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Author Topic: looks like a birch?  (Read 6845 times)

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Offline redwasp

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looks like a birch?
« on: October 21, 2008, 09:45:07 pm »
ive never seen a birch tree with bark this dark. mabey some of you know what this is. I found it in a roadside ditch they must have done some trimming on the road or someone cutting firewood but they left this. 10 ft long so i picked it up on my shoulder and loaded it up. I figure i dont know much about types of trees but i would try it anyway. the wood is white when fresh cut but changes color to a more yellow orange when it dries. found it right by the delaware river on border of jersey and pennsylvania called the "watergap". im still going to try to make a bow from it even though i dont know what is . any help much appreciated.

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If one man can do it, another man can do it. Richard......Northeastern PA.

Offline redwasp

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Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2008, 09:50:49 pm »
the birch i've seen had white bark with black v's under the limbs, but the characteristics of the bark with the thin horizontal lines makes me think it is a birch otherwise no clue.
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If one man can do it, another man can do it. Richard......Northeastern PA.

Offline aruge

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Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #2 on: October 21, 2008, 10:22:55 pm »
looks like yellow birch to me. Or a young cherry. The bark of the two species are very similar. Hope this helps. Al
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Offline Sparrow

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Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #3 on: October 21, 2008, 10:25:29 pm »
 Looks like some kinda birch to me too,(bark does'nt have to be white to be a birch).Maybe some kinda cherry ?  Frank
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Offline sailordad

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Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #4 on: October 22, 2008, 12:37:36 am »
no leaves or anything of the like laying with it?

could be birch,or maybe old poplar tree,hard to tell without leaves


sorry im not the brightest bulb on the tree lol
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Offline Pat B

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Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #5 on: October 22, 2008, 12:45:37 am »
Looks like sweet birch(Betula lenta...also called cherry birch). Scrape the bark and smell. Oil of wintergreen comes from sweet birch. You should smell the wintergreen. Also, when you scrape the bark check the cambium layer(just under the outer bark) and be sure it is bright green. If not, be leery of the wood. Fungi could have already moved in.     Pat
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Offline Pappy

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Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #6 on: October 22, 2008, 06:48:39 am »
Could be birch,but kind of looks like a young Wild cherry. ???
   Pappy
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Offline GregB

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Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #7 on: October 22, 2008, 08:43:44 am »
Looks like a wild cherry to me...
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Papa Matt

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Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #8 on: October 22, 2008, 09:30:10 am »
I vote a hybrid version of honey locust that doesn't have any thorns, but does still show the scars where the thorns would be if they did have them. They're planted a lot for ornamental purposes and called "Honey" Locust because the heartwood is the color of honey. Is there a color variation between the sapwood and heartwood?

~~Papa Matt
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Far East Archer

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Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #9 on: October 22, 2008, 12:19:00 pm »
I agree with Pappy and Greg, looks like cherry.

Can you show a picture of the wood?
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Offline Hillbilly

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Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #10 on: October 22, 2008, 12:21:42 pm »
It's either sweet birch or wild cherry. Like Pat said, scrape the bark and sniff. If it smells like wintergreen, it's sweet birch. If it has an unpleasant bitter/almond smell, it's wild cherry.
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Offline redwasp

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Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #11 on: October 22, 2008, 07:35:02 pm »
smells like wintergreen for sure what a nice smell and is green under the bark. thank you for all your help. will sweet birch make a good bow if i make it wide and flat? or should i made a "D" bow?.
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If one man can do it, another man can do it. Richard......Northeastern PA.

Offline Pat B

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Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #12 on: October 22, 2008, 08:26:47 pm »
I have made a few with sweet birch but not in a few years. Go long and wide with a flat belly and you should be OK.     Pat
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Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline redwasp

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Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #13 on: October 22, 2008, 08:58:23 pm »
thanks Pat thats what i thought , just needed some confirmation. thanks for your time
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Offline stickbender

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Re: looks like a birch?
« Reply #14 on: October 23, 2008, 02:54:22 am »

     Dang!  Here I was gonna say maybe " Black Birch"......So that is where winter green comes from huh?  Cool.
     Uh......so......uh......why do they call it Winter Green, in stead of "Sweet Birch"......Must have been a Government person doing the naming of it.

                                                                          Wayne
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