Yeah different regions, different names. Heck, around here people refer to something as chowder and it doesn't even have any milk/cream in it! ! Sent from my SM-T280 using Tapatalk
It gets worse - Wikipedia lists 30 different trees called "ironwood"!! Ironwood - Wikipedia Another confusing part of it is that blue beech also has flowers that look like hops. But the bark is smooth with "muscle" like ridges, hence the other term "muscle wood". They never get very big either - don't think I've ever seen one bigger than 6". It looks a lot like American elm to me, but it should have been very stringy and difficult to split. How big are the leaves? Elm should be 4-7" long; ostrya virginiana "ironwood" should be no more than 3".
I agree with you Shawn about the stringy and difficult to split part. I burn quite a lot of Elm, and hydraulics is the only way to go, you defintely know when you're splitting Elm.
Fast forward to burning season........ Threw a full load of this wood into the tube stove last night. Since it was standing dead, and only 4 or 5 inches around, it was nice and dry. Moisture meters read 18.5%. It became so hot inside so quick that I had to go outside for some fresh air! I think it most likely is Hophornbeam simply based on the BTU value I got from it. Either way, I'll be saving the rest of that wood for the coldest months of the year! Photo is of stove 10 minutes after closing the air inlet all the way. Never have I ever seen wood burn like this! Most of the time, when I close the air off I loose all flame.
The Elm guys knew what they were talking about. Look at all the likes they received. It's your wood, call it Ironwood if you want. We don't all have to agree, makes it interesting.
