Mystery Tree

[johnjbc]

There seem to be a number these trees in the area. The biggest are about 12” so it may be an import. I haven’t cut any of it but they all seem to have a nice straight log. Anyone recognize it?

[LeeB]

Hackberry. LeeB

[woodbeard]

Yep, without a doubt.
Saws very nicely. tends to get grey stain when drying, but I kinda like that.
Otherwise, it's a bright white with bold grain like elm.

[LeeB]

It's actually a member of the elm family. Can be a little difficult to dry,just as is elm. LeeB

[johnjbc]

The closest match I can find is pictures of Hackberry\Sugarberry if so it is way out of range. Shouldn't grow this far north

http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=275
http://www.fw.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/data_results_with_common.cfm?state=unknown
http://flame.fl-dof.com/apps/trees.php
Here is another picture


Here is another picture of the whole tree. The trees in the background are Walnuts

[beenthere]

Looks like my hackberry in Wisconsin.

[Phorester]

You have a hackberry, Celtis occidentalis, not a sugarberry, Celtis laevigata.  Southern PA is within the range of Hackberry.  The books aren't all that exact with ranges.  If it shows a natural range of a tree within most of a State, I expect it could be found over the rest of it barring an extreme change in terrain.  Coastal versus mountain, for instance.   But it can get confusing because hackberry is also called sugarberry.

Decades ago it was used in my locality for small furniture parts, like chair rungs and back slats. A hard, white wood with contrasting grain.  Right pretty, I think.

[SwampDonkey]

Just as Phorester says about books and descriptions of native tree ranges. Most books don't show bur oak in New Brunswick, but it is native. I rarely find one but I can walk right up to a couple or three like I have tree radar.

[johnjbc]

Thanks for all the replies. It was the pictures of the leaves that was throwing me a curve . Thought mine looked more like sugarberry than hackberry. From the pictures on the WEB sugarberry looks to be more long and narrow than hackberry. I have been watching for them as I drive around and there are quite a few, but none of them are very big. New arriver in the area?
Looks like another 10 years until I get to saw one. 

[LeeB]

look along fence lines and under telphone lines. birds eat the seeds and spread em around. LeeB

[Pullinchips]

I was thinking the bark looked like sugarberry but the leaves not exactly, then you all said hackberry so i was thinking ok maybe a little different form in your area, then phorester said celtis occidentalis is hackberry around here hackberry adn sugarberry are both common names celtis levigata, another victim of the common name confusion. I was sure though that is was in the same family as sugarberry.

-nate

[Phorester]

Correct with the common name confusion, Nate.  Here hackberry is also called sugarberry by the older lifetime residents because of the edible berries in the fall.  It's a very common tree in the limestone regions of my work area.