Help I.D. this wood

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Gark

ArboristSite Operative
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Sep 11, 2005
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Location
SW Michigan
This stuff is heavy (soppin' wet inside), considerably softer than oak (you could easily drive a nail in it). The heartwood has a pink tint and close-up it looks like silver maple, except silver isn't pink. Splits easily so far. The annular rings are hard to discern but are 3/16 to 1/4 in. apart. Red maple? Thanks.
 
Silver Maple, or Locusts would be my guess, hard to tell by the bark pictures. Any pics of the leaves?
 
No leaves to be seen because they were laying dead. Many other species in the woods- ash, pin cherry, oak, maples and a few hickory. Alot of maple around. Looking up 'doatey' (??).
 
If it wasn't so dark out.... i'd take a pic of mine. I've got a boat load of it. I know its a maple of the hard variety, but not sure exactly which one
 
Yes..... but may not be something to be excited about.... depending on your reputation !!!!
:hmm3grin2orange:

Actually, I do a lot better looking at the trees in person, with leaves, with a book, with another person who knows trees, with lables on the trees.:hmm3grin2orange:
 
Looks very much like an acer variety but hard to tell in those pics, a good shot of the bark would clear that up ;) Plus look around on the ground for 'helicopters' (seedpods). Have a bunch of alder that looks like that wood-wise, but even in those funny pics the bark says no.

:cheers: If it burns, burn it.......... If it doesn't, dry it out and burn it!
 
This stuff is heavy (soppin' wet inside), considerably softer than oak (you could easily drive a nail in it). The heartwood has a pink tint and close-up it looks like silver maple, except silver isn't pink. Splits easily so far. The annular rings are hard to discern but are 3/16 to 1/4 in. apart. Red maple? Thanks.


My guess, it's a Red maple. Acer rubrum.
95% sure. ;)

If I could see a leaf, that would confirm it.
 
Last edited:
definition of doatey

Punky, pithy, soft, will likely chunk off rather than split..
almost to far gone.
 
silver maple, red maple isn't as common in the woods and is more apt to be planted, but can often spread into the woods....to be honest there is very very little difference in the two trees.
 
silver maple, red maple isn't as common in the woods and is more apt to be planted, but can often spread into the woods....to be honest there is very very little difference in the two trees.

Yeah,
You might be right there logger.

The bark does look a little more like silver maple,
than it does red. However, Red maple leaves are less deeply cut
than the silver.
 
We do happen to have a lot of Red Maple in our tracts. I know I have a poor reputation for ID on the site, but I actually do fairly well when looking at the tree in person. Also, I have had 2 loggers and 1 forestry company ID lots of Red Maples while reviewing our place.

Sugar Maple is a lot more rare for us.
 

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