black birch or pin cherry?

[Kosmonauts]

had a post on here about a month ago about a tree ID and a debate began between it being black birch and pin cherry or black cherry. It was mostly white but had a red core and here are some pictures of a split. Thanks...

 

[drz1050]

Smell it. If it's black birch, it'll smell like peppermint. Cherry smells like cherry cola.

 

[Kosmonauts]

Smell it. If it's black birch, it'll smell like peppermint. Cherry smells like cherry cola.

I'm familiar with the cherry smell and was actually surprised for it to not smell like cherry...it's more of a woody almost kind of menthol smell...

 

[CincyBurner]

If it smells of wintergreen (methyl salicylate) = birch

 

[Kosmonauts]

If it smells of wintergreen (methyl salicylate) = birch

Yea I'm leaning more towards birch even though I was pretty convinced it was cherry but just didn't have the smell and I've never seen the pearl white borders in cherry.

 

[Kosmonauts]

If it smells of wintergreen (methyl salicylate) = birch

Does have a hint of wintergreen

 

[drz1050]

Peppermint, wintergreen, knew it was some sort of minty smell... whoops

 

[AmbDrvr253]

Outwardly they are fairly difficult to misidentify

 

[Kosmonauts]

Outwardly they are fairly difficult to misidentify

What do you think then according to the picture?

 

[weatherguy]

That looks like cherry in the pic but it's slightly out of focus. I had the fortune of getting 2 cords of black birch that I've been burning this year and I'm also surrounded by pin cherry. I've probably had 7-8 come down between my property and neighbors and my brothers property so I've been burning both all year. World of difference between the two once they season.

 

[Kosmonauts]

That looks like cherry in the pic but it's slightly out of focus. I had the fortune of getting 2 cords of black birch that I've been burning this year and I'm also surrounded by pin cherry. I've probably had 7-8 come down between my property and neighbors and my brothers property so I've been burning both all year. World of difference between the two once they season.

I can imagine! I just have never seen cherry be so white...the center is dark reddish but the majority of the wood is white. Also definetely doesn't smell like cherry...

 

[Kosmonauts]

Your probably right though it's probably cherry

 

[weatherguy]

I'll take a pic of a split of each later and we can compare it to yours.

 

[Kosmonauts]

I'll take a pic of a split of each later and we can compare it to yours.

That would be FANTASTIC

 

[Kosmonauts]

@weatherguy doea the birch have some darker brown or red in the middle?

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Can you post a picture of the bark on a bigger split? Black Birch bark changes as it gets older.

 

[Kosmonauts]

Can you post a picture of the bark on a bigger split? Black Birch bark changes as it gets older.

Absolutely....here you go...thanks in advance I really appreciate it

 

[Kosmonauts]

It was a little older than I thought...But the bark of the cherries anywhere in my area even the ones of the exact same size don't have as much smoothness to them, and also there is not the cherry smell AT ALL.

 

[Fanatical1]

It's black birch...

 

[Kosmonauts]

It's black birch...

thanks so much! What was the give away and any attributes that made you decide?

 

[Fanatical1]

thanks so much! What was the give away and any attributes that made you decide?

I have been wrong before once or twice ( just ask my wife!) but I think it's black birch and here's why.

I think a pin cherry and black birch look very similar especially when younger. They both have horizontal lines or wrap to the bark making them look very similar. As the black birch ages the bark changes and it looks similar to the picture you posted above. As others have said, the way to tell for sure is to peel that bark back and smell. If it smells like wintergreen it's a black birch not a pin cherry. I also think the wood is too light in color to be a pin cherry. I think the pictures of the small diameter logs you posted make us all think pin cherry, but that's what young black birch trees look like also.

Do a good sniff test peeling that bark back again and report back. I think the definitive answer lies in that distinct wintergreen smell of a black birch.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

It's black birch...

I agree, you can tell by the "peely" bark. Plus the Wintergreen aroma is the giveaway! It's great fuelwood!

 

[Fanatical1]

Here's a pic of an older big black birch on our property with a big burl on it... You can see how with this older tree the bark has become peeled, but still see some of those tell tale horizontal lines or wrap to the bark. Not really the best picture of a black birch to show the bark comparison but it's all I had.

 

[Kosmonauts]

I have been wrong before once or twice ( just ask my wife!) but I think it's black birch and here's why.

I think a pin cherry and black birch look very similar especially when younger. The both have horizontal lines or wrap to the bark making them look very similar. As the black birch ages the bark changes and it looks similar to the picture you posted above. As others have said, the way to tell for sure is to peel that bark back and smell. If it smells like wintergreen it's a black birch not a pin cherry. I also think the wood is too light in color to be a pin cherry. I think the pictures of the small diameter legs you posted make us all think pin cherry, but that's what young black birch trees look like also.

Do a good sniff test again and report back. I think the definitive answer lies in that distinct wintergreen smell of a black birch.

Well it's a very woody smell with almost a menthol type note...very minimal but it doesn't smell like cherry I know that. Also all of my cherry is red all the way through and this has a lot of white in the wood and when I cut it it was a very pearl white with a darker center

 

[Kosmonauts]

Here's a pic of an older big black birch on our property with a big burl on it... You can see how with this older tree the bark has become peeled, but still see some of those tell tale horizontal lines or wrap to the bark. Not really the best picture of a black birch to show the bark comparison but it's all I had.

View attachment 177415

I seethanks so much for that!