Wood ID Please

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beatlefan

Feeling the Heat
Oct 2, 2015
278
Urbana, Ohio
I have the chance to pick up some free wood from a friend. Not sure what it is. Pics 1 & 2 are from the same tree and I think it's some form of maple. It's very heavy.

Pics 3, 4 & 5 are the 2nd tree. I have no idea what it is. The wood is from a branch that fell and it seems very light weight to me. I'm not sure this would be good to burn.

Thanks, [Hearth.com] Wood ID Please [Hearth.com] Wood ID Please [Hearth.com] Wood ID Please [Hearth.com] Wood ID Please [Hearth.com] Wood ID Please
 
I'm going to throw out some guess of black maple for #1 and box alder for #2. I'd wait for the experts though, I'm still learning when it comes to tree IDs [emoji6]

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Tree #1 - I'd go with black maple (Acer nigra). Sometimes listed as a separate species, and sometimes a variety of sugar maple (Acer saccharum). It depends whether you're a taxonomic lumper or splitter.
A. nigra will have leaves that are more rounded (often cupped), less pronounced, fewer sinuses, with much thicker leaf cuticle than that of sugar maple. A stipule (like a tiny vestigial leaf growing out of the base of the petiole) is definite iD characteristic for black maple.

Tree #2 - Definitely hackberry (Celtis occidentals). Warty bark. Leaves often pimpled too (nipple gall), caused by a psyllid insect https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/HN-86.pdf

Both trees common for us in Ohio.
 
Tree #1 - I'd go with black maple (Acer nigra). Sometimes listed as a separate species, and sometimes a variety of sugar maple (Acer saccharum). It depends whether you're a taxonomic lumper or splitter.
A. nigra will have leaves that are more rounded (often cupped), less pronounced, fewer sinuses, with much thicker leaf cuticle than that of sugar maple. A stipule (like a tiny vestigial leaf growing out of the base of the petiole) is definite iD characteristic for black maple.

Tree #2 - Definitely hackberry (Celtis occidentals). Warty bark. Leaves often pimpled too (nipple gall), caused by a psyllid insect https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/publications/HN-86.pdf

Both trees common for us in Ohio.
Thanks, I'm going to take the maple and leave the hackberry for someone else!
 
Maple and hackberry. Both will burn fine. Be aware - some hackberry can be a real pig to split. If you get into stuff that isn't fairly straight grain it can get real stringy. This stuff has fought me pretty hard but I am winning.
[Hearth.com] Wood ID Please
 
Maple and hackberry. Both will burn fine. Be aware - some hackberry can be a real pig to split. If you get into stuff that isn't fairly straight grain it can get real stringy. This stuff has fought me pretty hard but I am winning.
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Good to know. I left the hackberry behind because it is so light. I figured it would burn up like tinder. I might have to go back and get it.
 
Hackberry is 19.5 according to Sweeps. I have some in the stacks for shoulder and early/late winter. Haven't really burned it yet but if it's free and easy I'd snag it
 
I have the chance to pick up some free wood from a friend. Not sure what it is. Pics 1 & 2 are from the same tree and I think it's some form of maple. It's very heavy.

Pics 3, 4 & 5 are the 2nd tree. I have no idea what it is. The wood is from a branch that fell and it seems very light weight to me. I'm not sure this would be good to burn.

Thanks,View attachment 197942 View attachment 197943 View attachment 197944 View attachment 197945 View attachment 197946


I'm going to have to weigh-in with the observation that it's the EXCEPTION when Hackberry pops apart when split. My experience with two hackberrys is that every split needs to be finished with a hatchet, or damn near! It was pulling apart 700 hackberry splits that hipped me up to Repetitive Stress Injuries... Get whatever you need for fuel, but always, always be prepared to change your splitting style to minimize RSIs. To me, hackberry falls into the "every split needs the hatchet" category.