Craigslist Wood Id?

[Tom Wallace]

Just found this ad on Craigslist, but it doesn't mention what kind of wood it is. I haven't reached out to the seller yet, and frankly I've found Craigslist people to be less than ideal at identifying wood. This is in the Seattle area. We mostly have evergreen trees here, but this looks deciduous to me.

http://i.imgur.com/VScb8fP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/aKRMdgh.jpg

 

[Tar12]

Just found this ad on Craigslist, but it doesn't mention what kind of wood it is. I haven't reached out to the seller yet, and frankly I've found Craigslist people to be less than ideal at identifying wood. This is in the Seattle area. We mostly have evergreen trees here, but this looks deciduous to me.

http://i.imgur.com/VScb8fP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/aKRMdgh.jpg

Don't have a clue but if its free and since its already cut up go for it!

 

[Tom Wallace]

Don't have a clue but if its free and since its already cut up go for it!

Well, mostly I just want to make sure it's not cottonwood or something similarly low in btus. I picked up about 1.5 cords of cottonwood last spring and I burned through it really fast this winter. On the bright side, it was the easiest wood I've ever split.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I think it's Poplar....

 

[CHeath]

I say poplar also. Let it rip.

 

[Tom Wallace]

Thanks all. I'll skip it if it's poplar.

 

[Longstreet]

Good because cottonwood IS poplar.

 

[blacktail]

Another vote for cottonwood.

 

[byQ]

The bark is too thin for cottonwood. It looks too big for alder, and bark is wrong. And it doesn't look like any western poplars I've seen. Big leaf maple is common in your area but I haven't seen it in person. Big leaf maple is a good medium btu firewood. Big leaf grows with several trunks but from your pictures it looks like there is only one trunk but it is hard to tell.

I did some more research - it is big leaf maple. The bark has a vertical pattern, and that dark inner and lighter outer wood in the rounds is another giveaway. Good firewood - you would be smart to get it.

 

[Tom Wallace]

The bark is too thin for cottonwood. It looks too big for alder, and bark is wrong. And it doesn't look like any western poplars I've seen. Big leaf maple is common in your area but I haven't seen it in person. Big leaf maple is a good medium btu firewood. Big leaf grows with several trunks but from your pictures it looks like there is only one trunk but it is hard to tell.

I did some more research - it is big leaf maple. The bark has a vertical pattern, and that dark inner and lighter outer wood in the rounds is another giveaway. Good firewood - you would be smart to get it.

Well now I'm conflicted. If it's maple, I'd definitely pick it up. I'll contact the seller and see if they know what kind of wood it is.

 

[blacktail]

and that dark inner and lighter outer wood in the rounds is another giveaway.

I see that as a sign of cottonwood.
These are bigleaf maple rounds cut along my driveway. No dark center.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Whack a round open, if it is yellow and green inside I'd say Poplar, if not it might be one of what these fellas say.

 

[byQ]

If its not big leaf maple than maybe willow. Willow is a low btu firewood. I'm one state over, in Idaho, and I get cottonwood all of the time. The bark on cottonwood is thick with deep ridging - but that bark is thin and has shallow ridging.

 

[fibels]

Those dark inner rings remind me of some kind of pine.

 

[Longstreet]

Whack a round open, if it is yellow and green inside I'd say Poplar, if not it might be one of what these fellas say.

We have to be very careful throwing poplar out there when speaking with those other guys - aka Westerners. The poplar you speak of isn't really poplar at all. Yea, us East coast guys will get what you meant, but out west poplar will be taken for true poplar - aspen and cottonwood mostly.

Using the term "tulip tree" instead of "tulip poplar" avoids so much confusion.

 

[Tom Wallace]

The seller just responded. Says it's maple and cottonwood. Maybe I'll go pick some up and get mostly maple. So, how do I tell the difference? Maple has thinner, smoother bark, correct? I'm guessing it should also be heavier than cottonwood due to it being more dense, but maybe I'm wrong on that point. I know cottonwood tends to have a yellowish tint to the grain inside when split.

 

[byQ]

All of the cottonwood I've got had a yellow tint in the center. That dark centered stuff must be the maple. Cottonwood can still be heavy if it was cut green due to the moisture content. One way to tell is with your chainsaw - cutting through cottonwood will make you think you have a really powerful chainsaw - it cuts like butter. But the maple should slow things down a bit. And look for those 'maple' leaves (ie like the Canadian flag).

Wow that is quite a bit of wood - good luck.

 

[Tom Wallace]

I got 2/3 of a truck load today, almost entirely maple. Found a couple pieces of cottonwood, much lighter and much easier to split than the maple. There was wood in the driveway of the house and some on the side, primarily maple. Around back was a lot of cottonwood. Another guy showed up while I was splitting wood in front. He decided he'd drive around back for that wood. But he got about 15' off the pavement and got stuck in the mud. Had to call some friends with a truck and tow rope to pull him out. I didn't have anything to tow him with in my truck, or I'd have pulled him out.

 

[rwilly]

Good score on the Maple.
The 2 pics you posted are positively Cottonwood.

 

[Tom Wallace]

Good score on the Maple.
The 2 pics you posted are positively Cottonwood.

Yeah, the guy who got stuck in the mud tried splitting some wood in the back and said it was all cottonwood back there. I think the seller must have only taken pictures from in back, as the maple was in front/side of the house.