I am unsure what this tree is so I am posting here for help. Earlier this year I grabbed a branch while out for a walk with my daughters and it ended up near the wood pile so I cut it up to some kindling. I have a few pics of me holding it. I am unsure what it is but it has an orange ring under the bark. I went out to a tree nearby where I think we picked it up (7 month memory may be wrong) and took a few pictures of the trunk and one of another down branch. The branch seems to snap easily where it sounds as dry as my dad joke. I did do a fresh split of one of the small branches I got months ago and it is showing about 14% so into the fireplace it will go but I am curious as what type of tree it could be. Does anyone have any insight? I am in the NW Indiana area.
The 4th photo looks like Sassafras, but the last photo shows straight trunks and Sass pretty much never has a straight trunk. So I'd call is Sassafras and then figure out if its not.
If it is Sassafrass the bark should smell a bit like root beer. A chemist might know how to make MDMA from it.
It is very light. Thank you for the help everyone. I will have to get someone with a better sniffer to check the smell. I will have a more definitive answer when I see a leaf on it. I appreciate it eveyone.
At first glance I thought punky ash because of the small hole in the center of the growth rings of the limb. The bark kinda looks long dead standing ash, but somehow not quite right, a bit too brown. So I guess I have to say gee I ain't sure!
Yup. Sassafras and the leaf it unique. They are really pretty in the spring just as they are beginning to leaf out.
That looks like sassafras as to the poison ivy just don't wipe with those vines or leaves even in emergency can lead to a embarrassing itch
