Another western wood to ID thread

[StihlHead]

OK, this one is easier than the last one... or so I think. This type of wood also grows in the east...

 

[bogydave]

maple

 

[NH_Wood]

Picture is tough - it was from here I might venture a moss covered beech. Cheers!

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Def not Maple.

I'd guess red alder, but it doesn't grow on the east coast.

 

[StihlHead]

No, and no... though maple would be a very good guess. Not much beech around here, of any. Pretty much everything here in soggy wet PNW has moss growing on it.

 

[StihlHead]

Def not Maple.

I'd guess red alder. but it doesn't grown on the east coast.

Yes, I added that hint to eliminate alder. Alder tends to not branch out like this species does.

 

[swagler85]

sycamore?

 

[ScotO]

I'll take a stab.......is it box elder or willow??

Hard to tell from my phone as I cant enlarge that picture...but that heartwood sure looks like one of the two to me.

 

[StihlHead]

sycamore?

No. Sorry. Sycamore bark flakes off all the time in puzzle shaped pieces, and does not get mossy here. It is on my list of wood not to get as well, as it has gobs of ash and not that much heat.

 

[StihlHead]

I'll take a stab.......is it box elder or willow??

Hard to tell from my phone as I cant enlarge that picture...but that heartwood sure looks like one of the two to me.

Willow? Did you say stinky, hard to cut low heat willow? That wood be no. Tends to rot here, and it would have deeply furrows bark on the larger rounds. Willow is also on my do not gather list.

Box elder... now that is a creative answer. It is called Box Elder maple here though, so the #1 reply would have been at least half correct. This tree is not in the Acer genus or family. I have actually cut a lot of box elder. They always have box elder bugs though (most maples have those damn bugs here in the western US). Box elders to get rotted out centers here over time, and they get a heck of a lot bigger than this rather short species of tree. Can you read this this size font on your smart phone?

 

[StihlHead]

OK, I guess that this was not as easy as I though it would be. It is typical of the ones that I have cut and grow on my property here. Its really good firewood.

Here is a photo of a leaf...

 

[ScotO]

That looks like a magnolia leaf......

 

[StihlHead]

Magnolia? Nope...

 

[StihlHead]

This is a magnolia leaf. Notice the difference in leaf veins.

 

[ScotO]

Well, I'm fresh out of answers.......are you sure that's something that grows out our way? I've cut a lot of trees down and never saw a leaf exactly like that....closest thing was a magnolia (which I didn't cut down, but I've seen them before..)

Good one, Stihlhead. Where's nrford when you need him.......

 

[paul bunion]

That looks like a dogwood leaf.

 

[ScotO]

That looks like a dogwood leaf.

THATS WHAT IT IS! I've NEVER seen one that big before.........That oughta make some damm good firewood.......

Good call, Bunion!!

 

[lukem]

That one hella big dogwood

 

[StihlHead]

Finally! I though I was going to have to post a photo of a dog next to a pile of wood.

Its only big at the base because someone pruned it early in life and it branched out at about 4 feet off the ground. Apples grow the same way here when people pollard them. They get really fat trunks. We do have a nice native dogwood here that gets larger than most, Pacific Dogwood, which usually grows from 30-60 feet tall, but this is not one of those. Its a hybrid cross and like the ones I have on my property. The cut wood and white splotchy bark is very typical of dogwood trees here. It will be really good "firewood" in 2.5 years. It is dense stuff, and I noodled the big stuff with a chainsaw.

Pacific Dogwood flower

 

[paul bunion]

Finally! I though I was going to have to post a photo of a dog next to a pile of wood.

Its only big at the base because someone pruned it early in life and it branched out at about 4 feet off the ground. Apples grow the same way here when people pollard them. They get really fat trunks. We do have a nice native dogwood here that gets larger than most, Pacific Dogwood, which usually grows from 30-60 feet tall, but this is not one of those. Its a hybrid cross and like the ones I have on my property. The cut wood and white splotchy bark is very typical of dogwood trees here. It will be really good "firewood" in 2.5 years. It is dense stuff, and I noodled the big stuff with a chainsaw.

Pacific Dogwood flower

View attachment 103657

We had a lot of dogwood where I grew up but none that big. The biggest I remember was in our yard, about 15" or so dbh. Most were poles that we shimmied up and bent over.


Keep them coming, I like brushing up on my tree id skills.

 

[StihlHead]

Biggest rounds there are only 20 or so inches in diameter. DBH for me was only a foot or so (the bent long log in the center that grew out of the back of the 3 branched round at the far left).