Wood ID - Elm?

[bens_igloo]

I picked up some firewood a few weeks ago, and I think it's elm, except for the fact that I didn't have a hard time splitting it at all. Now, I didn't have any huge logs, but even up to a 12 inch diameter they all split with one or two hits.

Here are a couple of photos. The wood has a distinctive smell and is very stringy/fibrous. Heartwood is definitely darker than the sapwood but not as dark as say, walnut.

So, elm? Or do I have it wrong?

 

[bigbarf48]

I would say yes, thats red elm

 

[jeff_t]

Red elm and Siberian elm tend to split easily. American elm, on the other hand....

 

[bens_igloo]

Thanks guys, it was worth confirming!

 

[Wood Duck]

I also think it is Elm, but I think it is American Elm. Not all American Elms are hard to split. The dark heartwood seems more like American Elm than Red Elm, but I don't cut much elm and especially not much Red Elm.

 

[mol1jb]

The way I learned telling between red and american is all in the bark. Take a small piece and snap it in half. If it is all red then its red elm. If it has a oreo cookie pattern than its american elm. Something to think of in the future

 

[Applesister]

Which one has higher BTUs? Red or American?
Red has that slimey inner bark if you subject it to water, too. Medicinal.

 

[Woody Stover]

Which one has higher BTUs? Red or American?

I see American listed a lot at 19.5, Red at 21.6. I like burning the Red. I've got one out there waiting that is about 19", biggest I've seen so far. The Dutch Elm usually gets 'em before they get real big....

 

[nrford]

It's rock elm.

 

[Woody Stover]

It's rock elm.

Well, I was thinking the bark didn't quite look like the Red I've seen here, but bark can vary. The wood didn't look very stringy either, and the color didn't look rosy enough. Pics can lie, though.... Natural range shows ON.
I think Rock Elm is a BTU bonanza, though I'm not seeing any consistency on the few BTU charts I can find.