Hickory, or something else?

[Hasufel]

I lost about five trees during the wind storm a couple of weeks ago and just got around to chopping up this one. It had been standing dead and completely uprooted in the storm. On the way down it got wedged between some trees so it was hanging in mid-air, practically begging to be bucked! I got lucky because it could have clipped the garage if it hadn't come apart on the way down. It could have landed on my shed, too, if the wind had been more from the west. Anyway i whacked off a few chunks with the maul and it kinda looks and splits like hickory, although it doesn't have the horse barn/manure smell I associate with hickory. I've got shagbark and pignut around here and the bark doesn't look anything like the former so could it be pignut hickory? Or is it something entirely different? The wood that hasn't started to rot is very hard. And it's definitely not oak or poplar, which are the other common trees here. I also noticed a pink stain (visible in the last picture), but I'm guessing that isn't unique to any species...

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Why do you not think it is Oak? Looks like it to me?

 

[shoot-straight]

that looks like read oak- a bit punky on the outside.

kinda looks like a standing hickory next to it in the first pic BTW. mockernut or pignut

 

[walhondingnashua]

Looks like Red Oak to me too...

 

[JSeery]

The medullary rays make me think this is punky oak.

 

[Hasufel]

The medullary rays make me think this is punky oak.

Yeah, I see what you mean about the rays. The first piece I cut was pretty punky and they weren't very apparent. I guess I should have taken a closer look at the others! But I've split a lot of red oak and this didn't seem at all similar. Maybe it's because it was standing dead for so long and it started rotting from the inside. Every other oak I've split had a pristine core and a characteristic aroma (which I happen to love). This one has almost no smell, but some fresh splits have a bit of a "lumberyard" smell to them.

 

[FLINT]

yup, 100% red oak. for sure. still looks fine to burn, if you get it blocked and split this spring.

now, the tree to the right of it in the foreground of your first picture is a hickory. and it looks like its wedged between maybe a tulip poplar and a white oak(?). and the big double tree in the second picture is a tulip poplar.

 

[Simonkenton]

Whatever it is, it looks rotten. Why mess with rotten wood?