Can you identify a tree based on how it looks?

[EatenByLimestone]

I mapped wetlands through orthoimagery. It’s amazing what you can tell from a photo taken from an airplane before the leaves come out.

 

[Jedi]

Does anyone know what tree this is? It splits very easy woth the maul.

 

[Jan Pijpelink]

Poplar?

 

[CincyBurner]

red maple ?

 

[Kevin Weis]

When I was in college in a forestry class our professor was a Michigan grad and told us in his tree identification class there the test was to identify the species (in Latin of course) of a cut block of wood passed around the classroom. Not a fresh cut block either so mostly no odor to help. Now that's tough ID. Luckily he passed around a twigg with leaf for our ID exam.

 

[Jedi]

Someone was giving this away on facebook but they didn't know the tree id. I had to cut most pieces in half since they were over 25in long, then split. Just wondering if it would be ready for next winter (softwood) or the following year.

 

[Vg3200p]

I'll join the maple camp on this one

 

[gzecc]

Could be young sugar maple?

 

[patrickk222]

Does anyone know what tree this is? It splits very easy woth the maul. View attachment 307983View attachment 307984View attachment 307985

Its either gonna be a young sugar maple or red maple and in my experience on dealing with the 2 im picking sugar because the wood of a red maple is gonna look slightly diff

 

[hickoryhoarder]

Does anyone know what tree this is? It splits very easy woth the maul. View attachment 307983View attachment 307984View attachment 307985

I'm betting American beech.

 

[CincyBurner]

I'm betting American beech.

Bark is light and thin like beech, but beech is tough to hand split.

 

[Vg3200p]

And beech I've seen is much darker wood. Almost like wet brown/yellowish

 

[Stove Cricket]

Coppiced maple grow back

 

[hickoryhoarder]

Bark is light and thin like beech, but beech is tough to hand split.

Beech has been easy for me to split with a maul....if I leave the logs sit for a year. Very tough when green.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

And beech I've seen is much darker wood. Almost like wet brown/yellowish

The photo is very typical beech where I live. The wood tends to darken in the stacks, even unsplit.

 

[Vg3200p]

The photo is very typical beech where I live. The wood tends to darken in the stacks, even unsplit.

@hickoryhoarder what part of Indiana are you in? I'm in central and the beech here has similar bark to the picture the wood grain itself looks way different

 

[Jedi]

The tree was cut down two weeks ago, so definitely still green

 

[gzecc]

I was leaning towards beech but the dark center reminds me of maple, especially sugar.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

I was leaning towards beech but the dark center reminds me of maple, especially sugar.

Sugar maple doesn't have that bark, so red maple would be a better guess.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

@hickoryhoarder what part of Indiana are you in? I'm in central and the beech here has similar bark to the picture the wood grain itself looks way different

I'm 45 miles south of Indy. Taking another look, I agree on the bark and the grain. That may not be beech. If not beech I would think red maple.

On the splitting question someone asked, red maple splits real easy, if it's not twisted. Beech is a bear for me if I don't let it sit a year first.

Photos are tricky for me. I think I could ID that particular wood 100% correct in person. For starters, beech would be heavier than maple, and my eyes would see the grain and know which one.

 

[Jedi]

Thanks everyone. Either way maple or beech would be 2 years to season. Now I know this is 2025 firewood

 

[Eman85]

When I was in college in a forestry class our professor was a Michigan grad and told us in his tree identification class there the test was to identify the species (in Latin of course) of a cut block of wood passed around the classroom. Not a fresh cut block either so mostly no odor to help. Now that's tough ID. Luckily he passed around a twigg with leaf for our ID exam.

Reminds me of a joke about loggers in a bar and the one that could ID wood blindfolded by the smell. Not a joke for mixed company.

There are plenty of nature centers, arboretums and old timers to learn about tree ID from. Nothing can beat in person seeing the tree for ID purposes. Go to a log yard and look around, the buyers there are usually willing to talk about logs and they have to know what they are looking at.