Tree ID?
- Thread starter unclemoustache
- Start date
Help Support Arborist Forum:
I'm gonna say you have some sassafras there. Lightweight, easy to split.
Nope. No odor at all.
Might be ash.
The end view of the bark looks like Cottonwood. What is the diameter?
black locust
Black Gum/Tupelo
Black locust, ash, and fresh cottonwood are not light. Ash and cottonwood are whiter than that. The grain looks wrong for black locust. Here is a link to sassafras https://www.etsy.com/listing/571075...3483&msclkid=74ca0256dae61c3dc6d261bb4ce0d70d
Poplar
Second the willow with the very pronounced rough bark. Typical of the large willow tress on my farm in Michigan.
What do the leaves look like, there should be some on the ground, look at the leaves
Sassafras never looses its odor. Period. If it has no odor it is probably a Chestnut Oak. Their bark is very similar. OT
The same reasoning can be used as to what purpose there is in learning your sums when everyone walks around with a calculator in their pocket. My beginning foray into arboriculture started with a desire to immediately know as best as possible any tree I encountered walking through the woods, which ended up becoming a career.
It would be nice to have a dedicated section of the forum to tree I.D. A sticky at the top of the section with helpful hints for identification. Necessary pictures that are helpful in identification such as: Buds, branch pattern, leaf, bark, and end grain. Maybe @pdqdl could give some thought to having that as a forum section. That way all the I.D threads would be in one place and folks could refer to previous threads.
The O.P stated the wood had no smell. That would rule out Sassafras. The O.P stated the wood was light. That would rule out Chestnut Oak, but the the weight of the wood is subjective to the one picking it up. Also, Chestnut Oak tends to grow in rocky, higher areas.
In his picture of the full length of the log, there looked to be water behind the tree. I'm not sure now if that is the case, I initially looked at the thread on my phone and it is sometimes hard to make out pictures, and I need to remember to wear my glasses. Both Willow and Nyssa Sylvatica like to grow near water, but the bark still pulls me more toward Nyssa Sylvatica. That being said, there are definitely regional small differences in trees. The bark of Willows around me may be slightly different that the mid west.
@unclemoustache are there any branches at the end of the log? Pictures of the buds would go a long way in determining the species you have.
Except for some species, I have always found that identifying a tree from the bark or split wood alone is nearly impossible. I think there is too much variation of the bark's appearance within a species to be able to look at picture and know for sure. Sycamore, paperbark birch, cherry... some species are easy.
If you want the involvement of a more diverse and knowledgeable crowd, post your pictures up in the homeowner helper forum. If there is an area at this website that draws in the most knowledgeable folks, it would be there.
Jed's got the right idea, too. Get some twigs and post pictures that include closeups of the buds, show us the details on how the branches are connected, younger bark, and of course the leaves, when you have 'em.
And not just "a leaf", either. How those leaves attach to each other is very important to the final identification.
If you want the involvement of a more diverse and knowledgeable crowd, post your pictures up in the homeowner helper forum. If there is an area at this website that draws in the most knowledgeable folks, it would be there.
Jed's got the right idea, too. Get some twigs and post pictures that include closeups of the buds, show us the details on how the branches are connected, younger bark, and of course the leaves, when you have 'em.
And not just "a leaf", either. How those leaves attach to each other is very important to the final identification.
Similar threads
