Oak or Maple, Maple or Oak, or...?

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EPS

Burning Hunk
Jun 5, 2015
165
NH
A few weeks ago I posted images of a windfallen tree and the consensus from all of you was that it is silver maple or red maple. I cut it up and split it just now and I'm not so sure. It smells A LOT like oak, and feels similar too. Here's some pics, tell me your thoughts, please.
 

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Red Maple, That dark heartwood is dead wood and most likely starting to rot which could smell. Probably the tree had a broken off top.
 
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Red Maple, That dark heartwood is dead wood and most likely starting to rot which could smell. Probably the tree had a broken off top.
I've come across a few healthy looking Firs that had large areas of soft wood in the center, I've always wondered what causes that.
 
I've come across a few healthy looking Firs that had large areas of soft wood in the center, I've always wondered what causes that.

Firs usually die from the inside out. When you see ants in a fir tree, they are not killing the tree, they are just living in the rotten wood in the center. Pileated woodpeckers can hear the ants and will chop holes through the trunk to get at the ant inside.
 
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Firs usually die from the inside out. When you see ants in a fir tree, they are not killing the tree, they are just living in the rotten wood in the center. Pileated woodpeckers can hear the ants and will chop holes through the trunk to get at the ant inside.

Where did you learn all of this?
 
Where did you learn all of this?

A combination of real woods experience and my favorite resource

https://northernwoodlands.org/issues/archive/

Its pretty rare I don't read it cover to cover and they go on the bookshelf instead of the recycling bin.

Its written specifically for northern New England (mostly northern New York, VT, NH and Maine. One of the few magazines I gladly pay to subscribe to. The quarterly calendar that breaks three months into one week segments on what is happening in the woods is great once you figure out the timing offset between the location they use and your location. That one page is worth the subscription price to me (its not in the back issues).

I also hike a lot (thus the screen names and my hobby is the woods).
 
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A combination of real woods experience and my favorite resource

https://northernwoodlands.org/issues/archive/

Its pretty rare I don't read it cover to cover and they go on the bookshelf instead of the recycling bin.

Its written specifically for northern New England (mostly northern New York, VT, NH and Maine. One of the few magazines I gladly pay to subscribe to. The quarterly calendar that breaks three months into one week segments on what is happening in the woods is great once you figure out the timing offset between the location they use and your location. That one page is worth the subscription price to me (its not in the back issues).

I also hike a lot (thus the screen names and my hobby is the woods).

Your knowledge is all the endorsement I need, 3 year subscription has been purchased.
 
You're there and we're viewing photos. But I'd never call that oak. Red maple seems like a good call.