What kind of wood is this please?

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Hellbent

Hellbent

ArboristSite Member
Joined
Nov 27, 2012
Messages
98
Location
Kansas
If the bark is off, it is ready to go, no wait. I heard somewhere you can burn it green and it is still good, but I've never tried that.

I haven't burned it wet green but about three weeks to one month after cut and split, burns great. I have noticed a little bit of difference in seasoned and month old but not much
:rock: Hellbent
 
CTYank

CTYank

Peripatetic Sawyer
Joined
Aug 26, 2010
Messages
3,377
Location
SW CT
I haven't burned it wet green but about three weeks to one month after cut and split, burns great. I have noticed a little bit of difference in seasoned and month old but not much
:rock: Hellbent

I've noticed that until BL splits are thoroughly dry, all the way through, it tends to spit some serious sparks. I'd suggest being really careful with the stove door open, or in a fireplace without screen. They can cover some distance. DAMHIKT
 
farmer steve

farmer steve

outstanding in my field, 5150
. AS Supporting Member.
Joined
Feb 8, 2013
Messages
24,005
Location
Stihl, PA
black locust. dont burn green, lots of creosote buildup. guess i'm lucky to have access to plenty. the bark is great for kindling. sasafrass is ok for owb,but will emitt lots of sparks when cold air hits it from opening a stove door.not good for a fireplace. the butchershops around here like it for their smokehouse. FS
 
philoshop

philoshop

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Jan 1, 2012
Messages
5,611
Location
geneva, ny
+++on the black locust, it's about all I have on my property. I sometimes mix it with a little poplar or cottonwood to keep the heat down in my little house:hmm3grin2orange:
Even fresh-cut green the moisture content is under 20%. I've seen 15% in late fall/early winter. 6 months split sitting in the sun and wind and it just plain cranks. Watch for the tiny almost invisible splinters once its dry though. Painful if they get infected. Almost as bad as carbon-fiber.
 
haveawoody

haveawoody

Addicted to ArboristSite
Joined
Sep 22, 2011
Messages
1,547
Location
Ontario canada
FLHX Storm,

That black locust is total garbage, hard on chainsaw teeth, dificult to split, weighs almost to much and takes forever to cure.
You don't want that kind of trouble.. now if you was handy i would come over and haul it to the dump for you for a small charge.

Ohh darn your not handy!

One of the best of the best firewoods.
 
FLHX Storm

FLHX Storm

ArboristSite Guru
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Messages
843
Location
Lost somewhere in the mountains of the southeast!
Not sassafrass, if it was it would be an old one. Have several in the yard and they are not that big.

I really was hoping it was sassafras, but I'm NOT dissapointed that it turned out to be black locust.

I do know there is sassafras here, but I may have to wait until the leaves on the trees come back out before I can find it.
 
FLHX Storm

FLHX Storm

ArboristSite Guru
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Messages
843
Location
Lost somewhere in the mountains of the southeast!
You got some of the best wood our forests have to offer there. I put mine back and save it for really, really cold nights. Will last forever dry, outlast us in the ground. I have about 2 cords I put up last winter I'll probably not touch this year, and a few more cords on the hoof (standing dead). Also collected a lot from logging tops that sat on the ground for 8+ years, still good. If the bark is off, it is ready to go, no wait. I heard somewhere you can burn it green and it is still good, but I've never tried that.

Really, you got a load of the best. Worth almost whatever it takes to get it. :msp_thumbsup:

I have several more on my property that I will eventually fell. One is half again as large as the one I was asking about. Though they need to come down, I'm debating on whether or not I should wait at least another year or two before I drop em. If they were on level ground and healthy I'd leave em until I had a need. These are deformed from being crowded out by poplar. (which I'm also trying to remove without damaging any of the other trees)

I did try to burn a fresh cookie but all it did was sit there and smoulder until the moisture content droped to an acceptable level. Before I tossed it in the stove I checked the moisture content and it was at 28%
 
darkbyrd

darkbyrd

Forest Hugger
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
6,047
Location
Pisgah Nat'l Forest, NC
I have several more on my property that I will eventually fell. One is half again as large as the one I was asking about. Though they need to come down, I'm debating on whether or not I should wait at least another year or two before I drop em. If they were on level ground and healthy I'd leave em until I had a need. These are deformed from being crowded out by poplar. (which I'm also trying to remove without damaging any of the other trees)

I did try to burn a fresh cookie but all it did was sit there and smoulder until the moisture content droped to an acceptable level. Before I tossed it in the stove I checked the moisture content and it was at 28%

I've run into several that were hollow. One only had about 1" around of solid wood in 12" of trunk. Watch out for that. They also make good wildlife trees, we had hawks nesting in one. I leave the ones that are obviously hollow, they aren't worth the trouble anyway. Only ones I have that are living and healthy are saplings, anything over 12" is dead or dying.
 
