Going Deep in the Stack - Wood Quiz!

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Caw

Minister of Fire
May 26, 2020
2,555
Massachusetts
Bringing in some nice three year old wood today and had 3 different species next to each other in the trailer. Shouldn't need the bark or leaves for this one. Who knows what's what? (#4a and 4b are the same thing).

Keep in mind I live in MA and this is all local. If anyone says red oak they are banned! ;)

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I'll probably go 0-4 but here we go

1. Locust
2. Sugar Maple
3. Cherry
4a and 4b - trick question, same red maple
 
I'll probably go 0-4 but here we go

1. Locust
2. Sugar Maple
3. Cherry
4a and 4b - trick question, same red maple
1. No
2. Partial credit. Clearly a maple but not sugar.
3. Yes
4. No. The grey coloring is just from aging. They are the same species but it's not a maple.

1.5/4. Good start!
 
Nope! Eventually you'll get the maple by process of elimination though
 
#2 is red maple. It's the predominant tree in the area. #1 and #4 still elude though!
 
Red oak…come on I had to!!!
 
The green tint makes me think poplar. #1
#4 is a bit pithy.
 
1. Boxelder
2. Norway Maple
3. Cherry
4. Ash...
5. ^ ^ ^
 
1. Boxelder
2. Norway Maple
3. Cherry
4. Ash...
5. ^ ^ ^
Eyyyy pretty close. But it's red maple. Hard to tell the difference really without leaves. Right on the rest. 4a and 4b are ash. Nice job man!

F-ing boxelder. I'm hate burning some right now infact.
 
Final answers:

1. Boxelder
2. Red maple
3. Cherry
4a/b. Ash

Fun times.
 
Boxelder was a big burner for me back in Eastern Ontario before I knew trees well enough. It’s a weed tree, grows fast, breaks in storms, etc so it was an easy wood to get to firewood stage. Then moved onto sugar maple, shag bark hickory and ash. Better wood to burn.
 
I burned an entire log bag and a half of boxelder last night and it took about 6 hours total. Just not worth the effort at all around here. That much oak would last me 24 hours lol. Density matters! Unless you have nothing else.
 
That much oak would last me 24 hours lol. Density matters! Unless you have nothing else.
It'll help burn that monster pile of oak coals down when you are really pushing your stove in the coldest part of the winter though too...and it seems to go against what most would think, but if someone is around to feed the stove frequently , you'll actually get more heat to the house running BE than with oak (because of not having to wait for the coals to burn down)
 
Yeah that's a use for it. I use all the oak bark I have for the coal issue when it gets cold out. Same idea. Bark is amazing for burning down coals.
 
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