wood type??

[knockbill]

hi,
i have been following the township tree crews around since last winter,, and have gotten some very nice fire wood for my efforts,, (after all, i live in oakmont),,, my last weeks trophy was a huge red oak, i got all but the trunk,, they hauled it away for lumber, i guess,,,,,,

a couple weeks ago, they cut down a medium sized tree across teh street,, i asked for the wood & they even cut it in rounds for me,, they thought it was ash,, but after reading the messages here, and trying to split it,, it doesn't split like ash is supposed to split,,, its off white wood is very straight and stringy, and it fight the wedge til the last piece is severed,,, i read a string of posts from 2005, where someone else was mistaking ash,, & the group determined it was poplar,,, which i could see by teh green colored wood & then he posted a leaf,,,,, i have a dried twig with branches on each side and one at the top, shaped a lot like an ash branch, however,, it doesn't split like ash as i said before,,,,,,,,,, my best match up of the leaves, so far, is pignut hickory,, the branch almost matches perfectly,, however my leaves are brown,, and the pics are green........ does anyone have any other ideas of what it may be?? there aren't any other trees like it in the immediate area, as i think the shade tree commission planted it on the curb a while ago,,,,
i don't have a camera to post the pics,, maybe i can get a friend to do it later.....

thanks for the help
john

 

[savageactor7]

The one thing I can tell ya for sure is that poplar will split easier than ash...and yes ash usually splits real easy but it's not uncommon to occasionally run into a stringy ash. Poplar has a smooth almost glassy bark if that's any help...and if the tree guys thought it was ash I'd just go with that. Don't split it down the middle and just whittle from around the outside edges and you'll be fine...

...just say'em that's a very smart move following the tree cutters around.

 

[JayD]

Look up {American Elm} I think this is what you have. Siberian & Chinese Elm is a darker wood and drips with water when fresh cut.

 

[MaineMike100]

The splitting description sounds like Elm, can you post a pic of the leaves?

 

[knockbill]

hi,
thanks for the replys,, its not elm,, i had an elm tree here that i planted,it came from a shoot near my dads big old elm,,, died about 15-20 years ago,,, way different leaves,,, this may be a different type of ash (not white ash), the branch i have looks a lot like the pics of pignut hickory,, its wood fibres are really strong, and not wet,,, the wood itself is already checking pretty good,, its only been down 2 weeks,,, if i can get some one to take a pic of theh leaves i have,, i'll post them,in the mean time, i'll split it a little at a time,,, if i can split it, it will dry and burn,,, at some point!

 

[begreen]

Is the leaf toothed, somewhat rough to the touch and oval shaped coming to a point at the end? If yes, you are splitting the demon itself - (Warren?) ELM!

The hickory leaf is smooth and not toothed.

Go back to the area it came from an search the ground up to 100 yds away. Look for small trees with the same leaf. Elm can spread like crazy from its underground root system.

 

[knockbill]

hi,
it does have toothed leaves,, but they are compound leaves,, like ash & hickory,, elm has single leaves......... i was looking at pics of ash varieties,, its possible its an ash of some type...

 

[BJ64]

Is the leaf toothed, somewhat rough to the touch and oval shaped coming to a point at the end? If yes, you are splitting the demon itself - (Warren?) ELM!

The hickory leaf is smooth and not toothed.

Go back to the area it came from an search the ground up to 100 yds away. Look for small trees with the same leaf. Elm can spread like crazy from its underground root system.

I agree! Elm is the craps to split.

 

[begreen]

Correct. Got me. Without a picture or two, it's just guessing. FWIW, ash usually splits easily.

 

[knockbill]

thanks for the input,, i just looked at the msu website,,, they say the 4 predominate trees with opposite branching are maple, ash, dogwood, and horsechestnut, ,,, the only leaves of those trees that look like mine is ash,,, i would post a pic if i could,, in the mean time, i'll just split it,, and try to burn it,, i understand ash will burn when its cut,, so we'll see.....
i consider oak very easy to split,, and thinking this was ash, i read that it is also easy, (tho i never had any before),, but it sure don't split like oak! trust me, come burning time,, it will be ready for the fire..........
tahnks a lot for teh help...
john

 

[begreen]

Chestnut leaves are not compound, they are simple. It is similar to the elm leaf but longer and narrower. Beech also has a similar leaf to elm, but smoother surfaced. Were there any berries or fruit on the tree? If there were orange berries, maybe a mountain ash (rowan)?

 

[JBinKC]

Without pictures I think you are not going to get a positive answer but yes I have scored a couple of some large white ash limbs in last winter's ice storm at a splittable diameter that I would define as difficult to split.

 

[knockbill]

thanks again... i have a whole twig with the leaves and buds... there were no fruits or berries on teh tree when it was cut,,, its funny that tree was across teh street from me , and i never noticed it,,, the area is mostly pin oaks & maples,,, as a matter of fact,, i got a nice straight maple from them the same week, on the next block,, i love close wood!
as i said before i'll post a pic of teh twig/branch i saved, if someone stops over with a camera,,, problem is, teh leaves are brown & starting to wither,, may not be a good pic....

 

[jeffman3]

Is the leaf toothed, somewhat rough to the touch and oval shaped coming to a point at the end? If yes, you are splitting the demon itself - (Warren?) ELM!

The hickory leaf is smooth and not toothed.

Go back to the area it came from an search the ground up to 100 yds away. Look for small trees with the same leaf. Elm can spread like crazy from its underground root system.

I agree! Elm is the craps to split.

I cut, split, and burn allot of elm. I love the stuff! I burns great, and I don't have a problem splitting anything, but I use the Swisher for that. I don't split anything by hand anymore. I have yet to find anything 28 tons won't split, so elm isn't a problem if you have the tools to handle it.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Just a hint. You say a lot of pin oaks and maple in the area. Very often you will find those three in the same area; pin oak, maple and ash. But we'll wait for pictures.

 

[knockbill]

thanks again.... its an ash for sure.... i matched the leaves and buds with some pics on msu and osu websites,,, these tree are specimans in suburban yards, mostly,, except for the ones the township planted... thats where the alleged ash was,,,,it'll be a wait for pics, i don't have a camera,, and the branch i have is browning and curling as we speak... i guess its just one of those, hard to split ashes, but i'm down to trunk wood now....