What Am I?

[Caw]

I got a random softwood log in my recent delivery and I'm not sure what it is exactly. I was thinking some sort of pine but there's no resin or odor. I'm very knowledgeable about hardwoods but this is new to me. It's very light, large growth rings, and red underbark. Based on how incredibly light it is soaking wet I can't imagine it's any good as firewood so I split it into big 6-8" splits. Any thoughts?

 

[NickW]

Box elder...?

 

[Caw]

Box elder...?

Good guess. That crossed my mind but Box Elder usually has bright white wood with red spalting throughout the grain just like a red maple does with brown spots as in my avatar. The redness is just in the underbark here. Also box Elder tends to have deeply grooved bark like a black locust and grow very twisted and gnarly. I'm not convinced.

This is Box Elder from a previous year:

 

[Qvist]

Could it be Ginkgo? It looks similar and has light wood with large rings. It seems to have the red underbark as well. I'm just wondering if it was a ginkgo street tree.

 

[wooddope]

First thought was hemlock but you say no piney smell and not pitchy so probably not.

 

[bigealta]

It's not sassafras is it? You would smell if it was.

 

[Caw]

It has no odor. I jammed my nose in multiple fresh splits to be sure. I'm still confused.

 

[bigealta]

Could it be Catalpa?

 

[Caw]

Never heard of it. Educate me! I am a total softwood noob.

 

[kennyp2339]

I was thinking lower sections of hemlock

 

[sneefy]

Good guess. That crossed my mind but Box Elder usually has bright white wood with red spalting throughout the grain just like a red maple does with brown spots as in my avatar. The redness is just in the underbark here. Also box Elder tends to have deeply grooved bark like a black locust and grow very twisted and gnarly. I'm not convinced.

This is Box Elder from a previous year:

View attachment 307840

Woodturners would love you. Not all boxelder has the red fungus. That's desirable stuff.

 

[mikey]

Do you live on the northern west coast? and could it be madrona.

 

[Caw]

Do you live on the northern west coast? and could it be madrona.

No I live in MA.

 

[Caw]

Woodturners would love you. Not all boxelder has the red fungus. That's desirable stuff.

That's true but the bark is not boxelder like any I've ever seen. The bark is usually deeply grooved. This was very thin and not grooved much. Maybe it was just a younger tree that hadn't had time to mature the bark.

It's so incredibly light. I was splitting it in 6-8" chunks and it was lighter than a 2" red oak split.

 

[Woody Stover]

Could it be Ginkgo?

I looked at a one here.. doesn't have the orange underbark.

 

[Caw]

I'm still really not sure what it is. Boxelder makes some sense with the red underbark but the grain, bark, and lack of spalting makes me doubt it.

@CincyBurner any thoughts?

 

[CincyBurner]

hemlock ?
Douglas-fir ?
spruce ?

 

[Caw]

My lack of softwood knowledge is showing lol...

I think I'll just call it shoulder season BTUs and be happy with it.

 

[Kevin Weis]

Not Boxelder for sure. Some sort of landscape tree. Ginkgo is a possibility. There's a niche market for the Boxelder with the red staining being used for coffee table tops. Big $$$$$.

 

[brenndatomu]

That's not Boxelder for sure...BE bark reminds me a lot of a cross between Ash and Mulberry bark. The wood itself doesn't look at all like BE either.
That looks like some wood I got last year...near as I could ever figure out was that it was red pine...I really like how it burnt for SS wood.

 

[Caw]

Not Boxelder for sure. Some sort of landscape tree. Ginkgo is a possibility. There's a niche market for the Boxelder with the red staining being used for coffee table tops. Big $$$$$.

Yeah all the boxelder I've ever had has had the red spalting. Kind of crappy firewood (for a hardwood) but it's definitely cool looking. You have to chemically treat it to keep the redness. If you don't it'll turn brown once exposed to the air.

 

[Vg3200p]

Complete guess but some sort of willow? Bark looks a little smooth for willow but the grain looks right. And the weight

 

[Vg3200p]

@bigealta As far as catalpa I don't think so I have 4 biguns in my yard and bark is way different. @Caw catalpa is a softer hardwood. Fairley common where I live in Central Indiana. Giant spade shaped leaves really pretty white and purple flowers in spring. Seeds look like footlong greenbeans. Also called Indian cigar trees around here. There's a worm that only grows on catalpas tgat is supposedly great fishing bait. But I don't know more of a small game hunter than fisherman

 

[Vg3200p]

This is the catalpa bark of 2 of the trees. Also a dead seed pod. They're green when alive

 

[Caw]

Oh yeah I've seen those. It's definitely not that though the bark is too smooth and red. At quick glance in the pile I thought it was cherry due to the red hue but knew immediately upon bucking it wasn't. Too soft.

The kids and I play lawn darts with the seeds at my dad's house. His neighbor has a big one.