Tree ID w/bonus "it's time to start splitting" pic

[Oww My Back Hurts]

So here's what I've been up to this summer. I don't own a splitter so I've been stockpiling wood and at some point here I'm hoping to start splitting as much as I can, and then I'll probably break down and try to borrow my neighbor's splitter (or buy one myself).

I'm pretty sure I know what these are but was hoping someone could confirm. I'm also wondering if anyone knows why Pic 1 has blueish green junk in it:





Here's my current stockpile:



And here are my cats protecting the stacks:

 

[HDRock]

I'm not good at ID but ,that blueish green staining is from metal in the tree some where
You woke up the cat

 

[aansorge]

First pic looks like cottonwood. Next silver maple.

 

[nrford]

Red oak. Hard Maple

 

[bogydave]

Red oak. Hard Maple

+1

 

[Oww My Back Hurts]

Thanks! Red oak was what I was guessing for the first -- aided by the fact that it has a strong smell, and I can practically tap the thing with my fiskars and it splits. The maple is darn near impossible for me to split. The fiskars just bounces off it, and I can put several wedges in it and it still won't split, had to resort to noodling.

Now if I can just figure out what the blue green junk is. I haven't seen any metal in there, I was guessing maybe a lightning strike or bug damage of some sort but I really have no idea

 

[HDRock]

Now if I can just figure out what the blue green junk is. I haven't seen any metal in there, I was guessing maybe a lightning strike or bug damage of some sort but I really have no idea

I guess it could be something else but ,it looks like metal staining, Doesn't matter if U seen any metal
I have some big oak with same thing

 

[Fifelaker]

I know there is iron in that oak somewhere. That blue will migrate quite aways. I have seen it 9-10 feet away from the piece.

 

[Woody Stover]

A couple of fine woods right there.

Whoa! That cat looks angry!

 

[mywaynow]

Cats........how can a pile of split logs be the place to spend a nap session? Both are doing it though. Is there a dog in the yard that they are avoiding?

 

[pen]

The neighbor's cats love my wood piles. I'm guessing it's the high vantage point that they like. This year I'm making the stacks a bit taller, not sure if that will deter them or not yet.

Looks like Oak and Maple to me as well.

pen

 

[ScotO]

Red oak and hard maple, final answer........
nice stash of wood there, BTW!

 

[lukem]

Iron will leave streaks in wood varying from blue to green to black. It doesn't take much and it could very well have rusted away by now.

 

[teutonicking]

And here are my cats protecting the stacks:
View attachment 107810[/quote]

That's awesome. Its like He-Man and Battlecat!

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[Oww My Back Hurts]

Thanks for the info everyone, I'll be on the lookout for metal in there, hopefully I don't hit it when I am splitting. Fortunately I think I'm done using the chainsaw on it

Is there a dog in the yard that they are avoiding?

We do have a dog but they weren't up there to get away from her, they just love to hang out up there. I see them up there all the time, must be a good view or maybe they are catching mice and shrews.

Its like He-Man and Battlecat!

Hah hah that is awesome!

 

[Backwoods Savage]

That is a lot of wood stacked up but not split. Won't dry until after you get it split so I hope you don't have to burn that this year. Good luck on that metal.

 

[Paulywalnut]

Yep, gone are the days of splitting some wood and taking it right in and burning it.

 

[jdp1152]

Cats........how can a pile of split logs be the place to spend a nap session? Both are doing it though. Is there a dog in the yard that they are avoiding?

Probably sleeping off all the mice residents they've eaten.

 

[aansorge]

For some reason, cottonwood and red oak bark always look similar to me. On closer inspection of the photos I do see that the wood itself does definitely look like oak but that bark!
Am I the only one that thinks the bark looks similar?

 

[weatherguy]

Thanks for the info everyone, I'll be on the lookout for metal in there, hopefully I don't hit it when I am splitting. Fortunately I think I'm done using the chainsaw on it



We do have a dog but they weren't up there to get away from her, they just love to hang out up there. I see them up there all the time, must be a good view or maybe they are catching mice and shrews.



Hah hah that is awesome!

Same with my cats, they hunt the mice and then take a nap on the wood pile after all their hard work. You got a nice stack of rounds there, definitely worth spending the money on a splitter.

 

[pen]

You got a nice stack of rounds there, definitely worth spending the money on a splitter.

That's one way of looking at it.

For me, the hand splitting is the best part. I run the chainsaw only because that must happen before I can get the chance to swing the axe.

pen

 

[Oww My Back Hurts]

Won't dry until after you get it split so I hope you don't have to burn that this year

Definitely not this year. I'm guessing I'll be burning it in '15/'16, possibly even the year after.