Is this ash?

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frarmar

Member
Sep 21, 2019
17
Southern IL
Pretty sure it is, just wanted to see what you guys think. I’m no tree identification expert.

Thanks
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It dries quickly & throws decent heat for moderate temps. I burned some of mine a few days ago while daytime temps were 40- 50 & nighttime temps were upper 30’s. I was happy with it.
 
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It dries quickly & throws decent heat for moderate temps. I burned some of mine a few days ago while daytime temps were 40- 50 & nighttime temps were upper 30’s. I was happy with it.
Good deal. Heck, I don’t turn down wood. It’s my first year of burning and I’ve got a hodgepodge of wood scrounged up this winter that will get me through a couple winters.... especially if it’s this mild.
 
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Box elder doesn’t have a very pleasant smell when burning. Burns Kind of quick. I mostly burn it in my barn stove and keep the more favorable wood for the house. I would not seek out box elder but you can’t beat free. Btus are btus.
 
The split on the right looks like a maple. The giveaway are the ripples in the grain. With the right tools that split would have "figure" to it
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Its usually referred to as "curly" or "tiger" maple. Most maple varieties can have figure. My guess is its probably Norway or Red Maple.
 
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Looks like Red Maple but not sure if all of that shown is that. If not all from the same tree, some of those splits a few down look like they could be hickory?
 
Looks like Red Maple but not sure if all of that shown is that. If not all from the same tree, some of those splits a few down look like they could be hickory?
I think it’s all the same in that picture. I wish it was hickory!

Box elder doesn’t have a very pleasant smell when burning. Burns Kind of quick. I mostly burn it in my barn stove and keep the more favorable wood for the house. I would not seek out box elder but you can’t beat free. Btus are btus.
Beggars can’t be choosers in my case. Father in law bought a lift last year and drops off wood from trees he trims at my house. Even left his hydraulic splitter. Hell of a guy...
The split on the right looks like a maple. The giveaway are the ripples in the grain. With the right tools that split would have "figure" to it

Its usually referred to as "curly" or "tiger" maple. Most maple varieties can have figure. My guess is its probably Norway or Red Maple.
Damn, that’s beautiful!
 
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Box elder tends to have a twist in its growth habit. So when splitting it is raw to get uniform straight splits. At least this is my experience. All of my box elder is growing in every direction but straight up.
 
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I’m leaning towards it being box elder at this point. It came from my father in law’s neighbor and he said it had leaves that look like ash. According to google, it appears box elder has leaves kind of similar to ash. So if it isn’t ash, I’d guess box elder.
 
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Another for Box Elder or Norway. Splits look very much like a maple species and bark looks like one of the harder maple species.
 
I don’t turn down wood. It’s my first year of burning and I’ve got a hodgepodge of wood scrounged up this winter that will get me through a couple winters.... especially if it’s this mild.
Good move to grab some of the lighter, lower-BTU woods when you are trying to get ahead. They dry faster, and may be ready to go by this fall. Grab the Oak, hard Maple, Hickory etc. when you are three years ahead, and it has plenty of time to dry.
 
Box elder would have much more red veins, looks like maple.
 
Good move to grab some of the lighter, lower-BTU woods when you are trying to get ahead. They dry faster, and may be ready to go by this fall. Grab the Oak, hard Maple, Hickory etc. when you are three years ahead, and it has plenty of time to dry.
Yep. That was my thinking too. Took a chance and bought a couple truck beds full of hardwoods from a local logger, and 95% of it was anywhere from 15-20%. Been so mild I’m still burning on that and some eco bricks.
 
Norway Maple, no doubt about it
 
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