tree I.D. help please

[ckarotka]

This is a couple shots from today's score. We ended up getting two full loads from this site both dump and dump trailer. The tree in question was very very heavy but I believe most of the weight was water weight not density. The trunk was very long and straight with branches at the top. I forgot to get a pic of the leaves but, my tree book narrows it down to a poplar or ash any help? At 24" diameter cut to 20" long we estimate the cuts to be about 200-250lbs. I took two of us to roll them up the ramp. We will be returning to the site and see if the builder will let me use his backhoe to drag the rest out to the street. I used to be a subcontractor for all his siding work so we have a good relationship.

 

[LLigetfa]

Click thumbnail to see full-size image

I click them and they get smaller, not full-size.

 

[Rockey]

Its hard to tell from the far away pic in the middle but I dont think the grain looks much like poplar. There is usually some green and purple hues in it. I guess, the bark lloks like ash to me.

 

[ckarotka]

Sorry cameraphone pics I tried to blow them up but no success. I just couldn't get over the weight. When we moved them around they sounded like rice crispies poppin away from the end grain. There was some maple mixed in but these were the most. There is still one more long trunk left about 12" diameter. It's a good start for next year.

 

[learnin to burn]

white Ash

 

[JustWood]

Looks like cottonwood.

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

Post some bigger pics, looks like some rounds in your trailer have a large heartwood.

WoodButcher

 

[LLigetfa]

The trunk was very long and straight with branches at the top...

Ja, sounds like Cottonwood or Balsam Poplar.

 

[SolarAndWood]

A 250 lb round of cottonwood?

 

[ckarotka]

I'm working a 24 hour shift right now will post some better pics tomorrow.

Yes they did have a large heartwood to them and the bark was very course.

 

[Wood Duck]

... I forgot to get a pic of the leaves but, my tree book narrows it down to a poplar or ash any help? ...

I am not sure how you narrowed it down to poplar or ash. Poplars (aspen, cottonwood, balsam poplar) have simple leaves arranged alternately on the branches - that is, a leaf comes off one side, then the next leaf comes off the other side of a twig a short way up the twig, and the one after that is back on the same side as the first, but a short length of twig farther up. Ash have compound (several parts) leaves that are opposite - a leaf grows off one side of the twig and generally another leaf grows from the same position on the twig, but on the opposite side, so that leaves usually are paired along the twig. Don't get confused by the compound leaves of ash - each leaf has maybe five or seven leaflets. Each leaflet looks more or less like the simple leaf of an aspen, but the leaflets are attached to a leaf stem that will fall off the tree, whereas aspen leaves are attached to a woody twig that will stay on the tree. If the tree has compound leaves arranged opposite each other on the stem then it is an ash.

Whatever the tree is, and I think it looks like White Ash, the weight of a fresh cut log is a lot heavier than the weight of the wood will be after a few weeks, and particularly after a nice year of seasoning as a split. Either Ash or Cottonwood can grow with long, straight trunks.

 

[FLINT]

I'm not sure how a tree could be narrowed down to poplar or ash based on the leaves as they are about as different as you can get. The bark can be similar though.

if you post a pic. of the leaves it will be an easy ID

 

[Backwoods Savage]

It definitely is not white ash. Lee is probably right though on cottonwood. That can be very, very heavy when freshly cut.

 

[HittinSteel]

The trunk was very long and straight with branches at the top...

Ja, sounds like Cottonwood or Balsam Poplar.

I agree. Just cut some recently. Almost started crying when I put my saw in to it and quickly realized I did not have the ash score I was hoping for.

 

[ckarotka]

Cottonwood it is!! I did more online search for pics and found my answer in another thread named "stinky wood". It definitely did stink while cutting like crap.
When I was trying to identify the tree I only had one leaf not attached to anything. And it was dead and all shriviled up so I was going by bark only.
How is this to burn? I thought it was ash at first also Hittinsteel, but then after cutting it didn't resemble what I remember ash being like from the last ash I cut. Say that three times fast. Ther is one more standing on the lot and will be coming down soon not as straight and tall as the others I am still going to take but do need to find more hardwoods.

Thanks for the help.

 

[HittinSteel]

It is on my shoulder season pile...... I've never burned it before, but imagine it will be like the other "soft" hardwoods. I'll probably give it away to the neighborhood kids who are nice enough to ask for wood for campfires rather than just taking it from my stacks.

I've also found the rounds to be good for cutting cookies when tuning and testing saws.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

When it dries it will make good campfire wood. It burns hot and doesn't last long.

 

[Archie]

This is a couple shots from today's score. We ended up getting two full loads from this site both dump and dump trailer. The tree in question was very very heavy but I believe most of the weight was water weight not density. The trunk was very long and straight with branches at the top. I forgot to get a pic of the leaves but, my tree book narrows it down to a poplar or ash any help? At 24" diameter cut to 20" long we estimate the cuts to be about 200-250lbs. I took two of us to roll them up the ramp. We will be returning to the site and see if the builder will let me use his backhoe to drag the rest out to the street. I used to be a subcontractor for all his siding work so we have a good relationship.

Middle pic looks like hickory. Dense / heavy wood.