Another Wood ID Question

[TreePapa]

Last weekend I picked up 2 truckloads in my Ranger (because of toolbox, only equals about one load in F150) .
of green firewood, already bucked and mostly small diameter (6" or less to 12") at a yard sale.
Much of it was pine, a little bit of bottlebrush (yeah!) and the rest an unidentified hardwood, which is what
I am asking for ID on.

First pic is a medium size log (for this lot) w/ part of bark peeled off. [edit: I thought it would be first pic, actually
2nd pic]
Second [actually, first] pic, I knew you guys would want to see the wood split. I didn't think I'd actually be able to split the wood
being so green, but I took a few good whacks with the super splitter maul (1st time I've used that since I hurt my
back last month). The first couple just sunk into the very green wood, but the 3rd or 4th split the piece nicely. After I
took the pic, I resplit each piece (one whack each).
Last pic is the pile from this haul (minus about 6 or 8 larger logs that I put in a different pile for the next time
I rent a splitter (prolly soon with all the pine I been gettin').

I tend to call all light colored hardwood Ash 'cuz Green Ash (variety of ash, not green as in freshly cut) trees are purty
common here, or so I'm given to believe. But I really don't know my wood species so I'm asking you guys. And no,
I don't have any leaves from this. The wood was piled beside the guy's garage. He thought it was ready to burn (ha!)

Peace,
- Sequoia

 

[Chief Ryan]

Looks like a Maple to me. Sugar or Red?

 

[TreePapa]

Maple? Sweet! That'll burn nice next winter.

Actually, since I'm sure it IS hardwood, whatever it is will burn nice next winter. And I've already discovered it splits fairly easy, which is good, 'cuz I like splitting wood "by hand" when it isn't too ornery.

Peace,
- Sequoia

 

[ctarborist]

tough to say but it kinda looks like ailanthus, sometimes called tree of heaven, ghetto palm, or mistakenly called sumac. not sure if they grow in southern cal. though.

 

[Chief Ryan]

I have a bunch of maple that looks just like that. When split it had some thin streaks of grays and browns kinda like i see there also the thin flat bark. I'm no expert though.

 

[TreePapa]

tough to say but it kinda looks like ailanthus, sometimes called tree of heaven, ghetto palm, or mistakenly called sumac. not sure if they grow in southern cal. though.

Oh yes, Tree of Hades grows in these parts! In fact, the neighbors have one (female) that drops bunches and bunches of seeds (I call them tree sh**) in my firewood / compost / trailer parking area of driveway. I'll have to compare the bark. This wood doesn't stink like some folks say ailanthus does. If it is Tree of Hades, 'tho, it deserves to be burned! I despise that tree! I will take a particular pleasure in wacking the logs as hard as I can when splitting it.

Peace,
- Sequoia

 

[TreePapa]

I compared the bark to the Tree of H_ll next door and (fortunately for me), not a match. Here's a pic of Ailanthus bark at Vanderbilt.edu

(broken link removed to http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/image/a/aial--br11109.htm)

Our neighbor's "lovely" weed-tree looks just like that. The wood I got last week is not the same -- the pattern in the bark is closer together, denser. Similar, but not the same.

Peace,
- Sequoia