I think maybe crabapple? Does it look familiar to anyone? The stuff on the ground is semi petrified. It looks like it was cut back for fence installation.
I've never seen a crabapple grow tall like that, competing with forest trees to reach the canopy. Although I'm not 100% sold on elm, I agree the shape of the crotch sections looks like elm. The bark on the young shoots looks a little like the red elm I have at home.
I wonder if it’s a pear tree? The neighbor at the top of my road had a notably tall pear tree, until he topped it last year at about the 20’ mark.
That makes sense for the tree structure and there is an old homestead site nearby. The sprouts around the old wound appeared to be the only thing living.
Yeah I’d be hard pressed to say apple given the height of the tree. But the super old pear stock would shoot up like that. Gooder firewood too!
I'd have to dig but I've got pics of an apple that Joe and I took down that was pretty darn tall. Hadn't ever been pruned. And it had bark exactly like that tree in the OP's pics.
The pictures a bit deceptive too. I’d say it’s 30’ tall if even that. I’ve seen some old open grown apple that were 20’ at least with fat trunks.
In that case it could totally be an old apple. I’ve seen them on 100+ year old farms around here that tall. Especially if they have to compete for sun with other trees.
