# Help me identify this wood.



## NatalieM (Jan 6, 2013)

Okay, grown in Oregon, Portland area. I have no leaves or any idea of what it looked like when it was standing. I have bark and I have wood grain. That's all.

Here are some photos. Keep in mind I took these minutes after it was cut. I am guessing that some of this lively color will fade or even out eventually. But notice it has no distinct heartwood or sapwood.

Another clue is that the bark peels horizontally in small ribbons somewhat like Cherry. 
Someone has said pear, even given the size still thinks it's pear. He must of meant flowing pear?


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

all im thinking is i hate you, you suck, lol, sorry, you know where this deep feeling of envy is coming from, i will now have to go back to my meetings, i dont know what this is, but man, its gorgeous….i want some…i want some…i want some, see im delirious…lol, what is it….and where can you get more of it…see, i am in the same boat you are, good thing i have a bad back, as i have a barn here that would be full to the rafters if i could handle what your doing, enjoy…


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

some of this tree does look like some of the cherry i got over a year ago, but i dont know what this is, maybe its a flowering pear, ill look and see what i find, how much of this did you get, its all milled up now , correct…


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## NatalieM (Jan 6, 2013)

Yeah, now you know the heady craze that I am now trying to control. I got a pretty large chunk of this, and it's why this may make the whole crazy deal worthwhile. The log was 12 ft long, 18" at one end and about 13 to 14 at the other. I'm soooo excited about it. If I can ID it I will see about Kiln drying. I just want a good idea of what it is, so I can decide the best approach to drying.

It seems to me like the biggest clue has to be the absence of distinct heartwood/sapwood, and the way the bark peels. Before I cut it I thought it was Cherry.

I hope I get some responses maybe even with photos.


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## mojapitt (Dec 31, 2011)

Honey Locust?


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## Cellulosespinner (Oct 29, 2012)

Hi Natalie,
I'm thinking it's not a pear….They just don't get that big as a rule here…way to wet, they tend to center rot. It could be an alder or an elm…..Sure looks like some kind of cherry.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

Beautiful, whatever it is..


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## Momcanfixit (Sep 19, 2012)

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. You've just delayed my morning routine by about 15 minutes.
(no idea what it is though)


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## Momcanfixit (Sep 19, 2012)

Just a thought - 'river birch' or 'black birch' can have bark like that, but it seems to be the wrong region for you.

Betula *************************


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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

I am with Sandra; birch


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## NatalieM (Jan 6, 2013)

Hmmmm. Not Honey Locust, wrong bark. Birch is a a thought, I'll have to look into that. The bark is heavy though not at all papery. Not all Birch has paper bark though, right? Back to drawing board.

Cellulosespinner: Nice to hear from a local. Just curious, do you belong the Woodworkers Guild here?


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I've found this sites helpful for Identification of wood

http://jrscience.wcp.muohio.edu/edge-farm/Woods/odnr-property_walk_Jan_20_2009/TOC.html

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/


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## andywillis (Oct 17, 2013)

One of the best ways to tell if it is Betula ************************* is to see the water pour out of it when it is cut (while alive). Even after it is cut all the way down, the trunk will shed copious amounts of water.


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## NatalieM (Jan 6, 2013)

Jim, great sites, and I bookmarked them. I will spend some serious study time on those tonight.


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## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

Hi Natalie, just want to say you have some beautiful wood there .I helped cut down a flowering pear tree in July and it had a few red streaks in it when freshly cut but nothing as nice as that. Here is a picture of a couple logs that I cut. Hope this helps or maybe more confusing.


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## redSLED (Mar 21, 2013)

Whatever it is I want some.


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## Nomad62 (Apr 20, 2010)

Not positive, but it looks a lot like flowering cherry to me. Seen a few like that as yard trees, never in the forests.


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## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

Don't think it is Pear.
Looks Cool though !!!


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Looks like a fruit tree to me. Probably some type of ornamental cherry.


