Ironwood aka Blue Beech aka Hornbeam

[tyb525]

Has anyone seen any big Ironwood (blue beech, musclewood) trees? I have several on my property, and the biggest one is only about 10" diameter, and not very tall. Seems they die of some disease before they get very big?

If anyone has sawn some ironwood, what does it look like?

[thecfarm]

Ten inches would be big in my area.I never seen one much bigger than 6 inches.Don't even know if I have anymore of it.I use to know where there was one tree.

[tyb525]

They must have a wide range if they are in Maine. All of the other trees are less than 3 or 4 inches. The tall ones seem to bend over as they get taller.

I do think they would make an interesting ornamental.

[Ironwood]

We get them 10-12" absolute max and by that time fairly sickly. Viberance and health seems to peter out at about 8", anything bigger is not so nice. Rot quickly. Never really milled one perse, mostly cut for furniture, occasionally cut on oblique for arm rests. Fairly bland, in true cross section it has flecks and rays, although they don't show very much. 

Ironwood

[Clark]

There are two species which are commonly confused by myself others. 

I'm pretty sure you are talking about Eastern hophornbeam (Ostrya virginiana).  It ranges quite widely, growing most places east of the Mississippi.  I'm not sure what the limiting factor is (my guess is precip. and growing season), but in some places (N. MN) a big one is 4", other places will grow them to 12" (NE WI) often enough.  I've read that in the deep-south they can get sawtimber out of 'em!  Where I have worked in the lake states they never do get very big.  I'm guessing 40' is near max height.  In uneven-aged hardwoods they will come in sporadically but tend to die out when the canopy closes in over them. 

The other species is American hornbeam (Carpinus carloniana).  It tends to be smaller and the bark has a more muscley appearance.  I think I have heard about every common name used for both species, just depends on who is talking.

Clark

[tyb525]

American Hornbeam, aka musclewood

[Ironwood]

Clark,

 Check your first link, Eastern Hophornbeam. Around here Hophornbeam gets sawlog size.

you miss typed the "american" part.


   Ironwood

[Dodgy Loner]

Yep, Eastern hophornbeam is the more widely accepted common name for Ostrya virginiana.

Our American hornbeams are usually 10-12" in diameter, but I occasionally see them 16-18" in diameter.  They are referred to as ironwood for a reason - the wood is VERY hard.  They are not often sawn into lumber for this reason, but they have been used for mallet heads and chisel handles, among other things.

That's a very nice chair, Ironwood!

[Ron Scott]

We occassionally find them at 10 - 12 inches dbh, but most are 4-6 inches in our northern hardwood stands, particularly in the understorys of stands that have been cutover in the past. We market them as pulpwood and/or firewood. Some may be used as fence posts.

They are good wildlife trees and some are left as designated wildlife trees. Deer browse the twigs and foliage and grouse, pheasants, quail, rabbits, etc. eat the buds and nutlets.

[Dodgy Loner]

Pulpwood   Our mills won't even take hickory because it's too hard on the chippers.  Hornbeam is even harder.

[Clark]

Thanks for the heads up Ironwood, I guess my first sentence was a self-fulfilling prophecy, and I was trying darn hard to make sure it didn't become that!

Clark

[Ironwood]

American Hornbeam is frequently confused w/ the quality of the "desert varity" which is unrelated and the American hornbeam does not have the same quality. While it is hard and dense it is not nearly as much as the unrelated desert varity.

 Ironwood (Eastern, of course)

[SPIKER]

here is a pic from my place, also note that I have several that are 15~20" dbh and many that are 12" or less the larger ones are quite high nearing canopy but still under story trees in the hardwoods of my place.



I think there are some more pics in my gallery but it seems to be locking up

I really hate windows...

mark

[Ironwood]

Spiker,

 That should be Eastern hophornbeam, the only other tree w/ bark like that is in the oak family (I forget which).

 Ironwood (eastern)

[SPIKER]

yes I thought I had hophornbeam listed in the above post, 9sorry)  we do have the muscled ironwood mentioned but not on my place, it does grow locally but usually smaller than the eastern hophornbeam and seems to me to be more rubbery when cutting than the eastern one.

mark

[Ironwood]

rubbery is a good descriptive, I would agree, once dried it firms up considerably.

 Ironwood

[SwampDonkey]

Yeah, talk about confusion with names. Our forestry schools here label O. virginiana as ironwood. But, the old timers always called it hophornbeam because of the hop-like nutlet sacs. It is an understory tree and can invade spaced sugar bushes like weeds. Very shade tolerant. We get them mostly up to 8 inches here, but I have seen some big ones on fence rows of abandoned farm fields, up to 16 inches, but very poor form and usually in decline. I have 2 of them as lawn trees. They are great if you want a slow growing tree and are quite showy with the unripened yellow-green fruit. I think they are quite sensitive to air quality because they get a lot of brown spots on the leaves.

Oven dry weight and SG are much the same, with O. virginiana being heavier green and is also stonger.