What kind of wood is this?

[cheeves]

Hi gang. Anybody know what this wood could be? It blew down in the blizzard in January in a guy's yard.

Thanks in advance, Bob

 

[Dogsout]

I'll give it a shot. When ever I see red in the middle I tend towards Box Alder.

 

[stumpy75]

I'll give it a shot. When ever I see red in the middle I tend towards Box Alder.

:agree2:

 

[buzz sawyer]

I agree with boxelder but the third pic looks like cottonwood bark to me.

 

[TreePointer]

+1 Boxelder

 

[stumpy75]

I agree with boxelder but the third pic looks like cottonwood bark to me.

That pic looks more like ash to me, which would be about right, as it's easy to mistake ash for boxelder bark. The bark in all the pics though, is not as thick as I would expect cottonwood to be.

 

[Blazin]

Box elder!

 

[haveawoody]

Smelly Box elder
It's ok shoulder season wood but smells like old diesel cutting, splitting and in the cure pile.
Once cured the stink departs though until you burn it then the same smell is in the smoke.

I believe it's 18 mbtu so way up there on the softwood btu list..

If you can find a long straight piece it makes an excellent battering ram once dry since it becomes lighter yet stays pretty tough.
With the ash like bark 10 or 12 guys can get a good grip on it run and demolish a castle gate or door easily and the smell of the bruised box elder end will easily take down anyone inside

 

[DSS]

We call it Manitoba Maple up here Bobby. It'll burn but it ain't real good firewood.

I got about 4 cord here you can have

 

[BrokenToys]

If you can find a long straight piece it makes an excellent battering ram once dry since it becomes lighter yet stays pretty tough. With the ash like bark 10 or 12 guys can get a good grip on it run and demolish a castle gate or door easily and the smell of the bruised box elder end will easily take down anyone inside

Medieval Biological Warfare. It's right up there with launching rotten cow carcasses over castle walls using a trebuchet.

 

[haveawoody]

BrokenToys,

LOL standard issue in the Canadian army is an axe and a manual on how to drop a box elder.
Flinging cows is the air force job since we don't have any working planes from this century and must keep the air boys busy.
The navy never takes part in our castle sieges, always patching up the 4 canoes and just to busy to put a decent effort it, or they make it and get lost in the mote

 

[CTYank]

Much of it sure looks like norway maple to me.
Relative to boxelder, odorless and much higher density. Much better stuff.

 

[TreePointer]

Manitoba maple, eh? Fetchez la vache!

 

[Dalmatian90]

Red in the heart wood.

Box Elder.

It heats better then a snowball.

Given the amount of work to cut and split it (if you split by hand), you might have enough net BTUs to warm your house on chilly mornings in July.

I only make firewood out of it when it would otherwise be in my way. Otherwise it's great for wildlife! I've girdled them and left them standing in the woodlot.

 

[cheeves]

Much of it sure looks like norway maple to me.
Relative to boxelder, odorless and much higher density. Much better stuff.

CTYank, I'm believing you're right! Just got done splitting some of this stuff and it's definately better firewood than some on here tend to think it is! Tight grain and is harder than some have implied here! Has that sharp sound when you knock two pieces together that only comes from hard species wood. I'm going to Google Norway Maple while I wait for it to cool off some. I bet it is....
If it isn't and it's Manitoba Maple like some think, I know from experience that say white oak from here is harder than in Ohio where I used to live. Cut some one day, then the next day here and there was definately a difference in hardness. Like with Beech... always found it to be rotten in the middle out in the hills but here never see it rotten. Different soil and conditions make for different texture. At least I've found it to be so.

 

[TreePointer]

Split a round or two to see if there's more of the "blood." I've never seen blood in a Norway maple.

Some known boxelder maple (Manitoba maple):

 

[cheeves]

Split a round or two to see if there's more of the "blood." I've never seen blood in a Norway maple.

Some known boxelder maple (Manitoba maple):

Treepointer looks a lot like the stuff I have here! How hard to you consider this wood to be? I never burned any, that I can remember, so am curious because I can get more of it. Do you think it is worth it?

 

[Cheesecutter]

Farmers around here consider box elder a weed so it's readily available. It grows fast, usually along fencerows, creek beds, and outbuildings. To me, it's not worth putting a lot of effort into getting it, but I'm not above taking the easy stuff. It burns fast and hot so I cherry pick the 3-12 inch rounds to mix in with oak, red elm, or sugar maple to get them going in the OWB. I would consider it to be about mid-range as a firewood.

 

[TreePointer]

Yep, it's considered a weed on our farm, too.

Easy to split, but it's on the low end for hardwoods on the BTU chart, even below some other soft maples on the FIREWOOD BTU CHARTS. There are so many other good hardwoods in my area that we don't process boxelder for firewood. In fact the only time we interact with it is to kill it, LOL!

I will say that all wood has its place. If you have it and not much else, by all means mix it in, use it for shoulder season, or enjoy it in the firepit. Fire is not a snob.

 

[Blazin]

Box elder burns like a dream in a OWB, just sayin