Thorny Locust and Mulberry Oddities

[motorcycle07]

I thought I would post up some pictures of what I am almost certain is thorny locust and mulberry that varied in appearance from what I usually see in these woods. This is only my second year of burning, so I haven't seen it all by any means. This wood was CS&S fall to early winter 2012. I am in southeastern Iowa. I didn't pay as much attention to the trees I cut then as I do now. The locust was likely a branch or two cut off of a couple trees that were in a fence row and in the way of field equipment while I waited for a girdling to take care of the rest of the tree.

The locust that differed is the smaller piece in the pictures and the differences do not show up as noticeably in the pictures as they do in person. Basically the differences were a much smaller sapwood and more streaked red in the heartwood were I am used to yellow sapwood and a nearly uniform pink heartwood. The suspected piece has nearly identical bark to usual and I did find a partial thorn still attached on a piece.

As for the mulberry I didn't have a "normal" piece easily accessible to photograph, so both pieces I consider to be abnormal. Basically It looked just liked the mulberry I am used to other than the heartwood was a much different color of brown. The brown is almost walnut colored but not quite as black.

Initially I suspected different varieties (especially with the locust) of trees, but then I noticed the suspected pieces all came from a similar place in the pile (in the back furthest away from the wind in my three sided shed). Has anyone else seen this drastic of seasoning coloration differences in their stacks?

In case it is not clear the locust is the first three photos and and mulberry the last two.

Anyway I thought other people might enjoy looking at pictures of different wood like I do.

 

[gzecc]

No bark shots? I don't see any locust. But I'm in the north east. Maybe its different.

 

[motorcycle07]

No bark shots? I don't see any locust. But I'm in the north east. Maybe its different.

Yah, sorry I forgot about the bark until I was looking through the pictures. You can kind of see the bark in the end grain shot.Unfortunately I burnt the pieces after I took the pictures. If I get another piece I will add some bark pictures, but it will not be anytime soon as I have red elm stacked in front of the rest of that pile.....

 

[Missouri Frontier]

I don't see any heartwood that looks like black locust. some of it looks like honey locust also refered to as thorny locust.

 

[motorcycle07]

I don't see any heartwood that looks like black locust. some of it looks like honey locust also refered to as thorny locust.

Hum, looks like my understanding of locust was mistaken. I will change my original post to read thorny locust.

 

[gzecc]

Hum, looks like my understanding of locust was mistaken. I will change my original post to read thorny locust.

Your posting does state thorny locust.

 

[motorcycle07]

Your posting does state thorny locust.

Right, I edited it to remove my original mention of black locust.

 

[splitoak]

The stuff here in WV are almost identical except for color....black and salmon color..

 

[Paulywalnut]

Whichever, you got some great firewood in the future. Mulberry and locust in the stove is some true heat.