Is this red oak or hickory?

[johnnylabguy]

I rarely cut blow downs or really anything other than dead ash these days. But I came across this blow down in my woods and other than the outside inch it's solid hard wood. Thought it was red oak but maybe it's a type of hickory? The heart wood and decomposing bark have me confused. Nice day in the woods either way. Most here in Ohio are excited deer bow season opened today. But the kids and I were excited for the firewood season opener!

 

[Larry08]

Judging by heartwood color, I would say hickory.

 

[Jed1124]

Red oak

 

[Jed1124]

Nice corn by the way

 

[unclemoustache]

Oak.

 

[TedyOH]

Oak?

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[Full Chisel]

Red Oak. The punky sap wood is classic RO. Makes primo firewood!

 

[milkman]

Yep, red oak

 

[Dogsout]

Looks like oak to me also. Red Oak has a very distinctive smell when cut so that would be a good indicator also.

 

[johnnylabguy]

Thanks for the replies. It did smell like oak but not like the pin oak which is mostly the only red oak I've cut which is more pungent(?). But the bark and that last pics heartwood has me wondering hickory. This grain makes me think oak but I don't know!

That's not really a good pic actually. I'll see how it splits. I've only cut shagbark in the hickory family(which this clearly isn't) but don't know the others well. Either way it should burn nice for an easy hit with kids along!

 

[johnnyballs]

Thanks for the replies. It did smell like oak but not like the pin oak which is mostly the only red oak I've cut which is more pungent(?). But the bark and that last pics heartwood has me wondering hickory. This grain makes me think oak but I don't know!
View attachment 527507
That's not really a good pic actually. I'll see how it splits. I've only cut shagbark in the hickory family(which this clearly isn't) but don't know the others well. Either way it should burn nice for an easy hit with kids along!

leaf pictures ???

 

[Babaganoosh]

Looks like all the red oak I've cut..I hate the smell of fresh cut oak.

 

[olyman]

bark says not hickory..at least not what have here..

 

[moondoggie]

leaf pictures ???

looks as the leafs are long gone. Its a very dead tree.

 

[svk]

Definitely oak. Trademark rotting from the outside in.

 

[moondoggie]

Definitely oak. Trademark rotting from the outside in.

What he said. +the white on top side & purple onthe bottom sideof the fungus growing on the bark. I call that RTB wood. Ready To Burn.

 

[svk]

Plus it comes with its own firestarting kit once that punky ring sits stacked/covers for a couple of weeks

 

[olyman]

What he said. +the white on top side & purple onthe bottom sideof the fungus growing on the bark. I call that RTB wood. Ready To Burn.

I cut down, many moons ago, a white oak. that used to be approx. 30 inch base. hard to tell, as three inches of the outside of the tree had rotted off.... now,,i cut that tree down for wood, and when a did,,water ran out of the grain!! I was told, it had been girdled by grandpa 45 years ago!!! I sawed the rest of the tree into chunks.. only the very top pieces,, were CLOSE to dry,, but weren't!!! oak drys SLOWLY after its split and stacked where breezes get to it.....period...........that tree would rot before it dried......

 

[Babaganoosh]

Yup..I've split some oaks that were dead for years and they come up wet as can be. Both standing dead and a few that have fallen but weren't getting direct ground contact.

 

[moondoggie]

I cut down, many moons ago, a white oak. that used to be approx. 30 inch base. hard to tell, as three inches of the outside of the tree had rotted off.... now,,i cut that tree down for wood, and when a did,,water ran out of the grain!! I was told, it had been girdled by grandpa 45 years ago!!! I sawed the rest of the tree into chunks.. only the very top pieces,, were CLOSE to dry,, but weren't!!! oak drys SLOWLY after its split and stacked where breezes get to it.....period...........that tree would rot before it dried......

Yes sir. They do dry out much faster than a live tree when split.