# Burl/tree identification



## d242 (Dec 24, 2017)

Anyone know what kind of wood this is? Harvested in central New York state.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Mr. Peet (Dec 26, 2017)

Bitternut hickory, _Carya cordiformis_. I lack a burl sample in my collection. Willing to trade or buy a lab for a sample. Often times, the wood under the burl on the other side of the portion you cut off has figure deep enough into the trunk to work for my samples.

Sorry Dan, somehow missed your post. Must be the holiday influence...


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## d242 (Dec 28, 2017)

Mr. Peet said:


> Bitternut hickory, _Carya cordiformis_. I lack a burl sample in my collection. Willing to trade or buy a lab for a sample. Often times, the wood under the burl on the other side of the portion you cut off has figure deep enough into the trunk to work for my samples.
> 
> Sorry Dan, somehow missed your post. Must be the holiday influence...



There were some smaller burls on the tree I may post for sale in the future. I will give you first dibs.. What was the identifying characteristic that gave it away the orange yellow cambium layer?


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## Mr. Peet (Dec 29, 2017)

d242 said:


> There were some smaller burls on the tree I may post for sale in the future. I will give you first dibs.. What was the identifying characteristic that gave it away the orange yellow cambium layer?



Location, central New York, side hill slope with hemlock, likely moist soils, was first thoughts. The fissuring of the bark was next. Bitternut mimics ash bark, so shallow when young then deeper. Like ash, it can get blocky and even peel off to a smooth state and start the fissuring over. This is something seen in over mature trees, usually 30+ inched DBH for Bitternut hickory. Most of those look like galls and cankers, not burls. That was my other clue. _Phomopsis_ galls, and _Ceratocystis_ canker I think, they have been knocking hard on our hickories...


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