how do i identify a tree?

[AngryScientist]

Just cut down a small, but tall tree on my property. pleasantly pleased with the EGO 56V chainsaw I picked up. Plenty of power and battery life for a small town homeowner with a fireplace.

Anyway, what is the best way to ID a tree? Any ideas? My smarter than me wife suggested it would have been easier had I allowed it to grow leaves before I cut it down, but that ship has left the port.

I really just want to know if it will be good for the indoor fireplace or relegated to burning in the outdoor fire pit.

IMG_8703.jpg

[Mabouya]

Are there others like it nearby? (there usually are) If so, wait until they leaf out.

[j44ke]

Judging by all the oak leaves on the ground - and relatively regular groves & ridges in the bark - I'd say it is a young white oak. Often best to identify a tree before cutting it down, because the i.d. will often determine whether you keep the tree or not. Oaks are slower growing trees with strong wood and long lives before they ever threaten a house.

I don't see any ash leaves on the ground, but that sort of bark and small central heartwood could also mean that it is not an oak, but an ash tree. Ash trees are being killed off by a bacteria, a fungus and also the emerald ash borer. However, if this is an ash tree, it looks pretty healthy.

The best field guide I know is the Sibley Guide to Trees. Very good book, well organized, good illustrations. It also has instructions on how to use the field guide as well as explanation of botanical terms.

Not nearly as comprehensive but uniquely focused on identifying trees by their bark characteristics, is Bark: A Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast. Identifying trees by their bark is imprecise, but you can get better at it by looking at a lot of trees when they have leaves and when they do not, and this book aids that pursuit.

[monadnocky]

I'm tossing my hat into the white oak ring (no pun intended) - that was my first thought. Especially if it's in NJ, it looks too healthy to be ash, and the bark, to me, doesn't look ash-ish. But I defer to our local expert above.
Whatever it is, I'm sure it's perfectly fine for indoor burning, after your seasoning method of choice.

And, might I add, I'm digging my electric saw the more and more I use it. Just perfect for 90% of the work I do. Good to see one here.

[Todd Amunrud]

My best guess is a Hackberry; bark quality, color of chainsawsaw dust/chips, leaves breakdown quickly in the winter. Another clue can be the smell of the wood after cutting. However, I cannot seem to access the smellorator on the picture. It burns okayish.

[Peter Polack]

You can identify a tree by its bark. Do a Google search and the results should lead you to the answer.

[SpeedyChix]

Side note, if oak wilt has made it to where one lives (it's a reality in Michigan) please avoid any pruning from April through Oct. Red oaks are more susceptible than those in the white oak family.

https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/avoid_..._april_october

I love our battery powered chain saw for trail work and quick post-storm clean up at home.

[arimajol]

Any branches still around? Buds and twigs are really the best way to ID trees in winter.