Wood ID

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FireWood357

Member
Dec 9, 2018
3
Swedesboro, NJ
[Hearth.com] Wood ID [Hearth.com] Wood ID
I’m scrounging for wood in south Jersey and came across the wood in the pictures. Wood itself looks like cherry but does not. Was curious if anyone knew what it is. Thanks!
 

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What makes you think it's not? Actually I think it probably is. Should have a "cherry" smell when you split it open. But if it's been sitting a while it may not have much odor. Bark does resemble Black Cherry.
 
Is that all from the same tree? First pic looks like cherry, the others kinda look like ash.
 
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I was over at his house and suggested that he post this. The bark so does not have a typical black cherry bark to it.. but the inside of the rounds do have some cherry attributes. Iv worked with alot of cherry over the years and havent seen bark that looks like this..
 
Another photo..
[Hearth.com] Wood ID
 
Could it be an ornamental such as Bradford Pear? View attachment 237063
It could be I guess...the bark in the first few pictures didn't look like Pear though but it does in the last two pictures. I can see why Chumley thought this was two different trees, very strange. I'm just really perplexed by the last picture with the split color, half red half not?
 
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Pic 3 looks like a bunch of borer holes in the bark? I’m no expert by any stretch but I have a lot of ash and cherry here I split. Maybe there’s a red sun shining on the first pic that’s throwing me off? Peel the bark off pic 3 and see if you have the borer trails. I’m not convinced yet lol ==c X pattern in the bark also
 
Probably a fruit tree of some sort. Leaves would be good to ID. Yard trees like this are very hard. They could be hybrids of who knows what?
 
Bradford Pears are a nuisance tree here now. They grow like crazy as a weed tree if there is any nearby at all. Back in the day they were supposed to be sterile for landscaping so they wouldn't be able to do that. Go figure.
 

Bradford Pears are a nuisance tree here now. They grow like crazy as a weed tree if there is any nearby at all. Back in the day they were supposed to be sterile for landscaping so they wouldn't be able to do that. Go figure.

The OP's wood does look remarkably like cherry. I've learned to question the color reproduction of various digital cameras given various light conditions...so possibly the different hues are just a trick of the ambient light at the time?

On bradford pear, they're considered 'ornamental' around here. Typically start as a single trunk and branch out anywhere from 4-7 feet above the ground. They usually make it 6-8 years, then a storm comes along and they split right down the middle *exactly* like that photo!
 
Corey, yep that's what they do. Very susceptible to windstorm damage whereby they will break off at the first whirl of branches at the trunk. They are still planted as an ornamental here but you will see where they have taken off wild now in abandoned fields. A heavy sort of brittle wood. I've never burned it so don't know the characteristics of that. Woodsplitter you are exact on the Black Cherry. Also to note though above 1500 feet will grow straight. Under 1500 feet grows crooked as hell. Nobody knows why that I've heard. Premiere saw log tree in Western Maryland. Most goes to Japan.
 
That first photo look exactly like black cherry (which I use a lot). The others do not. Someone guessed Bradford Pear -- that makes some sense.