Tree ID help request

[Limbit]

Pat is correct. I cut Chinese elm all the time in Taiwan and the bark is scaly and splotched. Looks nothing like that apart from the leaves. I'd also go with Siberian elm since it is normally thrown under the same blanket as Chinese elm. I am not really familiar with other types of elm in the States though. So, might be worth IDing it on a botany website. Chinese elm is a high grade bow wood as are many other species of elm, but my understanding is that Siberian elm is on the lower end of the spectrum.

[Mesophilic]

Do these knobby protrusions help ID at all?  They run the whole length of each stave and made bark removal difficult.

Also wanted to ask, what do I do about these knobs on the hack?  Cut them flush?  Leave them be?

Do the damage marks constitute a violation on elm, or is it tough enough that these don't really matter?

[BowEd]

You do good work.Bark came off clean.I'd leave those knobs alone on the back for now and let it dry.I would think in your dryer humidity area that wood will dry quite a bit faster than most areas.
A person can rough a bow out top profile to parallel even width to the tips[a good 2" wide]and to 3/4" thick limbs to dry faster.The elm [winged elm from a different state and red elm from around here] I had to clamp it to a form[plain old 2" by 4"] to make sure it did'nt warp any though.Especially lateral warp wise.A little induced reflex won't hurt while clamping it.Reducing elm with a farriers rasp is safest.A draw knife used can take out unneeded hunks.
Hard to imagine just how dry the air is by you.I have cousins in you state that have told me it's not uncommom for it to get to 10% humidity like you said too.A % that I've never seen in my area.

[Hawkdancer]

Out here, it is not uncommon to detect rises in the humidity by the way your skin feels!  Sure is nice for folks with sinus problems most of the time!  It is usually so dry, the jackrabbit carry canteens, and the rattlesnakes steal 'em! .  Any year with more than 12 - 15" or rain is a wet year!  But the elk and the mule deer are big!
Hawkdancer