I'm pretty sure this is some kind on elm, It was dead and I took it down today. Upset because the bark looked like oak but definitely not
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Wood id
- Thread starter Enzo's Dad
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Pellet_Pete
Feeling the Heat
aspen (aka poplar). guessing bigtooth (Populus grandidentata) by the bark texture. never burned any, but I gather it's quick-drying & quick-burning
PA_Forester
New Member
Assuming it is native, I'd guess bigtooth aspen (mature bark visible at the top right photo in the group of photos on the page linked below)
http://www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org/pages/plants/aspen_bigtooth.html
The bark looks very close to a mature bigtooth aspen, and the wood is light in color. If you're close to the spot, see if the upper branches are lighter in color and have a tight (not blocky) bark with diamond-shaped spots (lenticels). Is the wood not dense/heavy, like you'd expect for a pine? If it splits easy, it isn't an elm, but it sure could be some funky, non-native tree if this is from an urban/suburban woodlot. Based on the other vegetation, though (sugar maple and pin cherry leaves, lack of invasive herbaceous plants, I'd assume this is in a decent forest).
Can you send a close-up photo of the wood, one where I could see better detail of the rings?
PA_Forester
New Member
You beat me by just a few minutes!!
You're right that it is quick drying and quick burning, it doesn't make for great firewood, but it does split easily and makes decent kindling.
red oak
Minister of Fire
lost in the woods
Burning Hunk
Aspen is NOT 'poplar' ! Aspen (populous grandidentata) which is sometimes called 'popple' or 'quaking ash' is a tree most commonly used for pulpwood, shavingswood, or sawn into pallet lumber.
yellow Poplar (liriodendron tulipifera) is a big tall straight timber tree commonly harvested for sawlogs.
not trying to be a but I just wanted to clear up any confusion
yellow Poplar (liriodendron tulipifera) is a big tall straight timber tree commonly harvested for sawlogs.
not trying to be a but I just wanted to clear up any confusion
Yellow poplar, also known as tulip poplar, has nothing to do with real poplars other than they are all trees. Yellow poplar is essentially a Mongolia and should never have had poplar in it's name.
Aspen, meanwhile, is a true poplar. Or so closely related that they are indistinguishable.
Don't let common names mislead you. When it comes to burning properties the latin names are most important.
PA_Forester
New Member
Everyone on here is correct about yellow/tulip poplar versus those in the Populus genus. They're both lower-end firewoods, in terms of density and BTU content. I've got tons of tulip poplar trim in my house (clear finish, beautiful with its yellow/green/brown heartwood) and a friend of mine has cucumber tree (a close relative of tulip poplar) cabinets, which are beautiful. Tulip poplar is often used for structural wood in upholstered furniture and inside cabinets. Also, the bark is used for siding, and holds up well.
I've got to say that I'm sticking with bigtooth aspen, but this recent photo sure looks odd. The staining is strange and unusual for most Populus spp. When my wife wants to help with me splitting wood, I find some aspen for her and we eventually work it down to kindling.
Remember, it all burns and gives off heat!
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