Can someone identify this wood please?

[jymbee]

... some hardwood throws more heat, some less. Oak does better than aspen/poplar. But wood burns.

As I expect you know, generally speaking (numerous variables for sure), burning any wood yields about the same amount of heat pound for pound. Of course a given mass of oak weighs more than the same quantity of some other woods such as bassword and thereby-- more heat.

 

[motownbrowne]

As I expect you know, generally speaking (numerous variables for sure), burning any wood yields about the same amount of heat pound for pound. Of course a given mass of oak weighs more than the same quantity of some other woods such as bassword and thereby-- more heat.

What you are saying is correct, though I want clarify that any mass of oak will weigh exactly the same as the same mass of any other wood, or any other matter. On earth, mass and weight are the same thing. I think what you meant to say was that a specific volume of oak will weigh a different amount than the same volume of another wood.

Example, a ton (mass, or weight on earth) of oak has the same amount, or very close as a ton of poplar, though that same amount of wood will take up different amounts of volume.

If you have a cord (unit of volume) of each kind, they will have quite a difference in amount of BTUs that each cord contains. Though the volume is the same. The mass is different.

 

[tcreeley]

What you are saying is correct, though I want clarify that any mass of oak will weigh exactly the same as the same mass of any other wood, or any other matter. On earth, mass and weight are the same thing. I think what you meant to say was that a specific volume of oak will weigh a different amount than the same volume of another wood.

Example, a ton (mass, or weight on earth) of oak has the same amount, or very close as a ton of poplar, though that same amount of wood will take up different amounts of volume.

If you have a cord (unit of volume) of each kind, they will have quite a difference in amount of BTUs that each cord contains. Though the volume is the same. The mass is different.

They sell wood by the cord, cord of oak in my area is worth more than a cord of pine which they have trouble giving away! Up here people with outdoor wood fired boilers like softwood during the day, hardwood at night so that the fire lasts until they refill in the morning.

 

[motownbrowne]

They sell wood by the cord, cord of oak in my area is worth more than a cord of pine which they have trouble giving away! Up here people with outdoor wood fired boilers like softwood during the day, hardwood at night so that the fire lasts until they refill in the morning.

Same here, denser woods are much more valuable. Works fine for me; we burn about 1/2 to 2/3s of our wood making syrup. For that application the preferred wood is softer wood split small and well dried. Soft wood burns hot and fast and doesn't clog your firebox with coals like oak does. Plus, as you point out, it's basically free. I work with a couple guys who call me up a couple times a year with a couple of cords of poplar they want off their property. I'm usually glad to be of service.

 

[mccash40]

I'm voting ash. Here in the Adirondacks, the ash borer has about done them in so the loggers are dropping them before they die out completely. I buy my firewood by the log truck load and the loggers try to sneak in more than a small supply of ash logs. They burn OK, even when wet, but they won't give the BTU's that oak or beech give. My favorite is shag bark hickory. It'll drive you right out of the room.

 

[yomax4]

looking at the pic on page 1 I will guess too that its a maple of some sort. Should be worth the time to burn. Splits as easy as it gets. As posted above I have an outdoor wood boiler that heats everything that needs heating including water. I love my Oak and Red Elm but the hardest wood in the upper midwest is a 2nd story tree called Hop Horn Beam or Iron wood. This stuff usually never gets over 12" in diameter but burns for days as a red hot ember. It's made my stove boil on too many Occasions. When its above zero I don't like to use it. Ash, Oak and Red Elm are hardwood kings around here but we all sub a little Sugar Maple Hickory, Cherry and Birch. Daytime we feed whatever depending on temp. Lots of Black Cherry, Boxelder ( cured correctly) some basswood early and back to the Oak, Ash and Red Elm when below zero. Sucks to burn 10 cords a year but supplementing crap wood when possible makes sense and it's great exercise.

 

[yomax4]

After looking at the 3rd pic from page 1 I vote Ash. Not sure which type but Ash bark for sure. You will know when it dries if it's like balsa wood then use it for recreational fires. if a 3x4x16 weighs 3#+ Burn it for heat...

 

[tractchores]

Bark looks like ash to me, but not sure on the leaves. If it's ash it's great fire wood with very low moisture content when first cut. I just cut up a dead one a week ago here. Unfortunately virtually all ash are dying here due to ash decline, the borer hasn't even made it yet. Our eastern hemlocks are next, there's already a wide spread disease here and it's marching north every year.

 

[2458n]

Our Ash in Ohio is easy to identify. Lift the bark there will be all sorts of 1/8 inch tracks on the log. Emerald ash bore. Looks like cotton wood leaves and if it has golf ball sized seed heads you have a dirty cottonwood for sure.

 

[motownbrowne]

Not ash or maple leaves. I'm with the basswood crowd.