Black Locust or Black Birch?

[albertj03]

There were about half a dozen small trees that were damaged last December in an ice storm that I cut and I thought they were young black birch trees. The reason I'm wondering if they are black locust is because I noticed a wierd smell one time when I was outside that seemed to be coming from my chimney, almost smelled like trash burning and a member here said it might have been black locust burning that I smelled. Can anyone tell by the pictures below if this is black birch or black locust or maybe both? Thanks!

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Black locust has thorns on branches and compound opposite small leaves. Black birch has simple leaves and when you scrape fresh bark on branches etc it smells awesome

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Also- locust has a palish yellow wood (similar to white oak) and is really stringy when split. It is super dense. Black birch is lighter and straighter grained.

 

[albertj03]

Black locust has thorns on branches and compound opposite small leaves. Black birch has simple leaves and when you scrape fresh bark on branches etc it smells awesome

It was over a year ago that I cut it and don't remember if there were any thorns.

 

[albertj03]

Also- locust has a palish yellow wood (similar to white oak) and is really stringy when split. It is super dense. Black birch is lighter and straighter grained.

The two shorter pieces are stringy and the longer piece is smooth. Maybe those two are black locus and the other one is black birch.

 

[RAY_PA]

thats not locust. ..more like birch

 

[smokinj]

thats not locust. ..more like birch

+1 you always rember the thorns.

 

[Jags]

......and don't remember if there were any thorns.

You would remember the thorns. :vampire:

 

[albertj03]

Black birch then? It burns good.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

It's darker than the locust would be- it was a bit hard for me to see the color well here on my computer. Locust also has deeply furrowed bark on larger pieces, and the black birch has birch to cherry-like (bark breaking into plates) bark. That bark looks more like black birch than locust to be sure.

 

[gzecc]

Not locust. They look like they are wet. Take another picture when they are dry. Smell a fresh split. If its black birch it will smell like it (birch root beer)

 

[Jags]

It's darker than the locust would be- it was a bit hard for me to see the color well here on my computer.

Turn the lights on, silly. :coolsmirk:

 

[madison]

not locust bark for sure

 

[albertj03]

Not locust. They look like they are wet. Take another picture when they are dry. Smell a fresh split. If its black birch it will smell like it (birch root beer)

The wood wasn't wet at all and had been cut and stacked last December and then split and stacked in March.

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

Black Birch (sweet birch) smells just like Birch Beer (very strong minty smell) when cut or split, thats a dead give away for that species (even yellow birch)
Your middle split shows a large dark heartwood which doesn't fit the characteristics of Black Birch.
I've posted some pics for you to compare......but I think a sniff or two will tell-tale

WB

 

[albertj03]

Black Birch (sweet birch) smells just like Birch Beer (very strong minty smell) when cut or split, thats a dead give away for that species (even yellow birch)
Your middle split shows a large dark heartwood which doesn't fit the characteristics of Black Birch.
I've posted some pics for you to compare......but I think a sniff or two will tell-tale

WB

The smaller piece in your picture looks exactly like many of the pieces I have from these trees. The bark kind of rolls on the edges like I can see in your picture. Maybe a higher quality picture would make it easier to tell what it is.

 

[CarbonNeutral]

Black Birch (sweet birch) smells just like Birch Beer (very strong minty smell) when cut or split, thats a dead give away for that species (even yellow birch)
Your middle split shows a large dark heartwood which doesn't fit the characteristics of Black Birch.
I've posted some pics for you to compare......but I think a sniff or two will tell-tale

WB

I have some black birch (no question - smell ,bark, leaves) that has large dark heartwood - not all of it, just some of the smaller limbs.

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

I have some black birch (no question - smell ,bark, leaves) that has large dark heartwood - not all of it, just some of the smaller limbs.

Well shiver-me-timbers, I’ve busted up alot of BB over the last 8-10 years and have never seen an ounce of heartwood like that.....but on this site you'll see lots of variations with species (esp bark).

WB

 

[CarbonNeutral]

I have some black birch (no question - smell ,bark, leaves) that has large dark heartwood - not all of it, just some of the smaller limbs.

Well shiver-me-timbers, I’ve busted up alot of BB over the last 8-10 years and have never seen an ounce of heartwood like that.....but on this site you'll see lots of variations with species (esp bark).

WB

I was going to say maybe they are a slightly different species, but you are close, so who knows? It almost looks like red oak with the patterning as well.

 

[DBoon]

I believe that "Black" Birch and "River" Birch are the same, and if so, then Black Birch has a dark pinkish heartwood like Black Cherry, but not as dark as Black Cherry and it doesn't darken more with age like Black Cherry does.

 

[CrawfordCentury]

thats not locust. ..more like birch

+1 you always rember the thorns.

+10 to the 10,000th power.

Also, locust stump sprouts, limb sprouts, and ground sprouts like nothing else. Real bear to try to get rid of.

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

thats not locust. ..more like birch

+1 you always rember the thorns.

+10 to the 10,000th power.



Also, locust stump sprouts, limb sprouts, and ground sprouts like nothing else. Real bear to try to get rid of.

I'll stick with Hickory.................

WB

 

[Jags]

thats not locust. ..more like birch

+1 you always rember the thorns.

+10 to the 10,000th power.



Also, locust stump sprouts, limb sprouts, and ground sprouts like nothing else. Real bear to try to get rid of.

I'll stick with Hickory.................

WB

Chicken!

 

[Adios Pantalones]

delete

 

[Adios Pantalones]

They aren't all that bad. In fact- they can be worse with fewer thorns- when you aren't payin attention- that's when they getcha! Honey locust usually has worse thorns and it's less dense.