Identify this wood

steve terplak · Jan 1, 2015

Hey guys,
Cut down a tree growing on the edge of a stream. Looked, during the late summer, like poplar from the leaves and bark, but never looked too hard at it.
Bucked it up yesterday and the inside was filled with blood red streaks. Never seen anything like it.
Any idea what this is?
To keep it on-topic - dragged it to the wood pile with a massey 1080 and split it with a 3 pt hitch splitter behind a massey 265 and will carry the firewood to the OWB with forks behind a massey 165..

pburg · Jan 1, 2015

Hackberry???

IaGary · Jan 1, 2015

Boxelder?

Gary

crooked rows · Jan 1, 2015

I agree...it's box elder

JDemaris · Jan 1, 2015

Certainly can't tell from here just looking at the heart and bark. Got a photo of the leaves? All I see on the ground are red oak leaves and a black locust seed pod. I seed NO alder or poplar leaves.

notjustair · Jan 1, 2015

That's what I was thinking.

Bill in IL · Jan 1, 2015

I can't say for sure without looking at the shape of the whole tree. Another clue would be your location. Leaves are the easiest way but fhe are long gone and probabally of a variety that shrivel up to nothing once dried.

I think it's something in the hickory family with the dark heartwood. I cut one just like it a few weeks ago but never really thought anything of it till after I had it split and it was on the pile. Mine had real dense wood and a real bright white sapwood reminded me of something close to hickory.

I will say pretty sure it's not box elder cause of the color of the bark at least that's not what I remember of them. I know for sure it's not hackberry the bark is very distinct.

There has to be a hardwood logger on here somewhere.
Bitternut hickory?

moresmoke · Jan 1, 2015

Another vote for boxelder. Did it split hard or clean?

GVSII · Jan 1, 2015

Everything I'm seeing in the pictures looks like box elder.

DDMN · Jan 1, 2015

I'm no tree expert ,for sure, but I have split willow for my boiler with those same red streaks. It would be easiest to look at the leaves, but it might be a little late for that.

JDJACK · Jan 1, 2015

Box elder

midwesternhayfarmer · Jan 1, 2015

Just a little humor here,

Dogwood, you can tell by the bark, lol

Happy New Year

Russ from MN · Jan 1, 2015

If it's fairly soft I would say Box elder.

Dean · Jan 1, 2015

It could be box elder but I think it's elm.

I've cut dozens of each in the last two or three years.

Definitely not hackberry.

Dean

GordoSD · Jan 1, 2015

Did any little black and red bugs come out? (Box Elder bugs)

El Toro · Jan 1, 2015

They sure look like oak leaves to me. We have them along my street. Hal

El Toro · Jan 1, 2015

The leaves look like oak leaves. Hal

rrlund · Jan 1, 2015

I'll go along with the box elder.

JD Seller · Jan 1, 2015

I vote for Box elder too. It is a beautiful wood. Google box elder images and look at the colors.

montidale · Jan 1, 2015

I'll have to go with Box Elder also. Did it have whirly bird seeds?

Dean · Jan 1, 2015

The brown leaves on the ground are oak leaves but not from that tree.

Dean

dlbuck · Jan 1, 2015

. The two small sucker branches and the rotted off branch plus bark and interior wood say Box Elder to me.

Dean · Jan 1, 2015

The wood posted by JD Seller is definitely box elder.

I believe the one wood above is elm.

Dean

JayinNY · Jan 1, 2015

As most others said box elder. I don't know how good that will be for firewood but it will burn. We call box elder a city weed tree! Lol

Pair-a-dice farm · Jan 1, 2015

I say box also elder because of the red streaks. Most of what we have in AR is hollow in the middle because of disease. Definitely not hackberry.

ypop · Jan 1, 2015

here we call them Manitoba Maples leaves not maple shape but have maple keys! the hart wood is read like that!
They grow like weeds too

Ypop

Bonnan · Jan 1, 2015

I'll join the minority and say maybe elm. Definity not the box elder that we have here WPA. We have numerous box elder; bugs an all. It is soft wood; not much good for anything.

Zachary Hoyt · Jan 1, 2015

How it splits and how much it weighs would both be good clues to whether it is elm or box elder. The bark looks like elm to me but I have never had one with that much of a red color. I have sawed a number of elm logs at the sawmill but generally not till they have been dead for a while and the bark is falling off, so that would account for the color being less pronounced.
Zach

JayinNY · Jan 1, 2015

It's not elm, I'm sure Steve knows what elm is.

steve terplak · Jan 1, 2015

Thanks for all the replies.
I am intrigued by the possibility of box elder.
I don't believe it is elm....have cut and split lots of elm and this doesn't appear to be it. Especially when splitting it.
Never seen anything like it...never given this tree that much thought either...i will have to look come spring at leaves etc...
Jdemaris - good eye, was cutting and splitting locust and oak recently in the same spot.

Bonnan · Jan 1, 2015

I stand corrected; checked with my expert and I quote, "While commonly known as a box elder the tree belongs to neither the box or elder family. It should be correctly called an "ash-leaf maple" as it belongs to the maple (acer) family". This from a certified arborist who knows his stuff.

steve terplak · Jan 1, 2015

Just doing a quick read online...
ash-leaf maple is described as usually having multiple trunks (this one did) and growing in locations that are well watered...which this is as well...
weird...this is the only spot on the property with these trees as far as I know and it is described as being fairly invasive...
our locust trees adn beech trees, however, may be what stops these from invading...

C. Amick · Jan 1, 2015

Got any leaves from it? The leaves in the photo are oak.

JayinNY · Jan 1, 2015

Box alder and ash leaved maple, same thing. A garbage tree! Lol

RBoots · Jan 1, 2015

Looks like boxelder. If it is, and you cut it green, you will have a never ending supply of not-so-good of firewood, as those things will resprout continuously. The wood stinks when you cut it and it stinks when you burn it. Don't let them get established, they will take over like Autumn Olive. Ross

Bret4207 · Jan 2, 2015

(quoted from post at 10:12:31 01/01/15) Hey guys,
Cut down a tree growing on the edge of a stream. Looked, during the late summer, like poplar from the leaves and bark, but never looked too hard at it.
Bucked it up yesterday and the inside was filled with blood red streaks. Never seen anything like it.
Any idea what this is?
To keep it on-topic - dragged it to the wood pile with a massey 1080 and split it with a 3 pt hitch splitter behind a massey 265 and will carry the firewood to the OWB with forks behind a massey 165..

Box Elder by the bark, limbs, wood color, description of red streaks and the limb I can see. The stump will probably grow 20 shoots this spring.

Identify this wood

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