Firewood help

[telehort]

I am looking to see if anyone can tell what kind of firewood this is. My neighbor and I split what was to be 2 cords of seasoned walnut for a great price. I was gone when it was deleivered, but it doesn't look like walnut that I have used before (or maybe what I used before and thought was walnut, wasn't) Anyway, the wood feels seasoned and lights with no issues, but it burns with the nastiest black smoke and a very "oily" smell to it. I have tried to contact the person we got it from to find out, but my phone calls have gone unreturned. Any amatuer arborists out there than can identify this, I would greatly appreciate it.


doens't look like picture linked..here is adress for it to look at
firewood on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

[Les]

I agree, it doesn't look like any walnut that I have seen. Is the wood dense? It looks like it will split pretty easy, that's a good thing Sorry I can't help.

Les...

[telehort]

it is a very light wood, not very dense and does split easy. It does generate heat..but unfortunatly the smoke and smell it gives off when you add a piece to the fire makes for not very "good eats" as Alton would say.

[SpringJim]

No, does not look like walnut...lighter color...more like sassafras or eucalyptus!

We need a bark expert!

[dmun]

Any amatuer arborists out there than can identify this, I would greatly appreciate it.

Sounds like a job for your county's agricultural extension service. Take them a piece, I'm sure they could ID it.

[james]

Look at those bore holes. It looks like a beetle got the tree.

I can't wait to hear what it is. Very exciting.
James

[nissanneill]

It doesn't look like any eucalyt that I have experienced from the eucalypt nation.
It looks like a tree that we call a Christmas tree, not as in the celebratory 'christmas' but a deciduous elm type decorative tree.
I have some wood similar that I felled from my aunt's place and stored it for woodturning but will end up burning it, (or if it the same, not burning but dumping it).

Neill

[Les]

Originally Posted by SpringJim

We need a bark expert!

Showed the picture to my dog - still no clue

Some of the branches look like cottonwood ,the grain looks right, and the fact that it's light - but the bark on the thicker pieces doesn't match. Still digging...

Les...

[Wiley]

Ok Ill take a stab at it, but first a question? Do you have walnut orchards in reasonable distance to where you live? If so, (and trying first to give some benefit to the chance the sellers weren't scoundels), it may be the top portion of an english walnut tree. I spent part of my youth near walnut orchards and the trees are english walnut grafted onto an american walnut rootstock. The wood below the graft was dark colored like you see in fine furniture and gunstocks. The wood above the graft was weak and light colored and useless for cabinetry etc. Also the bark of the american walnut portion was rough and gnarly while the bark above the graft was smooth. So if you can find a piece that is part light and part dark you can be certain it is walnut.
Wiley

[telehort]

Thanks Wiley - I talked to a couple other neighbors who seem to be a bit more knowledgeable than I and while they didn't say it was from grafted trees as you mentioned, they did think it was branch wood from walnut trees.