Was helping a friend clean up some storm damage today. Not sure what this is. The wood looks decent, even if only shoulder wood. Older bark is scaly, but not like a birch. Below is a smaller branch..much smoother. I dont know if this is from insect or disease, but there's other clumps of this scattered. Ugh.. that's out of focus.. darm. My friend is thinking about having the entire tree taken down. I'd do it. Would be a fun one. Back yard... nothing to hit!
Not sure if this will help or not but this site has some good info on identifying trees during the winter from bark alone. General Bark ID Key - Tree Bark ID
Hmmm.. Do all cherry's have blossoms? I don't think this one does. I'll have more info in a few weeks, once it leaf's out. Cherry would be cool. He had a branch come off a weeping cherry ornamental. Totally different tree. I did save that wood for my smoker. Will be bringing some of that to Well Seasoned's GTG in June Thanks. By bark alone it just might be a black cherry.
My first guess would have been a cherry variety but yellow birch makes sense too. Pull some bark off or split a twig and smell it, should smell like wintergreen if it's yellow birch.
Pretty sure it's not a birch. The bark is real thick and rough. Even a mature birch would have smooth bark, if not peeling, which this is not. Sent from my SM-T280 using Tapatalk
Not true. A quick google image search will show plenty of examples just like your tree. Yellow birch can get especially gnarly. But going just from the bark is probably the least reliable way to get an ID. Do a search for “yellow birch fruit” as well. They look like hops when they’re fresh.
Black Cherry. Better than shoulder wood IMO. Should have a pleasant smell. Some complain of it leaving excessive clinkers. Prunus serotina - Wikipedia
It looks like cherry but it would have that cherry smell to it. I look for the little dark red sap pockets that run along in the grain of the wood.
Looks identical to the thousands of black cherry trees on my farm. Good wood... seasons as quick as maple, but burns way better...
Looks like black cherry. Should have a unique and distinct odor. Black cherry harbours black knot. American Phytopathological Society Burn or bury those black knot growths although they shouldn't be spitting out any spores right now, if any of your neighbors are trying to grow plum trees.
First thing I thought of was cherry, then Yellow birch. Now I'm leaning back to cherry with a yes on the black knot disease.
Yup... that's the black stuff I'm seeing. Will check on the scent when I go back to retrieve the pile of wood I stacked there. Thanks to all for the input! Sent from my SM-T280 using Tapatalk
