Need help with I.D. of this wood.

[dad]

First, this is a New Hampshire tree. There were two small logs I skidded out, cut and split for firewood the other day. The one I'm touching in both pictures and the ones that have black on them are the same tree and the one I need help with. 
I'm hoping it's a type of Oak or ash instead of poplar. I do know most of our poplar is extremely soft ( this wood was harder ) and our poplar has the small diamond patterns on the bark so it looks different from this. 
The tree was half splintered at the stump and the top was on the ground. The stump end was still half attached to the roots/ground. That is where the black color came from since the attached half was open to the weather with no bark.
I have never split wood so easy with my maul. It exploded apart with the sound of a gunshot every time I hit a piece. It was extremely fun to split. 
Oh, one more caveat, between my job and all over the map sleep schedule it may take me time to answer questions that anyone has or to respond properly. 
I appreciate the help with this.
I will try to upload all pictures so everyone can see. Like I said though, I wish I would have kept the two trees separate before splitting and taking the picture.
Thanks to all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

[dad]

Oh, I guess there were several pics where I was holding the wood. Should all be from the same tree. The bark was kinda blueish grey once away from the brown furrowed bottom of the tree. 
Thanks again.

[Southside]

I believe#1,2,3 are Ash and #4 is Maple.

[Ljohnsaw]

Doesn't look like oak to me.  I was guessing ash.  Fun when wood POPS when you split it!

[SwampDonkey]

In the piece with the white pith, that is ash. The grain looks like ash and the tops and limbs tend to be smooth and grey for ash.

[dad]

I believe#1,2,3 are Ash and #4 is Maple.

Believe it or not, #4 was the same tree, just further up on it. The weird part to me is that the wood color on the inside changed from bottom to top. Some pieces it was mostly pale and others had color in the heartwood that was darker and more prominent. Also, the bark was brown at the bottom of the tree and blue-ish gray toward the top. I also think that most of the ash I've dealt with in the past had the furrowing all the way to the top but I could also be wrong on that. Do you think it's possible that this is green ash? White ash around here usually is brown colored bark all the way up the tree. I am really happy that it doesn't look like some type of poplar to you. I will be more than happy with ash. Honestly, if I hadn't bucked the wood up myself, I would have thought that the bottom and the top pieces of the tree were totally different trees. Thank you for checking it out and helping me.

[dad]

Doesn't look like oak to me.  I was guessing ash.  Fun when wood POPS when you split it!

I was hoping for anything but poplar. It is fun when it "pops". This was exceptionally loud and it split even easier than the ash that I usually split. I could have done that all day. I did split most of the rounds that were in the pictures after I had taken them. I wanted thinner, quicker drying pieces. I think the other tree that was throughout the pile was also ash, but brown all the way top to bottom. Thank you for the input.

[WDH]

Yes, it is ash. 

[dad]

In the piece with the white pith, that is ash. The grain looks like ash and the tops and limbs tend to be smooth and grey for ash.

Thank you for giving your assessment. I am not sure if I've ever seen ash on my property ( that I've known was ash at least ) that smoothed out and changed from brown to blue/gray toward the top. I could be wrong on that too. I'm definitely going to pay more attention all the way to the top when looking at them or cutting them down. Thanks again. I'm getting happier and happier that the consensus is ash. I was concerned as I've said in every post in this thread that it may be some type of the "P" word ha, ha.

[dad]

Yes, it is ash.

;D ;D ;D ;D !!!!! Thank you for looking and giving your input.

[beenthere]

dad
Learn how to make a smooth cut on the end grain and show some pics of that end grain. If ash, you will be able to tell (or be told) how to sort it out from the oak and maple. 
A mixed pile of split wood is not so simple to sort out from a bunch of photo's, and sounds like you would like to be able to sort it out on your own. Think we can help. 

A sharp knife will make good end cuts and a focused camera (smart phone) pic is all that is needed. 

[dad]

dad
Learn how to make a smooth cut on the end grain and show some pics of that end grain. If ash, you will be able to tell (or be told) how to sort it out from the oak and maple.
A mixed pile of split wood is not so simple to sort out from a bunch of photo's, and sounds like you would like to be able to sort it out on your own. Think we can help.

A sharp knife will make good end cuts and a focused camera (smart phone) pic is all that is needed.

What exactly is needed to make a smooth cut? My chainsaw was sharp and cutting well but should I slow down going through the wood or something?
The camera I used was an older digital. I though it would have been better focused but I see what you mean. I do not have a cell phone. I do not like them. I am not sure how much you can zoom in but my computer was able to get some of the growth rings and the very center ( pith? ) of the tree. 
I knew it wasn't maple due to the interior look of the grain. I wondered about oak just because of the bark being furrowed, blue-ash grey after a few feet up and some ( very little ) of the inside of the wood that had color almost looked like the thin straight grain of oak. I do not think that I captured any of the oak looking grain on with the camera. I have not handled anything but red oak in a while so I was wondering about white oak. Anyway thanks for the suggestions.  

[beenthere]

When you get a picture like this, and can see the cells in the wood. That is a smooth cut on oak.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medullary_ray_(botany)#/media/File:EicheQuerschnitt.jpg

A printer can also scan the end grain and produce a good .jpg file.

[moodnacreek]

Green ash was always the wood you split with an axe and enjoyed doing it.

[dad]

Moodnacreek, I can usually enjoy splitting white ash and white/soft maple too. This wood ( wether white ash or green ash I'm not sure ) split as easy as anything I've ever split. I honestly wish there would have been more ha, ha. I know I've said it before but it was also impressive on the volume of them when they burst in two. I even split one that has a knot and it split super easy through that as well. The knotty one almost split totally in two with one wack. It was awesome. Do you think they are green ash? 

[WDH]

The only way to tell white ash from green ash is with a leaf attached to the twig so that you can view the bud in the axis of the leaf petiole or by looking at the samara (fruit) where there is a tiny difference in how far the seed wing extends onto the seed.  The differences between the two are so slight that the difference between them for all practical purposes is nil.  Where they occur together naturally, it takes an expert to tell them apart. 

[dad]

The only way to tell white ash from green ash is with a leaf attached to the twig so that you can view the bud in the axis of the leaf petiole or by looking at the samara (fruit) where there is a tiny difference in how far the seed wing extends onto the seed.  The differences between the two are so slight that the difference between them for all practical purposes is nil.  Where they occur together naturally, it takes an expert to tell them apart.

Then "Ash" it is ha, ha. Thank you for the information.

[moodnacreek]

As a sawmill operator I use the term 'green' as in wet and just cut live. I wouldn't know green ash as a species if I sawed one.  'Green' wood is bloated with water and much weaker than slightly dry wood and therefore splits easier.

[Ron Scott]

Yes, to white ash.