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

i really think its some type of cherry, there are to many spots in your pictures that look spot on for cherry, so that is my final …i think if you show these pictures to a horticulturist, that they can positive id this wood…


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

By the bark I say it is red alder (Alnus rubra), and I know it grows there. No way it is birch. Do you know if is a wild tree or was it cut down in somebody's yard? Black birch is not a native tree west of the Mississippi, so I would rule that out, unless it was a landscape tree, which means it could be nearly anything. By the looks of the bark this tree was harvested when it was dead, and the colors I believe are due too the initial stages of spalting.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Don't know if it grows there but that look a LOT like the spalted hackberry I cut today.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

Maybe this site can give you some clues-
http://www.treebarkid.com/

or here-
http://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/?TrackingID=908


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## richardwootton (Jan 17, 2013)

I can't speak for the bark, but could it be chinaberry?


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## rustfever (May 3, 2009)

Western Alder…...........no doubt


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## NatalieM (Jan 6, 2013)

The tree was in a yard in an old informal neighborhood.

When the house was built probably 50's or 60's, it was on a pretty big piece of property in a forested area which may have had alder but I don't remember seeing them. . I very specifically remember seeing tall lanky cherry trees on the property before it was cleared, and thats what I had assumed the wood was, but was really surprised when I saw it. What really confuses me is the lack of distinct heartwood and sapwood. The cherry that I've seen is distinct.

So, I'm leaning toward some kind of Cherry or the Red Alder idea.

Not knowing for sure really bugs me. I will keep seeking and maybe send the question to some wood sellers.

Thanks to all for the help!


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## Nomad62 (Apr 20, 2010)

Definitely not red alder, those tend to have a gray bark which is smooth and often dotted with white spots when they are that size; got 'em all over my property. Alder is a tree that spreads thru its root system, often making an entire grove from one tree. Their bark is also not ribboned like a cherry. Cherry trees are typically all sap wood until they get to around that size, they then begin to turn color; but it is more typical to see a center of heart wood developing rather than the whole thing unless it was sick or dying. The big tell would be its aroma, cherry tends to have a common sweet smell almost regardless of which type it is. And whatever it is, it is gorgeous!


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## PaulDoug (Sep 26, 2013)

Portland has a lot of arborists I'm sure and I'm also sure anyone of them could identify the type of tree.


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## alohafromberkeley (Oct 26, 2011)

The Center For Wood Anatomy Research in Madison,Wis. used to do free identifying, not sure if it's still the case. Send samples to: Center for Wood Anatomy & Research , US Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wis. IIRC, they didn't need bark but preferred a 1"x3"x6" sample size. Anyways, if you can't get an answer here, then it would be helpful to look them up.
Gilmer Wood is on 2211 NWSt. Helens Road in Portland…extremely knowledgeable and friendly. That maybe the fastest way to get an answer…Just let us know what you've got when you find out.


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## NatalieM (Jan 6, 2013)

Alohafromberkeley:

Are you talking about Aloha, Or? Thanks for the reply. I checked out your profile, but alas, no info and only 14 posts in 747 days. I feel honored. Don't be such a stranger on the site.

Great info and leads on a way to ID the wood. I will talk to Gilmer and see if the Center you mentioned will take my sample.

I will let you all know if I get any firm answers.


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## NatalieM (Jan 6, 2013)

Nomad, thanks for resolving the Alder question. I had already come to that conclusion and it was good to get confirmation.


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## NatalieM (Jan 6, 2013)

A side effect of this mystery is that when I go on my neighborhood walks I am not inspecting the bark of every tree I see hoping to find a match. Then I would have some leaves and other clues to go on.


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## alohafromberkeley (Oct 26, 2011)

Didn't realize there's an Aloha, OR! I'm in Berkeley (aka Berzerkeley) California…will work on adding info to my profile.. I know more about wood then I do about working it as I am self taught in gardening….Oh, does anyone think that the mystery could be purple-leaf plum? Planted all over as a street tree in Berkeley and Oakland and can wild streaks of color in it. The leaves would clinch it.


