Ash vs Boxelder

[PistolPeets]

This past weekend, I've cut down a few trees that were on the property hanging over our private road. Looking at the bark, I thought they were all ash, but once they were down on the ground, one of the stumps had a small red circle at the center. But the bark looks deep and in a diamond pattern like ash. We already limbed it all and disposed of the limbs. I haven't cut them or split them yet - that's this weekend's project. But how can I identify the difference between Ash and Boxelder without looking at any limbs or leaves? The trees were all pretty straight without a lot of branches like ash. I can't smell any difference between the two.

Thanks!

 

[Jags]

If that one tree is identical in all other ways it could still be an ash, just possibly one that had some sort of blight. I have seen this in black walnut also. Pics would sure help to identify what we are talking about.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

When you split the Boxelder it will have that purplish red streak going through it. It also could have a "butterfly" pattern in the same color on the cutside of the rounds or the stump like you said while Ash would have a small "pinhole" on the cutside (flat side) of the wood.

 

[PistolPeets]

I've been working until dark so I can't get any pictures right now. Saturday morning I plan on cutting and splitting if the weather cooperates. I'll try to get a few pictures then. I agree with the red streaks with boxelder. I've seen this on pictures online but have never seen it in person. That's why I mentioned the red center in the one log. It's about the size of a pencil eraser. A guy at work who's familiar with trees said you can identify them by the branches. Ash branches are arched like a canopy, and boxelder branches are erratic. We just dropped the trees and limbed them so this doesn't help me at this stage of the game, but something to look for in the future.

 

[Kevin Weis]

The newer growth branches will have a green color and be very brittle on the Box Elder.

 

[PistolPeets]

Just finished cutting/splitting/stacking. I took a few pictures of what I believe is boxelder but couldn't identify it before it was split. This was the only log with red in it. The rest I'm pretty sure was ash. The bark looks the same to me between ash and boxelder - if that's what this is. Everything cut the same today. One wasn't noticeably harder than the other or anything. The only difference is the red color. My father said he thought the red stuff smelled bad but I couldn't smell anything.

 

[lost in the woods]

u sure that's not basswood???? (tilia Americana) boxelder is in the maple family and usually not that straight-grained

 

[lost in the woods]

box elder (acer negrundo)

 

[PistolPeets]

I'm a little confused by the two posts. I looked up some images of basswood bark and it looks different than what I have. You believe it's boxelder?