Wrong tree id?

[crappiemiser]

How many times do you think you know what a tree is only to later figure out it is something else? I have went to cut a tree and the person will say "it's an elm" when it's an ash or maple. I am always trying to learn more about identifying trees and am wondering what trees do you misidentify? I googled what tree has a tulip shaped leaf and what do you know it's a tulip poplar that's been in my front yard for years.

 

[absrio]

How many times do you think you know what a tree is only to later figure out it is something else? I have went to cut a tree and the person will say "it's an elm" when it's an ash or maple. I am always trying to learn more about identifying trees and am wondering what trees do you misidentify? I googled what tree has a tulip shaped leaf and what do you know it's a tulip poplar that's been in my front yard for years.

sometimes. used to be very often, I have gotten better the more I learned. the first time I saw black locust I thought it was an elm. went home and studied online. and now I can spot em a mile away. another thing I've learned is that if I drive a couple hrs away any direction there will be different categories of trees that will be similar to ones near me. like I just saw pics of a honey locust tree an hour and a half from me, with leaves bigger than ones I've ever seen around here. they were like the size of black walnut leaves. crazy.

 

[lone wolf]

How many times do you think you know what a tree is only to later figure out it is something else? I have went to cut a tree and the person will say "it's an elm" when it's an ash or maple. I am always trying to learn more about identifying trees and am wondering what trees do you misidentify? I googled what tree has a tulip shaped leaf and what do you know it's a tulip poplar that's been in my front yard for years.

Never , I either know what it is or figure it out.

 

[svk]

Pretty tough to mistake in my woods but as you get further south and east there are tons of different species and subspecies.

 

[JeffHK454]

Honestly I don't need to be able to identify a hundred different species of trees ...just the 10-12 types that I'm willing to mess with.

I have two categories , firewood and the stuff I leave lay.

 

[unclemoustache]

Tree service dropped off some "ash" a couple weeks ago. Glad to have it. Turned out to be box elder. Going to have a tough time loading the monster pieces onto my truck to take to the dump.

I don't ID very well. Sure would like to do it better. Bought a Fandex and checked out books from the lib, but making the time and continuing to review is difficult.

 

[svk]

I personally wouldn't throw box elder. Dries fast and burns good. Bark stinks till its burned off.

 

[JCMC]

This is why I just call it all FIREWOOD. As for the BE burn it in the shoulder season

 

[dumbarky]

I found a downed tree on some pasture I used to rent. Thought it was a black gum, just at a glance but was middle of Feb. It was bigger than most gums in this area but in an old house place area and behind the barn. Turned out after I sawed into it it was a ash. Thing is we don't have many ash in this area. There is not even one on my property. Cut into what i thought was a Osage orange three years ago behind a hog barn on my grand dads old home place. Played around the damn thing most my life. Turned out after i started taking it apart was a mulberry. I guess I was close in thinking, but no cigar. Tree species in this area change quickly depending on location. Just north of here same county we have locust, mostly red. West of here they are black locust. Right here where I live might be a few red but no black locust at all. The only box elders are usually around an old home place. But you can find odd trees anywhere I guess.

 

[cuinrearview]

The fact that you are asking the question means it won't be long before you don't mis-identify. The wife bought me the waterproof US Forestry book. It takes me in the right direction. I can tell you if it's a white or red oak but thats it. Honey or black? Nope, it's just locust to me and all sweet wood to burn. The elm species? Who cares. Good firewood.

Point being eventually I think I'll be able to nail down what each individual tree is and I want to but for the vast majority of us just being able to say "oak", "ash", "elm", or "hickory" is good enough. Maple is a totally different beast.

 

[unclemoustache]

I personally wouldn't throw box elder. Dries fast and burns good. Bark stinks till its burned off.

This is why I just call it all FIREWOOD. As for the BE burn it in the shoulder season

Maybe, but I'm loaded with oak, and have silver maple for the shoulder season. Still, maybe I could mix it in with the maple. After all, it's sitting right there, begging to be split and used.

 

[jrider]

National Audubon's Field Guide to North American Trees. There's an eastern and western version. Had to buy for a field course in college and I always keep it handy.

 

[svk]

Maybe, but I'm loaded with oak, and have silver maple for the shoulder season. Still, maybe I could mix it in with the maple. After all, it's sitting right there, begging to be split and used.

In the time it would take you to haul it off the SS could turn it into firewood....

 

[Fred Wright]

More often than I like to admit, sadly. Worked a stint with the BIL's tree service years ago and learned several of the local tree species. Easy ones to ID included maple, sycamore, sweet gum and tulip poplar.

I learned the ID of trees in the woodlot back when we were cutting there... willow oak was a surprise.

Now that we're scrounging slab wood IDing wood has become a whole new challenge 'cuz you don't have the tree. As Uncle Moustache says, ash threw me for a loop 'til you folks IDed it for me. I thought it was some species of light weight oak.