Wood species identification (pictures included) and how to split?

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chad101

Member
Sep 9, 2009
144
Erie, MI
I helped a friend cut some branches off a large tree and I’m curious about what species of tree this is. When cut, the logs have a distinctive red ring. The bark is somewhat smooth but slightly cracked in appearance. This tree is roughly 100ft tall and the base is @ 9ft in diameter.

Also, How do I split rounds smaller than 6” in diameter? I’m sure the neighbors would get a good laugh seeing me swing a maul at a 3” round lol!! Maybe a hand held hatchet? Or is it really necessary to split anything under 6”?


Tree Location: Erie, Michigan (South East Michigan - 1/2 mile from Ohio border 2 miles from Lake Erie)
 

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Smaller rounds - not sure how to split these
 

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chad101 said:
This tree is roughly 100ft tall and the base is @ 9ft in diameter.
Are you sure about those numbers? That's some BIG tree!
 
fespo said:
Sliver maple


+1.
How about taking a pic of the tree before cutting, the canopy will tell you what kind of tree it is in most case.. A 100' h hardwood tree is a rare bird. There is no need to split anything smaller than 4"--they are great for wet rainy November days.
 
mainstation said:
A 100' h hardwood tree is a rare bird...
I find the 9 foot diameter incredible. I suppose it might be a multi-trunk giant that culminates in such a huge base. We have a large multi-trunk Silver Maple where I work that is around 5 feet DBH.
 
Sure looks like silver maple and that is huge , we have tons of them around here but the biggest I can remember is a 80' with a base almost 7' it was 2-3 trunks morphed together. the only thing is I don't recall any having the red ring so maybe another maple species ?
 
I don't think that is red Lee.
 
It looks like maple, and since the tree was really large, it must be silver maple. I don't think Red Maple gets as large as this tree. Silver does get really large, and it can have really giant diameter near the base.
 
In regards to the question about splitting the smaller diameter pieces. I try and split them all as I believe they season better. Its amazing how long a 2-3" diameter branch can take to season. Now that I have a the Huskee its pretty easy to do. When I was hand splitting I used the fiskars but an accurate strike wasnt easy and getting them to stand up long enough to hit could be tough. With hand splitting as my patience wore down I left more and more unsplit.
 
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