River Birch VS Black Birch

[sledhead41]

I just scored 2 truck loads of Birch off craigs list. The fella said it was River Birch. The leaves say its Blach Birch. Trying to get pics.

 

[smokinj]

sure looks like river birch

 

[Todd]

I have heard Black Birch has a winter green/spearmint smell and taste under the bark or if you chew on a twig?

 

[LLigetfa]

We don't have either River Birch (Betula nigra) or Black Birch (Betula lenta) around here so I cannot offer any enlightenment, but since they can both be blackish in colour, I can understand the confusion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_nigra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betula_lenta

 

[sledhead41]

So,,,, you want me to chew on the bark. Ok I'll bite, no, wate maybe not. They all burn and Birch is a good day time burn.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

It doesn't look like the Black Birch we have around here so I'd bet on River Birch.

 

[LLigetfa]

Birch is a good day time burn.

Burns good at night to. Black Birch has more BTU per cord than Oak.

 

[DBoon]

River Birch has light pink heartwood - a lighter shade than cherry. These logs don't seem to have that, so unless that color is washed out in the flashbulb, it isn't River Birch.

 

[Wood Duck]

I am not sure I can tell from the bark in those pictures. Black Birch here can be pretty variable in how shaggy the bark is, and I have seen some that look like the wood in the pictures. Black Birch does have a distinct wintergeen smell. You will smell it while splitting, or chew on a small twig and you'll taste it. (you could merely scratch and sniff a small twig, but it would be more dramatic to chew it). Black Birch is a very high BTU wood. I'd guess River Birch is a lot closer to White or Paper Birch in BTU than to Black Birch.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I am not sure I can tell from the bark in those pictures. Black Birch here can be pretty variable in how shaggy the bark is, and I have seen some that look like the wood in the pictures. Black Birch does have a distinct wintergeen smell. You will smell it while splitting, or chew on a small twig and you'll taste it. (you could merely scratch and sniff a small twig, but it would be more dramatic to chew it). Black Birch is a very high BTU wood. I'd guess River Birch is a lot closer to White or Paper Birch in BTU than to Black Birch.

Anyone call Black Birch "Cherry" Birch out your part of the state, Wood Duck? We do here...

 

[sledhead41]

OK I did it, It don't taste minty, it tastes like Grass, Grassy. Smells like grass when twig is split

 

[sledhead41]

Finaly got around to spliting today. By far the stringingest wood I have ever split,. Had to fight it to the last 1/2 inch almost every piece. No minty smell, but will smell good in the woodstove!

 

[gzecc]

Post a picture of the splits. I don't think its either.

 

[Wood Duck]

I haven't heard anyone call Black birch 'Cherry Birch' here in western PA. I'll ask the local lumberjacks next time I run into them.

If the wood doesn't smell like wintergreen, it isn't Black Birch, but it'll still be pretty good firewood.

 

[sledhead41]

Heres a pic of the splits. Some of the heart wood did have a pink color to it. The best thing is Craigslist topped it off with a truck load of Red Oak. YAA HOO done spliting for the year, have 2 years of wood split and stacked.

 

[gzecc]

If its all the same tree, the paper flacking looking split is called river birch.