I don't know what this log is

[Daren]

I got a mixed load this morning of red/white oak, walnut, cherry, honeylocust, hickory and hard maple. A few were fresh cut yesterday so I just end sealed them. Some of the white oak and cherry had been down a few weeks so I bucked the ends off and sealed the fresh end. I bucked this "red oak" I thought and that ain't it. . It is not hackberry, way too hard. I don't take much hickory, some of the logs where hickory I recognized (obvious bark) This bark throws me. I really don't know what kinda log this is  . I have to scale and pay in a couple days I think it would be wise to know what I am paying for  . The guy is easy to work with, but I can't really afford to make any mistakes right now. (spending money on logs and not selling lumber, bummer)
 

[ADAMINMO]

Cottonwood or Gum?? 

[Aroostooksawyer]

How about ash

[beenthere]

First blush for me is ash.

Aroostooksawyer....I agree and you type faster.

[Dodgy Loner]

Three votes for ash.

[Gary_C]

Most likely a Bur Oak which is also considered a white oak for commercial purposes.

Could also be a Green Ash, not a White Ash.

[bull]

Go with Ash !!!!

[Ron Wenrich]

Definitely ash.  If it was an oak, you would have the large rays.  It should cut out fairly nice.  If you leave it lay too long, you'll get powder post beetle in little time.  The handle company that used to buy ash kept the logs wetted down with a sprinkler system during the summer to help control the beetle.

[Daren]

Could also be a Green Ash, not a White Ash.

I know white ash pretty well, it's not that...but I do not know green ash. I will have to look at that closer ?

[Dodgy Loner]

Once they're sawed into lumber, it's all white ash .

With the bark still on it, you can generally tell the two apart: white ash tends to have blockier bark; green ash has interlacing ridges and furrows and often has a mossy trunk, because it grows in wet locations - it's a very common river bottom species.  I'd say you probably have a green ash there, but the lumber will be indistinguishable from white ash.

[Daren]

Is green ash bark softer ? I am believing everyones advice. The white ash around here the bark is tougher/hard. This bark is very soft and not clinging to the log well either. It just fell off the cookies I bucked when they hit the ground. It has not been down but maybe a week and it was standing live. Oh well, ash it is. At least the heart is pretty small. (and ash is cheap  so I am glad I asked.)

[Ironwood]

NICE ASH! Ironwood

[pigman]

In this area, I have heard it called "blue" ash. I am not sure if it is same as green ash. It is a softer wood and  it grows on dry hill sides .

[WDH]

Blue ash is a different species.

Nice ash!

[Left Coast Chris]

Not sure about ash....... I cut a Raywood Ash yard tree recently and it had much smoother bark.

[Dodgy Loner]

Is green ash bark softer ? I am believing everyones advice. The white ash around here the bark is tougher/hard.

Around here, both white and green ashes have pretty spongy bark.  Your hard-barked white ashes may just be a regional difference.

[SPIKER]

I cant quite put my finger on it but is similar bark to a tree I had questions on at my place that I think is cotton wood here is pic. of my tree which is in creek bottom/wet area.   mine also appears to be dieing.



mark

[ely]

the bark does look like ash and it may well be but i will vote gum.

the last picture looks like cottonwood to me spiker.

daren my compliments to whomever sharpened that chainsaw.

[Daren]

daren my compliments to whomever sharpened that chainsaw.

That'd be me, thanks for noticing 

[WDH]

Gum is diffuse porous, where all the wood pores are very small and about the same size.  Therefore, the annual rings do not stand out very distinctly.  In ring porous woods, the wood put down in the first part of the growing season has very large pores.  Then the tree shifts to smaller pores in the latter part of the growing season.  This pattern leaves annual rings the are very distinct, part of the ring with very large pores and part with small pores, leaving a distinct demarcation between the pore types.

This log is ring porous as you can very easily see the annual growth rings with the bands of large pores and the bands of small pores in each ring.  That is one major characteristic that points to ash, besides the bark.