Hi all,
This is my first post and I'm hopeful y'all can help. I am fairly certain this is Cottonwood based on the leaf, the density, the amount of water in it, and the speed at which mold grows. That said, it's a lot more reddish than what I've seen online when searching Cottonwood. The posts on this forum also show more of a brownish heartwood than what I found.
Back story: They're clearing 58 acres of land 10 minutes from my house and I received permission to look around and harvest what I wanted. I somehow found the only (what I believe to be) Cottonwood in the whole 58 acre plot. I've harvested a number of chunks from the lower part of the trunk. I've heard great things from a mill owner/woodworker about working with Cottonwood. Is this Cottonwood?
Best Regards,
Phil
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/8E75F8B2-2B5B-4215-B1F5-59CD69FCD6D3.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553720174)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/AFE39C3C-2777-4E44-84C7-0669F15ED3D9.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553720163)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/8CD49FC6-76C8-43EE-A0CA-14F607F03002.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553720177)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/C15125C7-22B4-426A-AE95-CB56D4B58680.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553720166)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/EC4D1C77-99FE-466C-90FE-2B043C7D38FC.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553720528)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/E5362231-24EF-4A7E-B88D-D0B90872F095.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553720577)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/D6DF083E-3326-4117-8EAC-89AD6C3C5CF5.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553720443)
Welcome to the forum....
I'm not an expert on cottonwood, but the few we have around have a flat base on the bottoms of the leaves.... I'm leaning towards elm ( but im not that familiar with elm either) I'm sure someone will be along and give you a definite answer...
The leaf is basswood. The bark and wood pics appear to be hickory. Is the wood very hard and heavy? A close-up pic from the end grain will show if it is basswood or hickory. Basswood is diffuse porous. Hickory is ring porous. Basswood is very light and prized for carving. Hickory is harder than Hades and heavy.
Are you sure that these leaves came off the stem that you show in the pics? Something does not look right. Anyway, it certainly is not cottonwood. Like curdog says, cottonwood leaves have a flat base.
Here is cottonwood.
Virginia Tech Dendrology Fact Sheet (http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=64)
Here is basswood.
Virginia Tech Dendrology Fact Sheet (http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=88)
If you are certain that the leaf came off the trunk and stem in the pics, then you have basswood. Otherwise is is likely hickory.
what color was the heartwood when you first cut it?
Thank you all for the replies. That's interesting. The leaves look very similar but I see what you mean about the flat bottom. It's definitely not Hickory based solely on the hardness of it. The heartwood is reddish brown. The leaf and stem definitely came off of it. I was very surprised at the leaf when I pulled them. The sapwood is very white but reddens as it gets smothered with sawdust. It carved wonderfully just like Basswood only better because it's green. The smell is a bit overwhelming at times but doesn't necessarily smell bad.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/CCBCDE8A-710F-4C9E-868D-A17F24B836B5.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553752594)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/5A43A859-77D6-4199-8D30-540E837D4242.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553752582)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/566792FB-E970-4333-9D66-CAAF6B53E0BA.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553753135)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/4D55C43F-3602-4BE6-87EE-D96710DF26E6.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553753141)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/63811E09-1A11-4C38-969F-7930F91609CB.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553753146)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/ADEB1E33-0298-4EA8-A146-FDEF0A376174.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553753152)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/B7BF5120-6574-4FA0-9614-42AD389CBDA1.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553752638)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/54844/F1483C7A-3680-4F9F-A471-4D2A31A17C97.jpeg?easyrotate_cache=1553752538)
Basswood.... the tree I always forget about... :D
OK. Basswood.
Sweet! Y'all are awesome!
I know it's prized among woodworkers but is it uncommon to find a 3.5' diameter tree with a 6-7' base?
Any tips for drying it? Right now I have the large bowl in the pictures in a bag full of it's own sawdust.
Sounds like the way to go.
When I dry bowls, I don't like to use sawdust. Sawdust packs to tight, and will mold, but not dry out very well. I find packing the bowls in large, loose "shavings" to be much better.
One characteristic of basswood is that in spring and early summer the bark is easily slipped off, as in one of the photos. When I hauled tree length hardwood logs, you had to be careful in grabbing basswood with the loader grapple lest the bark would slip off in one huge sheath. The log was then very slippery and treacherous to load and handle.