Another wood identification thread

[max384]

I've got a firewood species I can't identify.

I live in northeastern Pennsylvania at an elevation of around 1800 ft. I'm in USDA zone 5B/6A. These trees grow all over the place around here.

They're very stringy and extremely hard to split (by hand). The leaves are elliptical in shape.

 

[Lakeside]

Could this be a hickory ? Sorry just a guess.

 

[gzecc]

Wait for the leaves. Then its easy to ID

 

[woodhounder]

Black walnut

 

[CincyBurner]

very stringy and extremely hard to split (by hand). The leaves are elliptical
[/QUOTE]
Leaves elliptical. Is leaf margin entire (no indentations/ smooth) ?
Fall leaf color ? Is it brilliant red?

Close-up pic of buds ? Pointy buds ?
Branch habit (downward at trunk) looks like blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica).

very stringy and extremely hard to split (by hand)

fits for black gum too.
https://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=60

 

[max384]

That's it! Black gum! For sure. Thank you everyone.

Anyhow, my shoulders and elbows are aching after taking whack after whack at the rounds. I may just get rid of any of the remaining rounds that are big enough to need split. Ugh.

 

[Simonkenton]

Don't know what it is.
It is not black walnut.

 

[BigJ273]

Looks like gum to me. PITA to split. Burns good tho

 

[max384]

This was after about ten whacks...

 

[Simonkenton]

That is hickory. I don't use it any more because too hard to split. Also it is infested with bugs in the bark.

 

[Lakeside]

That is hickory

What type of hickory do you think it is ? I am not a big fan of hickory -- between the hard to split and mostly the bugs will turn it into saw dust too. I will not pass on a very easy find but I just do not pursue it much.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I believe Cincy Burner is correct saying it is Gum, if it was Hickory it would have a manure like aroma to it, does it?

 

[Lakeside]

That's it! Black gum

It might be worth a second review. see link -- https://firewoodhoardersclub.com/forums/threads/do-i-have-some-black-gum-on-my-hands.6898/

 

[red oak]

Another vote for gum - nothing is harder to split by hand.

 

[Simonkenton]

I am calling it hickory because of the "stringy" nature of the wood when split, plus that it is so hard to split. The wood does resemble hickory. It might well be gum I have never messed with that wood.