What is it, and do I want more?

[Daren]

I will make no excuses for my ignorance. I know the species I want very well (walnut,cherry,hard maple...) But as anyone with a sawmill knows, stuff just shows up . I am trying to learn, but until I do I come here. This was in the yard today, and a message on the machine "I dropped off a couple logs, hope you don't mind. I have more to get rid of if you want them"

[SwampDonkey]

Looking at that board and twig, I'de have to say eastern larch (tamarack). The texts suggest fast grown larch have a darker heart as I'm seeing in your log. The buds along that stick (twig) are born on the ends of a short shoot. Aside from those buds and short shoots, the stem looks like a dead spruce twig showing the pulvinus of each needle that was born on the twig the year it flushed. (see the thread here on 'Balsam' ) The up coming year the new leaves come from the buds as they elongate and the stem remains bare of needles in previous years growth. Your a bit south of it's natural range, but it grows in the lake states and New England and over most of Canada east of the rockies. It's farely resistant to decay compared to eastern spruces. They have used it here to line pototo storage facilities to keep the potatoes off the cold cement of the walls and also because you can't used treated wood when storing potatoes. It's not in high demand here as spruce and fir species, but if it's straight saw her up. I think it may be prone to some twist as it dries. I'de certainly use it if I was building a pole barn. Some larch species are used for flooring, but I don't know about tamarack.

Larix laracina

[Daren]

The wood the twig was laying on was a white ash work table, I didn't mean to confuse things. Here is a picture of a fresh sawn piece of a little 12" dia. log (I am guessing a straight branch) laying on a walnut table, it lightened as it dried some. The bigger  logs are clear. It is for sure fast growing, the rings are thumb wide. I don't know (That is why I am asking), but what about red elm?


 
I am just not familiar with the distinct/thin sap in local elms. The bark is soft, not deep furrowed or very symetric.

[SwampDonkey]

Well that board in the last pic doesn't look like larch, looks like some kind of hardwood. But, that twig sure is larch. So what's with the larch twig and a hardwood board That second photo I was just looking at the width of the growth along with the twig. But, now that you point it out, it sure looks like an ash board. The board in the last picture looks like an elm. Bark of larch is spruce-like, some people have even been fooled until looking at the darker heart of a larch log.

[Dana]

I believe what you have is Chinese Elm. We have several in our front yard. When sold through the nursery catalogs,  they are listed as hedges/ shrubs. If not cut off they grow rapidly into trees. (3 to 4 foot a year) The trees are the last to loose their leaves. late November) The leaf looks like a miniture American Elm leaf. If allowed to grow into a tree they don't seem to be able to handle wind to well. as is evident in the 2nd photo.

[beenthere]

I was confused by the board under the 'stem' in the first set of pictures too. Ash makes mucho sense and thanks for the clarification.

The second picture looks a lot like elm, with the wavy lines showing.

[IL Bull]

Looks like elm to me

[SwampDonkey]

Dana, I think you got'er. Are those berries on that twig? I've never seen a Chinese elm, but that board sure looks like elm in Daren's last pic.

[Daren]

I was afraid of that, I would agree Chinese elm. I know why he was trying to dump them. I just didn't think the sap was so thin, guess it is.

 I did saw a little with cool grain, you can't see the ruler, it is 27" wide. But it has some cracks in it, it will not stay together. I will pass on the rest, I have plenty of better stuff to saw.

[Ron Wenrich]

Swamp

They're the buds.  They seem to swell about January.  I have a big clump in my yard. 

[SwampDonkey]

I'll have to make a mental note about this species. Could be one of those instances some landowner tries to stump the forester.

[SPIKER]

the buds & wood appears to be elm to mee to but the bark is different than those around here which is lighter in color by a lot. and not nearly as furrowed so possably chinese elm as what I have/had is american & slipperly elm

Mark M

[UNCLEBUCK]

Chinese Elm oh my gosh !  I have I bet 150 of these worthless irritating will not die how can I get rid of them terrible things closing in around the sawshed . Somebody planted them during some wpa program decades ago , little baby ones growing 50 yards away from the big ones and I never even sawed one up and never had a mind to until just now    Boy the things I learn and see here are sometimes awesome ! I pulled one out of the ground with crane and about 20 feet of roots just below the sod came with it .  Look like snowsnake trenches all over the grass    Great picture Daren and thanks for showing it . Man that looks nice ! "Norwegian Black Walnut"

[UNCLEBUCK]

I am so fascinated by this I checked and found that the chinese elm on the farm here were planted during the fifties when the democrats came out with the soil bank program giving farmers so much per acre to not plant and then store the grain so then the city folks would start buying farms and the farms paid for themselves being in the soilbank program . The chinese elm were free to plant and sometime 1 penny.  The soilbank program was never eliminated to this day but I see over the last 25 years that red pine was the tree of choice in my area for the soilbank program . The power company just had the tree service here last week and they said they are tired of coming back every 2 years to trim these trees as they bushy out into the ditch towards the highway . I bet they will be back again in 2 more years because these trees will not die ! Its now my favorite tree thanks to you Daren ! 

[RichlandSawyer]

OOOHHH daren, dont bad mouth those elms just yet!!

Just take those boards and run them through the planer then take the planer chips and plant them in moist shaded wood lot and wait for spring and enjoy the morel mushrooms that pop up!!

[Mr Mom]

     The Mushrooms that you get is called feather backs well that is what he calls them and are very good when he cooks them.

     Thanks Mr Mom