Wood ID Please. Is this oak?

[Woody Stover]

Heartwood isn't as dark as it should be for black walnut in some pieces, but I wasn't sure if that was the result of rot/decay.

In the leaf pic, you can see a round that looks like the center is rotted out. I haven't cut much Black Walnut, just a few I've found out there that had been lying around for I don't know how long. Even though they had probably died and fallen over, I don't recall seeing any rot in any pieces. I know that Walnut is rot-resistant, maybe the trunk/branches don't usually rot and hollow out? Someone who has cut more Walnut would know better than I would, though.

 

[weatherguy]

Really? I guess maybe a lightning strike could get the trunk hot enough to evaporate all the moisture. I once saw a bolt light up a utility pole about 100 yards from me. The strike glowed the pole, three times the width of the pole, for about a second...
Did you meter it? How long after it got struck did you determine that you had dry wood?

It was standing dead for a couple years before another storm knocked to top off, at that point I cut the rest down, it was close to power lines so I was hesitant to take it down but the storm helped me out. It was 16-18% if I remember correctly when I meteted it.

 

[Woody Stover]

It was standing dead for a couple years before another storm knocked to top off, at that point I cut the rest down, it was close to power lines so I was hesitant to take it down but the storm helped me out. It was 16-18% if I remember correctly when I meteted it.

Yeah, I doubt that just standing dead for a couple years would be long enough to dry the wood, but I haven't cut enough Hickory to know for sure. I've found that Oaks can be standing dead for many years and though upper branches may be dry, the trunk wood will still be sopping wet.

 

[Kevin Weis]

Standing dead with the bark off might get it most of the way there. If the bark stays on it will start to rot in a few years. Hickory you gat to get to it soon after it dies and split it so it can dry quickly.

 

[beatlefan]

OK folks, here's a photo of a split branch and another of the leaves. I apologize for the blurry pic of the branch, I must've had the camera too close. The pith confuses me though. It was slightly hollow toward the bottom of the photo, but not what I would call "chambered." It was solid toward the top.

Another clue...the bark is TOUGH. I cannot describe how tough this bark is. The area of the tree that split and fell was being held up by the bark, about two feet off the ground. I had to cut it with a chainsaw to get it to fall from the remaining trunk.

Will try to post a better picture of the another branch tomorrow. Thanks everybody!

 

[beatlefan]

One more thing, this tree had carpenter ants...thousands of them. That's the reason for the rot in the center and also the reason the wind took it down a few weeks ago.

 

[Woody Stover]

I think the ants take up residence in the rotted-out limbs or trunk, I don't think they cause the damage. I could be wrong though.
Hickory it is.

 

[TreePointer]

Now I clearly see the characteristically large terminal leaflet of a hickory leaf, which was missing/damaged in the first set of photos. Ya' done good!

 

[Kevin Weis]

Yes, clearly Hickory now.

 

[johneh]

Yes that is hickory
sometimes telling one tree from another
is difficult just from pictures . Not so hard
in person

 

[Simonkenton]

With that last leaf pic, even I give up. Yes it is hickory.

 

[Fuut Master]

+1 for hickory


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[nrford]

Hickory. 1000%

 

[mass_burner]

i know some leafs look the same, but that leaf looks like a horse chestnut trees we have around here.

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[TreePointer]

i know some leafs look the same, but that leaf looks like a horse chestnut trees we have around here.

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The leaf pictured in this discussion indeed does have some horse chestnut characteristics; however, it's clearly pinnately compound, whereas horse chestnut leaves are palmate in form. Also, horse chestnut typically has much longer points on tips.

 

[CincyBurner]

leaf looks like a horse chestnut trees we have around here.

Remember: horsechestnut & buckeye (Aesculus) have opposite branching habit (hickory & walnut are alternate).