was just starting in tree shrub buzz everyting was conifers and deciduous! so in this case it could still go either way lol
 
Heatit - we are going to need you to mill off a 1" x 6" board, plane it and finish it with linseed oil. Rub out the oil then post a new pic. We will be able to nail the species for you then. :coolsmirk:
 
Jags said:
Heatit - we are going to need you to mill off a 1" x 6" board, plane it and finish it with linseed oil. Rub out the oil then post a new pic. We will be able to nail the species for you then. :coolsmirk:

:lol: I would love to! Didn't think I would be able to split this after lifting these things...really dense but just beautiful. So far, it splits like a charm with a maul and a couple three good wacks. Grain is very straight and many shades of brown. My wife goes walking by, takes one look and says walnut. Has me wondering now! We do have walnut in the area; not uncommon at all. This picture is a bit on the bright side; it's actually about a shade or two darker. I already have a face cord of some cottonwood, and know that it's not that. The bark on this is very thick and heavy duty.
 

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If that's sassyfrass then i'll (what's the saying?) lol. Only reason im not thinkin frass is he said it's dense. Round here the frass is super light and not all that dense. Even in big rounds like that..

It looks alot like a tree we've got here (still left unidentified). Here's a pic of the tree and one of the split.

trees002.jpg


The center split between oak and cherry.
trees008.jpg
 
SmokinPiney said:
If that's sassyfrass then i'll (what's the saying?) lol. Only reason im not thinkin frass is he said it's dense. Round here the frass is super light and not all that dense. Even in big rounds like that..

It looks alot like a tree we've got here (still left unidentified). Here's a pic of the tree and one of the split.

trees002.jpg


The center split between oak and cherry.
trees008.jpg

Thinking the same thing. Looks like hickory you have there, and the OP too...retracting my earlier reply.
 
The interior looks like red oak - but it ain't. The bark is wrong for red. I think I am gonna have to lean towards the frass myself. (and I ain't eatin' nuthin of Lees. :red: )

Dang it: I still can't get oak out of my head. I am 5% sure its oak. (I think maybe even Burr Oak.)
 
After looking at numerous pics and reading the threads, I'm gonna say that what I have is hickory. Splits very well, is dense and the bark sections I have match those of images of hickory. I'm not thinking hemlock as there is no smell to the fresh splits; if I recall, hemlock has a fragrance to it when split.
 
I don't see SFrass or Walnut go through my splitter here in CT....no guess for me, but LEE is usually spot on.
I can tell you one thing... non of it is Hickory. The Bark is way too thick and the heartwood/sapwood characteristics are different.

Go to my post for some good Hickory viewing:

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/40672/

WoodButcher
 
did it smell like root beer when you were cutting it up? if it did then it would definitely be sassafras. im having a hard time telling from those pics if its sassafras or not...usually sassafras jumps out at me since i have a lot of it already split and waiting.
 
I have cut some Sassafras that was pretty dense down toward the base of the tree. The split sure does look like the Sassafras around here.
 
heatit said:
Jags said:
Heatit - we are going to need you to mill off a 1" x 6" board, plane it and finish it with linseed oil. Rub out the oil then post a new pic. We will be able to nail the species for you then. :coolsmirk:

:lol: I would love to! Didn't think I would be able to split this after lifting these things...really dense but just beautiful. So far, it splits like a charm with a maul and a couple three good wacks. Grain is very straight and many shades of brown. My wife goes walking by, takes one look and says walnut. Has me wondering now! We do have walnut in the area; not uncommon at all. This picture is a bit on the bright side; it's actually about a shade or two darker. I already have a face cord of some cottonwood, and know that it's not that. The bark on this is very thick and heavy duty.



Yep, that there's Sasafrass....
 
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