Knocked down this tree and I'm not 100% sure what it is. Started limbing and I'm sure it's not a maple. I don't think it's ash, but I can't say for sure as I never saw ash in person. So what's the verdict?
I was thinking black birch personally. Aspen leaves seem to be shorter and more rounded while this tree has a more pointed oval shape. Not to mention this tree is hard as a rock.
That would be gooder. Our big tooth Aspen, like you said, has a shorter leaf, and more pronounced serrated egdes. Found this. This is Black Birch leaf, so you might have nailed it.
It should have a wintergreen smell if you break a branch if it's a Black Birch. http://northernwoodlands.org/articles/article/black_birch_betula_lenta/
I took some pics of my Black Birch trees (or at least what I've been calling black birch, they do smell minty when I cut them) and I've changed my mind.
American Beech - F. grandifolia. Birch leaves look similar but they're maybe 1/2 that size. I have a few with scars like that.
Just glad it's not Aspen. It smells sort of minty but it's not an overpowering smell like when I cut cherry. And if it's American Beech that's not too bad either. I'll have it all cut up soon I hope. Going to be a bear to split though, all kinds of knots. Also seems like there's a bunch of root suckers around it's base. Black Birch wouldn't been gooder though.
Definitely Beech. I cut lots of it. Burns good, coals good, burns fairly hot. Doesn't split too bad even with the knots, although I only go gasoline powered.
22.7 mbtu/chord versus Black Birch at 24.2 mbtu/chord according to sweeps. Well I'll see in a day or so if it's easy with a maul as that trunk is a good size diameter wise, probably about 14 or 15 inches.
Yeah, that's beech, and is very good firewood. The firewood charts that has it at less btu than black birch is wrong. It's better, higher btu wood than sugar maple, which is like 24 mbtu's. It's just a little less btu than shagbark hickory.
That's awesome, so far the only really hot burning hardwoods I have are red and white oak, it'll be nice to have a little variety in the stacks.
I have a good friend that tells me all the time that Beech is his favorite firewood. Says it's every bit as good BTU wise as oak, splits easy, seasons quick and doesn't leave a mess when carrying it into his house and loading the stove. Nice find!
It's only about 25 feet into my wood lot from the tree line, surrounded completely by hemlocks, so in comparison it's like gold.
Its better than any oak as well. That's a great score, but it probably won't be ready to burn this year yet.
Around here there's only 3 kinds of fire wood. Beech rock maple (sugar maple) and yellow birch. Oak is ok but takes forever to dry, ash is ok but burns too quick, white birch will get you through in a bind, and poplar ranks worse than water to burn. As for me I burn it all.
Beech for sure. It also is suffering from the Beech Bark Disease. That's the messed up bark. It gets a whole lot worse unfortunately. It'll reproduce from its roots, you just about can never kill it. If you are out stomping in your woods come March it will be the tree that is still holding some of last year's leaves. That trait is pretty obvious.
