Who knows what kinda tree this was>

[dustytools]

Its definitley Hackberry. Excellent firewood.

 

[oldsaw]

Yep, hackberry like everyone has said. It burns, but not great firewood, it mills, but you have to sticker it fast and keep air moving or it will turn blue.

It's wood.

Mark

 

[Ed*L]

I thought it was Hackberry while surfing the net but most of the pictures show they have large crotches. None of the ones I have seen so far have anything but one trunk and small branches coming out of it. Almost thought it was a Hickory since it has a small dark brown dot in the very center. Seems like it almost looked like a Gum so some sort but again they showed some with crotches. So what the hell is it?

Already told you. It's Hackberry.
Your description of the tree (single stem with branches) is correct. That is the typical form of the Hackberry. When looking at tree pictures on the internet, you have no idea what the growing conditions are/were for the tree in the picture so don't take them as gospel.

Ed

 

[Nature1]

There is currently at least one Hackberry log in the "to be milled" pile thats close to 24" dia.
In the last few years Hackberry has been really spreading in my woods, it grows fairly fast and has resisted storm damage rather well. The largest ones are pushing 16" dbh. It's a welcome addition to the woods, hopefully replacing some of the Ash trees I'm losing.

Ed

We haven't started losing our ash trees yet, but I'm sure the emerald ash borer isn't far away. I really think the ash will go the way of the dodo. Hackberry spreads really quickly around here also due mainly to the birds and coons.

 

[heimannm]

The bark certainly looks like hackberry, and depending on where the grow they may have a large straight trunk, as when gowing in amongst a bunch of other trees. I cut down a very large/tall hackberry many years ago and found it to be very good firewood and not that bad to split by hand, of course I was a lot younger then.

We also have growing in a lot of the ditches and fence rows around here a very similar looking tree that never gets too large and make very poor firewood. Like some of that clay farm ground that goes from too wet to too dry in 30 minutes, you almost have to burn it straight from cutting a live tree or it's not worth carrying home. Not sure what the poor wood is but there is a lot of it around. Normally won't split because it's such junk it just breaks off.

Mark

 

[thomas72]

Just don't park any cars around it. It will leave a black residue over anything that is under it. I for one dislike these trees just as much as sweet gum. At one time there was one a little over 2' at the base behind the house and it feel over due to rot and the stump. They do burn okay. Just not as good as oak, but make up for that when you split it.

 

[danrclem]

I've always heard this wood called Hackberry but it seems to match the Sugarberry pictures much closer.

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/DENDROLOGY/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=26

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/DENDROLOGY/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=275

 

[Jim K]

If you want to know what the tree is beyond a shadow of doubt, send a 1x3x6 sample here and they will identify the wood. It is a free service. I have sent samples in the past and the responce time is usually less than three weeks.

http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/WoodID/idfact.html