80 foot cherry find

[BlackCoffin]

Been clearing up in the creek bed below my house to open it up more and make it a little more visually appealing. Quite a few rotting or broken alder trees littering the hillside and valley. As I was working a hillside checking what time cut down next I noticed the blown over tree that I’ve seen before. Almost growing horizontally up the hill. I always thought it was a black birch tree due to the dark colored smooth bark with raised abrasive rings. It finally dawned on me that small cherry tree I saw on the top of the hill growing from behind some bushes was the tip of that blown down tree. To find a cherry tree of that size was impressive, so cut away and haul it out is what I did! All measured out and with a 5 feet left at the bottom it came out to 79 feet long. In it’s prime I bet it was 85-90 as some of the top limbs are broken off. The base is a little soft but plan on milling some of it into boards or beams, the rest for firewood/smoking wood.

 

[BlackCoffin]

 

[beaglebriar]

It's birch.

 

[BlackCoffin]

It’s not, looked like one but you start bucking rounds and the wood is 2 tone identical to cherry. Smells like cherry, looks like cherry, especially on the inside.

 

[Wolverine]

Weird!

 

[angelo c]

Looks like an "ornamental" cherry...
Black cherry is like a weed around here but those "smooth bark" very "thin" barked cherry's are planted . Blacks are "gator" skin looking. They both smell the same and flower real pretty in a few weeks

 

[beaglebriar]

I have a stack of cherry lumber in the basement, there's black cherry all over this hill and ain't none of it looks like what you have there. That's all I'm gonna say. Lol

 

[bigbadbob]

Cherry ,, when I lived on the west Coast I used to get it for fire wood,, not real common and does grow tall. very little birtch there,, if any. Burns like coal after being seasoned.

 

[BlackCoffin]

I have a stack of cherry lumber in the basement, there's black cherry all over this hill and ain't none of it looks like what you have there. That's all I'm gonna say. Lol

Sounds like you have a good stash of black cherry, good for you! Also sounds like you are assuming the region I live in is the same of yours and convinced that I’m wrong. I live in the upper northwest corner of Washington, few miles away from Canada. I’ve seen one black cherry tree in my 30 years of living here. The cherry tree you think is a birch grows like weeds in this area. There are a few different variety’s but all look roughly the same and produce bright red cherries. We have an abundance of white birch, while black birch is more rare but does make a great wood for fires as mentioned above. All I’m going to say is don’t assume someone is wrong just because you made assumptions on your end, or your lack of knowledge and recognition.

 

[Dustin4185]

Considering the area you live, that is probably a bitter cherry. Much different bark than the black cherry or wild cherry in the East.

 

[BlackCoffin]

I have some cherry trees in my yard that don’t look quite the same. Bitter cherry may be right as I stay away from eating them!

 

[Dustin4185]

http://nativeplantspnw.com/bitter-cherry-prunus-emarginata/

 

[dmb2613]

looks like birch

 

[Al Smith]

It's probably some variation of cherry but it's not the black cherry that grows in the midwest .I've probably got 500 bd ft in my shop that's been air drying at least 10 years .

 

[BlackCoffin]

looks like birch

looks like, but isn’t

It's probably some variation of cherry but it's not the black cherry that grows in the midwest .I've probably got 500 bd ft in my shop that's been air drying at least 10 years .

it is some variation of cherry, Dustin nailed the name above. Also once again this is the pnw not the Midwest...

 

[Lightning Performance]

A tree called a choke cherry would be my guess. It makes great smoker wood. The bark needs to be peeled. Leaves a bitter taste on food. Looks a lot like black birch with more shine imo.

 

[BlackCoffin]

I agree. Just sold a half cord in under a day to a guy who is retired and smokes meats all day haha. I’ve bucked and milled black birch before and there is a difference between the two. First glance is similar. This cherry resembles black birch more because it was on the ground and under the canopy of cedar and for trees and list it’s shine you’re talking about.

 

[beaglebriar]

Sounds like you have a good stash of black cherry, good for you! Also sounds like you are assuming the region I live in is the same of yours and convinced that I’m wrong. I live in the upper northwest corner of Washington, few miles away from Canada. I’ve seen one black cherry tree in my 30 years of living here. The cherry tree you think is a birch grows like weeds in this area. There are a few different variety’s but all look roughly the same and produce bright red cherries. We have an abundance of white birch, while black birch is more rare but does make a great wood for fires as mentioned above. All I’m going to say is don’t assume someone is wrong just because you made assumptions on your end, or your lack of knowledge and recognition.

Interesting... I'd like to see some of it milled into lumber.

 

[BlackCoffin]

Some cherry I’ve milled. The healthy trees have the clean “2 tone” look, older trees past their prime create cool colors but have a lot of punky rot in the center.