Another "what is this wood" thread

[darkbyrd]

Hello world. First post, love the site. Looking forward to learning a whole lot more about heating with wood.

So, like all first-year burners, I'm running out of good seasoned wood. Plenty of top-notch wood (oak, pecan, hickory, ironwood) for next winter, but it does me no good now. So, I'm running around in the woods finding all the dead stuff I can. And I have a few of these. Heavy wood, burns hot. But what is it? It's in western north carolina foothills.

 

[FireBall]

Looks like black locust to me.

 

[jlove1974]

wood doesn't look yellow enough to be BL. I say hickory, perhaps standing dead shagbark hickory. It's a great firewood (maybe the best)

 

[CountryBoy19]

Looks like black locust to me.

Yup Black Locust is my vote as well. The bark, plus grain, plus wood color are a dead giveaway.

 

[smokinj]

Looks like black locust to me.

Yup Black Locust is my vote as well. The bark, plus grain, plus wood color are a dead giveaway.

+2

 

[woodsmaster]

not sure ,but definatly not shagbark hickory.

 

[darkbyrd]

It's black locust then. The wood is greener than the picture looks. There are seedlings around (thorns on the trunk), and I'm burning some right now that sat ON THE GROUND for 5 years when the property was logged, with no sign of rot. Thanks for the confirmation guys. Now, the one I showed pictures of is snagged up in a beech, it's gonna be one tough SOB to get down!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum darkbyrd and good luck with your locust.

 

[Wood Duck]

I agree it is Black Locust. Around here you can find a fair number of standing dead Black Locust that seem pretty dry and seem to have been there for many years. The wood is slow to rot and even small trees are often hollow, which I'd guess would allow the remaining wood to season better than a solid tree or one on the ground.

 

[Coach B]

I'm burning some right now that sat ON THE GROUND for 5 years when the property was logged, with no sign of rot.

That's a telltale sign that you are right. Locust seems to lay there forever without rotting. We've got some on our place that I'm pretty sure has been on the ground since an ice storm in 1994....some of it is still burnable.

 

[ISeeDeadBTUs]

Don't know, but your chain looks a bit dull

 

[darkbyrd]

That would be my machete, and it usually it. I find that the sharper it is, the less exercise I get!

 

[FLINT]

Don't know, but your chain looks a bit dull

haha,



and yeah, I think you get the point, but thats definitely black locust - very awesome firewood.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I'm burning some right now that sat ON THE GROUND for 5 years when the property was logged, with no sign of rot.

That's a telltale sign that you are right. Locust seems to lay there forever without rotting. We've got some on our place that I'm pretty sure has been on the ground since an ice storm in 1994....some of it is still burnable.

Yup, the only wood that I think is even more rot resistant is Hedge (maybe Mulberry is too because it's related to hedge). I've been in the wood before and cut hedge that I swear has been laying on the ground for at least 20 years and it is still solid except for the sapwood.

 

[Thistle]

I've seen some hedge posts in the area where my Granddad lived until he passed 40 yrs ago.Some around his old farm & other people's properties near by in the county were set in the 1930's & are still sound.

 

[smokinj]

I've seen some hedge posts in the area where my Granddad lived until he passed 40 yrs ago.Some around his old farm & other people's properties near by in the county were set in the 1930's & are still sound.

+1