What is it Cuz I have no clue

[jcbrotz]

It resides in northeast Pennsylvania and nobody I know knows what it is and I can't find it in a book either ??? The elm behind it has died on me so I need it down I may have to take this tree out to safely get the elm to the ground so I would like to know if it even worth trying to save.




I will get better pics of the leaves this on is kinda bad, the leaves are turning a nice crimson color I also have 3 other of these tree about 2ft diameter at the breast. so it is not an understory tree unless it gets big.

[beenthere]

jc
Are we looking at three trees in the first pic, including the dead one? Hard to tell.

[jcbrotz]

jc
Are we looking at three trees in the first pic, including the dead one? Hard to tell.

Guess I can be more specific. The one on the front right is the one I need ID'D,  The really dead one is a silver maple, the large on in the back is a newly dead elm, that I want to take down and saw into lumber, The one you can see even farther back on the left is a soft maple. My only problem is I either hit an electric line a grove of apple trees I have grown to like or have to remove this one, Last option is to hook the farmi winch to it and have tension on it to pull it away from all these obsticales, I just want to know what this tree is. :D

[jcbrotz]

 


Few more pics for your pondering enjoyment.

[WDH]

Black gum.  Nyssa slyvatica.

[Texas Ranger]

yup

[VT_Forestry]

Yup X2

[jcbrotz]

Well ain't that gummy. :D Black gum was one that I did not find its isn't in my book. I am not sure its worth the risk to save this one so, how's the lumber from black gum? I have 3-4 more in a little cluster you can see in the background of the second picture that are 18-24 at the breast.

[pineywoods]

Black gum, it's a gum, what else can I say. Spiral grain, so saw accordingly. We always seeked out a big hollow blackgum to make livestock feed troughs. Saw off a 4 foot section, split it in half, and nail a wide board over each end. Instant feed trough. Also used it for wagon/buggy wheel hubs, it may rot, but it won't split. They are prime wildlife trees, frequently hollow.

[WDH]

Very bland, non-descript grain. 

[jcbrotz]

Well I will remove this tree and do something with it if nothing more use it as weight for when I am dumb enough to try and dry hickory. :D It will be a lot easier to get the elm down safely with it gone. now should I get rid of the others or let them live I will do some searching but is black gum as bad at spreading as Magicmans favorite sweetgum? My guess is no because these are the only gums I know of around here family has 200 acres and neighbor farmers around 1000 and none of the old timers knew what they were.

[WDH]

They have a heavy fruit, a drupe (fleshy fruit with a pit like an olive or cherry).  So, they are not as prolific to spread like sweetgum, plus, sweetgum suckers from the roots and blackgum does not. 

[doctorb]

A mature black gum is a beautiful tree in the fall.  Great color.

[WDH]

One of the very first to turn, and the leaves turn a beautiful deep red. 

[jcbrotz]

They are very pretty trees and since the don't make great lumber they will live for the wildlife, the fall colors are pretty kind funny the one I took a pic of is still green but the other 4 are a beautiful red. The little one will come down for safety reasons when dropping the elm. Kinda funny these are the only ones I know of in the area.

[WDH]

They are fairly well ranged East of the Mississippi River.  Check out the range map.

http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=60