Water Oak ???

[wkpoor]

Been gone for over 2 wks and first day back was a busy one going after wood in the area. While getting the first load of soft maple a farmer asked if we wanted a large maple tree that blew over in the wind storm. We said sure since it was in a woods across the road from where we were at the time. He took us back there and showed the tree. Turned out to be an Oak and Earl said it looked to be water oak. Main trunk over 4' in diameter. Never been around it before and hope its good stuff when its dry as this will be some work to get it home. Fist 2 pics are the maple, main trunk about 5'. Second 2 pics are one limb and a few of the smaller sections. It will be another day going after the main. I can lift 2500lb logs with my grapple and I couldn't even budge the far end of that monster.

 

[Dok]

Nice haul there! The bark looks different from what we call Water Oak around here, but the size sure sounds right. If it is like ours, its full of water and I give it two years to season. Burns just fine, though not quite as long as White Oak. That was a great score!
Dok

 

[danrclem]

Did ya use a Wild Thing to cut that up?

 

[coog]

I don't think I could've finished bucking that Silver Maple knowing that big Oak was waiting.More btu's in one big round of that Oak than the whole load of Maple.Mie 'em up and you'll have some great fires.

 

[wkpoor]

Did ya use a Wild Thing to cut that up?

hehehehe Thats a good one! The only wild thing out there was ME! and my 395XP!

 

[DonB]

This is a pic of a water oak trunk.

I've never butchered a water oak for firewood. I've only burned large branch trimmings but I don't recall the wood being as dark as what you have. Your bark and wood looks more like my red oaks.

 

[coog]

I think Water Oak is considered a Red Oak.That is what the lumber sells as.

 

[cjnspecial]

:agree2:

Water oak is a type of red oak. Seasons fast, splits well and burns great.

 

[DonB]

Coog, I've never heard that before. Interesting.

Down here, water oak is a completely different tree with different structure, bark and leaves. The tree itself is considered to be inferior to red oak because of rotting issues.

 

[Bowtie]

Do you have any pictures of the leaves? That kind of looks like Pin Oak, but hard to tell.

 

[epicklein22]

Looks like Red Oak to me Bill. We have 6 to 7 large red oak trees on our property that look like that. I have cut quite a bit of red oak over the years too, my favorite firewood. It has tons on BTUs, but splits smooth and easily.

 

[larman]

i wood call it pin oak here too did it have alot of small branchs up the main trunk (short and druppy)
larry

 

[coog]

That would be a huge Pin Oak where I am from.I wonder how many different species are called "Water","Red","Black",etc. depending on what part of the country you are from.I'm not aware any Water Oak in Kansas, but I have just learned of Sawtooth Oak, which is not a native, but a very pretty,good wildlife tree all the same.

 

[DonB]

Sawtooth oak is a fairly good tree. They produce large quantities of huge white-meat acorns. Deer love them. It's a good-looking shade tree that grows very quickly to a dense canopy. A 20-year sawtooth will be almost twice the size of a neighboring 20-year red oak. The sawtooth in the attached picture was an acorn 3 years earlier. They can easily add more than an inch of caliper per year.

The bad thing about them is the root systems are ridiculously weak. They blow over easier than any hardwood I know of. The wood isn't very strong or dense. They were introduced to our area as an experimental pulpwood tree. They're also extremely prolific from seed. If you can't mow around a mature tree, you will soon have a sawtooth jungle. That's why they're classified as an invasive species.

 

[coog]

Thanks.Great info.I, for one, want a invasive oak species that feed my deer, grow fast, and produce great firewood when they die prematurely.Kansas State sells them as part of their Wildlife package.I plan to get some.

 

[Joshlaugh]

I have never heard of nor seen water oak in Ohio. I am not all that far from Amanda either. My guess would be pin oak. Around me, red oak trunks have those distinctive "ski tracks" running up the truck that I don't see here. Either way a nice haul!

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Sweet! Looks like heat whatever you call it.

Ian

 

[Dok]

Hmm, It looks like what we are calling Water Oaks here in California are actually Valley Oaks or maybe a hybrid. I ought to stop by the USFS nursery one of these days and ask.
Dok

 

[sdt7618]

Cut it, split it, burn it....