Wood ID - some kind of Birch?

[CowboyAndy]

Sorry guys, no pics, maybe later today. Anyways, I don't remember felling/bucking this tree (could have been my brother in law that did), but really jumped out at me splitting it yesterday. It had the look and texture on the outside of Yellow Birch (waxy type feeling bark) but had more of a greenish grey color to the bark. When I split it some of it was bright yellow, especially knots/crotches. It had a REALLY sweet smell to it.

Any ideas?

 

[jpl1nh]

Sounds like it is yellow birch. The wood has beautiful color to it. The tree produces high quantities of oi og wintergreen as does black birch. Young twigs are tasty to chew on.

 

[CowboyAndy]

Sounds like it is yellow birch. The wood has beautiful color to it. The tree produces high quantities of oi og wintergreen as does black birch. Young twigs are tasty to chew on.

Maybe I need a pic, but it is different from what I thought was yellow birch. The yellow birch I thoguht I was cutting has more of a yellow color to the BARK, and the wood itself is very white. It does NOT have a smell like this one. This bark has a greenish grey color and the wood fibers are very yellow in spots and has a strong odor.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Aspen often has very birch-like bark, but greenish grey. I've not split it, so I can't comment on color or smell.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

There are also grey birch, and a few others that are similar.

 

[CowboyAndy]

There are also grey birch, and a few others that are similar.

Ive cut grey birch before, seems to resemble young sungar maple, right?

Aspen often has very birch-like bark, but greenish grey. I've not split it, so I can't comment on color or smell.

I thought Aspen was a conifer??? This had leaves.

 

[CowboyAndy]

I just googled Aspen, and I think thats it. Looks identical to the pics I found, and it seems it has a pretty low btu, so in the shoulder season wood pile it goes!

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Guess you answered your own question, but if you remember the name "quaking aspen"- it gets its name because of the way that the leaves shake in a breeze. Quite a sight in hunting season.

 

[jpl1nh]

Pictures would be very helpful. Without them though here are some links:

http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/b/betall/betall1.html yellow birch
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/b/betlen/betlen1.html black birch
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/b/betpop/betpop1.html grey birch, best way to tell this from white or paper birch is by black triangular markings where branches join trunk
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/b/betpap/betpap1.html white birch
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/plants/p/poptre/poptre1.html aspen

black and yellow birch are excellent firewood, near oak in BTU content, easy to split and both have oil of wintergreen in their sap. White birch or paper birch is a nice firewood, a bit lower in BTU, grey birch which is easily mistaken for whtie birch is slightly lower than white in BTU and poplar or aspen is one of the lower BTU firewoods though I like to use it in milder weather. It's quite light when dry.