I have a fair number of these in my woods and have recently cut some down. Having trouble ID'ing them. Is it a pignut hickory? I have other hickories that have a much smoother bark. Any info is appreciated! Not sure if I should make boards or firewood. :) Thanks.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/46676/IMG_7535.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1508410054)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/46676/IMG_7536.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1508410054)
Looks like Hackberry to me. Bark is a little different than here, but the bark on the left side of the picture shows the bark "out-en-ing" in layers instead of flaking off. Characteristic of Hackberry. The leaves should look a lot like Elm.
Good wood. Kind of plain lumber. Spalts nicely though.
Not great firewood in terms of BTU, but dries down well and splits ok. Better than Elm.
Sure looks like Hackberry people here like it for fire wood I like it on the saw mill makes good looking lumber
I agree, it looks like Hackberry.
Hackberry Celtis occidentalis or sugarberry Celtis laevigata
Further North than I would expect Sugarberry, but not impossible.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtis_laevigata (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtis_laevigata)
Pretty sure it's one of the two. Does it make decent lumber? Mine appear to be 90+ % sap wood with a tiny dark heart pretty well uniform and centered.
If not, I'll make it into firewood for my fire pit!
Thx
It is in the elm family and has spiral grain. If you flatsaw it, you will lose a lot of it to excessive twist and warp. It is best to quartersaw it.
Ah, I didn't even think of the range. Southern Illinois is the outermost part of Sugarberry's range and it's commonly confused where I'm from, so that explains it. Definitely Cetlis occidentalis! !
They interbreed and the diffrerence between hackberry and sugarberry is very technical and obscure. Pretty much takes an expert to tell them apart. Very, very minor differences, so it is only a botanical issue, not a practical one.
Thanks for all the info. I will saw one up and see what the lumber looks like. Making a bunch of pallets for stickering and stacking my lumber piles, so if nothing else, I'll make pallet boards with them! :D
If you flat saw it, get ready for airplane propellers.
Let the cut logs sit for six months without doin anything to em and they should spalt beautifully. Definitely need to quarter saw unless you want a piece of unique and expressive modern art. You may need to stabilize the boards if you spalt em as they can get pretty soft sometimes. There is definitely a market for it.