help identify the tree

[Jeff]

Yea but isn't your experience probably mostly with more southern specimens?  Our Red Maple may split easy, or it may split exactly as in the photo. Variable. Our hickories for the most part will quarter themselves if left in the sun.  coyotencuttin's tree is more on a latitude as ours versus the southern hickories.  I've looked at a few ten's of thousands of logs up here and I would never have guessed hickory by the photo's presented from the northern hardwoods. Not that it can't be, but its certainly not close to my first inclination.

I'm still waiting for coyotencuttin's impression of the weight. Hickory tends to have that "heavier then I expected" feel when you grab a chunk. Maple's weight is more what you would expect for a chunk of firewood of a given size

[Lanier_Lurker]

Off topic, but whoever felled the tree appears to have done a solid job.

I have to admit that the 2 more recent pictures look an awful lot like the red maple rounds I have out in the woodpile.  The bark just does not look quite like hickory - but if it is hickory it would almost have to be pignut as Dodgy says.

The unexpected weight of hickory is also a good indicator as Jeff says.  I just delivered some hickory I have been saving (for smoking meat) to a coworker.  The pieces were only 12 - 14 inches long and 6 - 8 inches in diameter.  When I grabbed them from the pile I was still amazed at how heavy they were.  That stuff is dense.

It looks like a big old red maple to this amateur.  The butt log looks pretty clear and straight too with not a much taper.  Might be a good sawlog.

[DanG]

I still say, flic yer Bic on a little splinter and you'll know right away if it is hickory or not.

[LeeB]

Just the tiniest wisp of smoke would tell the tale wouldn't it DanG.

[SwampDonkey]

Looks like soft maple to me and I've never seen one split easy, it will splinter as bad as rock maple. That crotched tree would be even worst to split. Dad always cut the junk trees for firewood and it was hard labour to get them split. Finally got a wood splitter for the tractor and a tow behind after done farming. I get rock maple for firewood and I bet I get 2 rounded wheel barrels of kindling sized splinters from each 1.5 cord load.

Now white birch, that's not even work.

[SPIKER]

second set of pics tells me maple as well most defiantly not hickory from this latitude. 

this is a pignut hickory it shows the traditional diamond shaped raised bark.


standard shag bark hickory


king nut hickory


unfortunately I do not have any pics in the gallery of any red/silver/sugar maples.  My best guess is red maple as silver usually has more furled bark, like mentioned some maples will twist/corkscrew as the grain grows red is worse for this and also worse for splitting, usually silver maple will pop and fall apart with little effort.

Mark

[OneWithWood]

After looking more closely at the pics I am moving away from hickory and closer to red maple.

Jeff has seen a few more logs than I so I suspect he has it right.

[bull]

I hit the Maple button !!!!   white wood thru to the heart.....

[LeeB]

Burn some. Your nose knows.

[WDH]

I just saw this thread, and it was maplish to me from the start.  I lean maplish.  Like Dodgy says, the end grain tells the tale.

[coyotencuttin]

sorry i haven't updated anything lately. been busy cutting my little personal log yard. i tried to burn a little piece sunday night and i think it stunk. wouldn't want to eat anything from that. kinda smelled like citronella or punk. i don't think its very heavy to lift.a couple pieces pulled the limb/spike out of the wood.it would split and sometimes it would split hard but it would not split clean, it would tear more than i would say it split. thanks for all the help.  harold

[stumpy]

I vote for Silver maple

[DanG]

Good going Coyote!  You've made a positive ID.  It's a nothickory!