Wierd Wood ID

[ArsenalDon]

Hi all,

Came across a strange scrounge today.
Clues to the wood that made it strange:

1; A 12 inch round 4 foot long weighed almost nothing comparably to pine, very light yet is solid, not punky and had a 38% MC.
2; And when I knock on the big rounds, they sound hollow

Pics may help, but hoping the weight issue helps too.

 

[ckitch]

Looks like white birch to me

 

[bigbarf48]

The furry pieces under the bark remind me of tulip poplar, but the bark is wrong

I believe ckitch is correct on white birch

 

[Pellet_Pete]

What they said - some sorta white birch, perhaps paper birch or the European white. Get it split up, tie it up with some twine, and sell it for $8 a bundle at the end of your driveway

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Another vote for Birch...

 

[Ehouse]

Popple.

 

[Fanatical1]

Aspen/Popple

 

[firefighterjake]

Poplar . . . aka aspen . . . aka popple . . . specifically a dead poplar.

 

[paul bunion]

Aspen or popple

 

[Wood Duck]

Aspen (Popple) makes sense based on the bark and on the light weight.

 

[nrford]

Aspen for sure.

 

[Ralphie Boy]

The split looks like poplar, yellow poplar, to me. Had a bunch early last season. Good for early season burning but leaves a lot of ash. However the bark does look like some kind of birch. I don't get birch here but At our cabin in the Adirondacks we get a lot of white birch, but the wood does not look like what you have. Are you totally confused now?!?

 

[mark cline]

Poplar, cottonwood , all us easteners are thinking the same . What does it smell like when split? If it smells like piss , its poplar.

 

[DougA]

It looks like it's been standing dead for awhile. The split is pretty familiar to me. That would explain the light weight. I burn both birch and poplar and they are not light unless they are rotting.

 

[ArsenalDon]

No particular smell at all. May well have been a snag (standing dead).
The light weight, yet having 38% MC plus the weird hollow sound when thumped on....

 

[BEConklin]

especially since you say it's been standing dead for a while I'd say it ain't white birch unless someone took the time to strip all the bark off your standing dead tree. White birch bark on dead trees stays intact on the log so well that the wood inside rots out long before the bark does. When I see dead white birch in the woods I often gather up some of the bark because it's so good at starting fires...but sometimes I can literally peel the bark off of wood that's so rotted it crumbles away under the bark.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Poplar, cottonwood , all us easteners are thinking the same . What does it smell like when split? If it smells like piss , its poplar.

Won't be much scent to this stuff being that far gone.

Most definitely popple and it will burn okay even as far gone as it is. Best though for spring or fall burning as it won't last long in the stove nor will it leave you with much for coaling.

 

[paul bunion]

especially since you say it's been standing dead for a while I'd say it ain't white birch unless someone took the time to strip all the bark off your standing dead tree. White birch bark on dead trees stays intact on the log so well that the wood inside rots out long before the bark does. When I see dead white birch in the woods I often gather up some of the bark because it's so good at starting fires...but sometimes I can literally peel the bark off of wood that's so rotted it crumbles away under the bark.

+1. Spot on. If it were birch it would have rotted out.

 

[ArsenalDon]

My neighbor who works for the US forest service finally got home......the definitive answer is........Cottonwood! so Mark...you are the only one who named it. Some of the scrounge must have been older than other bits cause some was 18% and some was 38% MC...the 18% is being burned tonight...so far burning fine.

Thanks all

 

[nrford]

My neighbor who works for the US forest service finally got home......the definitive answer is........Cottonwood! so Mark...you are the only one who named it. Some of the scrounge must have been older than other bits cause some was 18% and some was 38% MC...the 18% is being burned tonight...so far burning fine.

Thanks all

Definitely a "definitive answer" if a Fed. Gov. worker says so!