IS THIS CHERRY OR BIRCH? DRIVING ME CRAZY!
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Looks like Poplar to me.
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Wrong bark for Birch or Poplar. Based on the bark and grain colors, I think its Black Cherry:
They aren't the same species.
These are birch:
These are birch:
The other pics are a mix of birch and cherry (or not cherry).
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So, my answer is ..... Yes and Yes.
Yep, me too. But when birch is stained cherry, it is really hard to tell the difference, but my vote is cherry.
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You have logs from 2 different trees. The first bark picture shows birch bark. That's a textbook example of birch bark!! I have 100% confidence in that.
With a little less confidence, the second/third bark picture shows cherry bark. The only reason why I'm not 100% on this one is because older birch trees can also have a similar fractured bark appearance. Nevertheless, I think it is cherry.
With a little less confidence, the second/third bark picture shows cherry bark. The only reason why I'm not 100% on this one is because older birch trees can also have a similar fractured bark appearance. Nevertheless, I think it is cherry.
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Thanks 😊 🙏🏻
hey, thanks for the reply to my post. I thought there may have been two trees cut down together, and then noticed when looked that cherry can have bark that is like birch and that is like the potato chip type bark. What are your thoughts? The live edge in the photos I believe is from the log with the flakey bark not the birch type. ThAnks again 🙏🏻Wrong bark for Birch or Poplar. Based on the bark and grain colors, I think its Black Cherry:
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Hey thanks for the info, I’m in eastern central Indiana and we seem to have a nice mix of forestry in our area. I thought they were two different trees when I grabbed the logs for sure, and then I saw some photos with bark that was very similar to birch and also that flaky potato chip bark. Then I found a few characteristics between the two totally different looking logs. I’ll attach photos and tell me your thoughts
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I thought that, but then found some similarities between the two totally different looking barks. Check out the photos I’ll attach
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These pictures of the two different logs in the pictures, the one that looks like birch and the one that looks flaky and totally different, but I noticed upon looking closely both barks have features of the other. You can see the birch one has small bits of flaky and the flaky one if you look close has the lines faint of the horizontal marks. Thoughts? Could it be the two totally different logs are from different parts of the tree? Or maybe one younger one older next to each other. I would have never thought wood identification would be this difficult 😂 thanks everyone! So cool to have the ability to ask, and get this many knowledgeable responses. Thanks for the warm welcome
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I also do believe you to be correct, do you think that there are two different trees or that the logs that have bark that looks more like birch is just a different part of the tree, thanks 🙏🏻
Cherry
In post number 14 that bark looks like birch. I have never seen cherry bark in layers like that, so now, I really don't know what you have. Cherry around here doesn't have heavy bark and isn't layered. River birch, or as some call it paper birch, does have layered bark sorta like paper.
I said cherry at first. There is paper birch also in the pics, most pics are cherry. The logs are two different species, no way they came from the same tree.
mike
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Once you have worked with cherry or birch, you will be able to tell them with your eyes closed. Black birch bark looks like cherry, but has a strong wintergreen aroma. Cherry, when fresh cut, has a nice fruity scent. But a broken twig off a live cherry tree has an unpleasant, earthy smell. There is a paper birch log in your photos that can not be confused with either.
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