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## NatalieM (Jan 6, 2013)

Yes, it would be nice to have some leaves, and as to your question about the plum, there are several different kinds of plum and in my lot mentioned above, I have some of it, which I haven't cut yet, but the bark is very different. i will search plum though and see if anything else like it shows up.

I'm in my busy time of the week with my real job so haven't had time to contact a horticulturist or do other research.


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

well i dont believe it to be any type of plum…plum has to many other characteristics including the color of the bark, which is a darker color, more like a plum color,,at least that is what became of my studies…


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

im sticking with some sort of cherry…the bark and the color in the bark, and then the wood itself…i would have to say its got some different color then the norml cherry ive seen , but…im staying put with this one..


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

look at this bowl i found, i think the same kind of colors are here…what do you think


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## NatalieM (Jan 6, 2013)

Yes looks very similar. What is it?


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

that is ornamental cherry…


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## alohafromberkeley (Oct 26, 2011)

We may be talking about the same species of trees.The Purple Leaf Plum is also known as Cherry Flowered Plum are mistaken for Cherry Blossoms as they bloom a couple weeks earlier than Ornamental Cherry and may overlap flowering cycles. Both are Prunus spp. If you look at the Hobbit House Prunus page you'll see examples of them.(www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/plum.htm).Sorry, I'm not computer savvy so I can't hotlink, but go to their site. Looks like the same exact wood. I have no connection with Hobbit House, but use it for a lot of ID'ing. I'm not trying to be contrary,grizzman, we both may be right (or wrong) as the case may be.


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## pbyrne (Jan 11, 2011)

I live North of you on the Puget Sound. I also log and saw local trees. That tree looks just like the native wild cherry I get up here.


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## NatalieM (Jan 6, 2013)

Okay, I think I have mystery solved! At least I am convinced. The answer was with me all the time. That is, my next door neighbor has a living flowering cherry in his front yard. It's about 10 ft from where I park my car. Duh! It is and old one, which is significant because the older bark looks very different from the newer bark. I kept seeing these little puckering oblong shaped things on cherry that I wasn't finding on the bark of my wood. However, on the older bark those things tend to blend into the background.  When I was able to compare the bark on my wood to that tree, I would say I have a positive ID.

So, I guess the award goes to Grizzman, who insisted on "some kind of Cherry" from the beginning and a close second to pbyrne whose comment convinced me, that yes, I can confidently say this is either Wild Cherry, or Flowering Cherry. The lot it was cut from was a formerly landscaped lot that had become mostly overgrown and uncared for for many years. So, I'm going to call this wood: Flowering Cherry Gone Wild.

BTW The link provided by alohafromberkely, was really helpful, and is a great source of wood and woodworking information. I have a couple 2 ft long rounds of plum which I haven't' cut into yet, so I'm excited to see what that wood will be like.

Thanks for everyones help!


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

wow, right under your nose…lol…im so glad the mystery is over, and what do you know, i was right, at first it really threw me, but when i focused on many part of the wood and saw the bark, it told me…yep, its either wild cherry of an ornamental cherry, its going to make something gorgeous, and you will make the right project with it..i cant wait to see the other woods you have collected, i bet te plum will be something really special, i have the feeling you are going to the shop, where you willl come to know more about the woods you have, ive got a really beautiful piece of walnut left from the plank i used for the desk im making….will show it off a bit later…thanks for bringing us along on this ride….i was thinking of what it would have been like for noah who built the Ark…can you imagine the wood he used, it would have taken me years to get it done, walnut stalls…the exotic woods for the flooring..oh my…


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## NatalieM (Jan 6, 2013)

Yeah and I guess the real credit should go to Maker of all things.


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## BarbS (Mar 20, 2007)

It could be Plum… often used for a yard tree. Ah, I see you've decided on a form of cherry. I hope when you open your Plum rounds, you'll post a photo to show if they're similar or not. I had a small plum trunk that was streaked like that, and oiled up beautifully. Whatever it is, you'll surely enjoy that wood!


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