Quick wood species Id please

[redmanlcs]

I'm usually pretty good at this but this one has me a little confused. Its a recent blowdown with no leaves. It has survived a prior forest fire it looks like to me. I'm thinking maple by the grain of the wood and its burn properties SOMEWHAT. Previous experience with maple is that it leaves no coals. This stuff leaves lots of chunky hot coals and lasts a very long time. This wood is not seasoned and (i know, i know)... I'm burning it green/wet. I'm kinda in an emergency situation - long story. but the way this stuff burns, I'm going to go get the rest.. Is this maple as I suspect? What kind of maple? My location is southern WV. USA.

 

[Caw]

Definitely maple. Possibly red but most likely Norway based on the bark.

I use red maple as my primary firewood and it'll will season in one year if you have decent conditions/stack/top cover. When its fully dry it'll burn hot and leave a small to moderate coal bed. It's not a top tier firewood like oak or locust but it's a solid choice and abundant around here at least.

I've never burned Norway but I'd take it if it were free. It should season in similar time. Also it's invasive so don't feel bad about felling any!

Wet wood almost always leaves a lot of coals. That will improve with seasoning. If you're in an emergent situation you can always run the air more open and shovel out some coals when reloading. If you can find some standing dead ash thats your best bet burning green.

Here's a recent red maple round:

 

[wooddope]

Looks like maple to me also but more like Norway than Red. My 2 cents.

 

[Caw]

Didn't even think of Norway...the bark does look more Norway-ish taking a second look. I updated my post!

 

[redmanlcs]

When I google Norway Maple, it is evident now. Shallow root system and the following pic says it all... very nice ID thanks!

 

[hickoryhoarder]

I'm not real good with photos, but Norway maple is also my guess.

 

[kennyp2339]

Any maple is good maple imo, I like it because you can split thick splits and it still dries faster then oak.

 

[Solarguy3500]

I recently discovered a large amount of Norway Maple free for the taking, and I'm debating whether it's worth it to go and get it.

I live about 45 minutes away from the small city of Pittsfield MA and I was driving through there a couple weeks ago and driving past a large cemetery, I noticed piles of logs along the roadways through the cemetery. I pulled in and it is all Norway Maple that they just had taken down and had the tree service leave the logs on the ground. They said it is free for the taking anytime the gates are open, which IIRC is 8-4 every day. There were dozens, if not hundreds of logs when I was there a couple weeks ago, and I didn't even drive around the whole cemetery, just inside the gates. Some may have been taken by now, but I'm thinking there's probably still a lot left.

I'm just trying to decide if it makes sense for me to drive 45 minutes one way for Norway. I still have wood on my property (sugar maple, apple, beech) that I need to buck and split, and I got the go ahead to go and cut up a nice big red oak blow down that's only about a 5 minute drive from my house. Always hard to pass up free wood, but I've already got a lot to work up that doesn't require driving so far.

If anyone else on here is close to Pittsfield, MA and wants to go get some Norway maple, PM me and I'll give you the info on where it is.