I took a stroll by the dump, first time in a few weeks. I think I found some Mulberry? Most of the rounds are 3-4" in diameter and under, not sure if it's worth the time. All straight, just small diameter.
Looks more like black locust to me. Mulberry bark looks like that when the tree reaches old age. Younger trees have more of an orange bark with shallow furrows. Black locust on the other hand has that thick interlaced bark from 6" diameter +
Black Locust it is.... questioning if the effort is worth it for such small limbs...upside: no splitting downside: several hundred toothpicks don't make much volume...
Mulberry is incredibly yellow on the inside fresh cut. It's almost unreal, and the only species I've found with similarly bright yellow wood is hedge. That being said, hedge has plenty of other distinguishing features. The yellow of mulberry wood turns a dark tan color after being cut and split (faster with more exposure to sun and wind). That's either mulberry that's been sitting in the sun for a while or it's black locust as has been suggested. The deep furrows are also indicative to me of black locust (mulberry is a little wrinkly, but not that deeply). Black Locust is where I'd put my bet as well. I'll see if I can find an old piece of mulberry in my chunks and uglies pile. Should be a few in there still. My neighbor has a mulberry that's lost some branches recently. I could slice one of those freshies open and show the two side by side for comparison sake.
They look small enough to leave in the round, so I’d say it’s worth it (especially in conifer/cottonwood country)
We cut this 2 yrs ago. I've been thinking it was catalpa, I don't remember cutting any MB. But the splits are heavy for the size and it does spark/pop in the stove. It may be MB...
That is indeed the "old" look that Mulberry acquires after some time. And the sparks are another good indicator. I think you've got it!