FLHX Storm

FLHX Storm

ArboristSite Guru
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Messages
843
Location
Lost somewhere in the mountains of the southeast!
We cut a sassafrass about that big this fall. Busted up half-dead snag it was, but the biggest I'd ever seen by a lot. Probably burn it in the fall, it dries light.

I guess Sassafras does get quite large if left alone.

Heres' a link to a picture of one 16 feet across along with a sign that indicates it's dimensions and possible age.
Panoramio - Photo of Owensboro's Sassafras Tree, GLCT
Panoramio - Photo of Owensboro's Sassafras Tree, GLCT

Now that tree would make a lot of firewood! :drool:
 
darkbyrd

darkbyrd

Forest Hugger
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
6,047
Location
Pisgah Nat'l Forest, NC
FLHX Storm

FLHX Storm

ArboristSite Guru
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Messages
843
Location
Lost somewhere in the mountains of the southeast!
Any seed pods or nuts by the tree?

I haven't looked but if there were any they had been blown away with the high winds we have on a regular basis. A few days ago they were reaching into the 60+mph range.

If I could find any seeds though, I'd try to grow them but on level ground and spaced where they could flourish. The ones I have growing are on the side of the mountain which goes up at about 30 to 40 degrees.
 
FLHX Storm

FLHX Storm

ArboristSite Guru
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Messages
843
Location
Lost somewhere in the mountains of the southeast!
FLHX Storm,

That black locust is total garbage, hard on chainsaw teeth, dificult to split, weighs almost to much and takes forever to cure.
You don't want that kind of trouble.. now if you was handy i would come over and haul it to the dump for you for a small charge.

Ohh darn your not handy!

One of the best of the best firewoods.

Oh shhot, I just dumped the whole load in the creek or you know I would have delivered it to ya. :laugh:

Just kidding! Shortly after I made the original post I went out, split and stacked it. Even went to the brush pile I'll be chipping and pulled a few small branches that I bucket to size n stacked. (about an inch around)
 
FLHX Storm

FLHX Storm

ArboristSite Guru
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Messages
843
Location
Lost somewhere in the mountains of the southeast!
I've run into several that were hollow. One only had about 1" around of solid wood in 12" of trunk. Watch out for that. They also make good wildlife trees, we had hawks nesting in one. I leave the ones that are obviously hollow, they aren't worth the trouble anyway. Only ones I have that are living and healthy are saplings, anything over 12" is dead or dying.

Well, that helps make my decision for me. When the winds die down I'll be back out removing them and some poplar behind them. This keeps up and it won't be long until I'm 10 years ahead in firewood! :msp_w00t:
 
Foxfire

Foxfire

ArboristSite Operative
Joined
Dec 19, 2012
Messages
288
Location
Southampton, nj but i'm PA all the way.
I really was hoping it was sassafras, but I'm NOT dissapointed that it turned out to be black locust.

I do know there is sassafras here, but I may have to wait until the leaves on the trees come back out before I can find it.

I have found sassafras bark to be somewhat easy to identify. To me, it looks like oak bark but softer and it you scrape the bark it's reddish orange all the way through. I may be wrong but I think most/some oak bark has alternating white and reddish orange layers where as sassafras is solid reddish orange.

Sassafras albidum Fact Sheet
 
FLHX Storm

FLHX Storm

ArboristSite Guru
Joined
Nov 24, 2012
Messages
843
Location
Lost somewhere in the mountains of the southeast!
I have found sassafras bark to be somewhat easy to identify. To me, it looks like oak bark but softer and it you scrape the bark it's reddish orange all the way through. I may be wrong but I think most/some oak bark has alternating white and reddish orange layers where as sassafras is solid reddish orange.

Sassafras albidum Fact Sheet

Thanks for the additional information. I'll go out with my hatchet and see if I can find some that way instead of waiting until the spring growth.
 

Latest posts

Top