Firewood Identification
With thousands of tree species in the world, even experts can have some difficulty identifying the species of tree. Begin by learning distinguishing characteristics about several local, common trees, and practice identification by eliminating trees with different traits than the tree you are examining.
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Hardwood/Softwood
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Deciduous trees lose their leaves each autumn while evergreen trees retain their leaves or needles all year. Deciduous trees are hardwoods and are much better for firewood than softwoods.
Leaves
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Leaves on a hardwood tree come in all shapes and sizes, but are rather distinct according to species. Since each species performs differently in the fall, sometimes the color of leaves in autumn will aid in the identification of the tree. In addition to the shape and size, leaves can be categorized as simple or compound, with multiple leaflets composing one leaf.
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Bark
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Bark is the outside layer protecting the tree. This bark can be any color from white to tan to gray and is either smooth or rough. It is important to remember that trees usually develop rougher bark as they age.
Arrangement
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If the aforementioned traits aren't enough to identify the tree, look for similarities in the arrangement of branches and leaves. Certain breeds have an opposite arrangement where branches and leaves appear in pairs along the branch while others have an alternate arrangement where branches form individually along the branch.
Shape and Size
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The overall shape of the tree varies between species, but can be an obvious giveaway in identification. Additionally, the size of the tree and its horizontal spread across the branches will grow characteristically according to breed. For instance, some trees mature under 20 feet in height while others typically mature over 100 feet tall.
Fruit/Seed
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If all else fails, the flowers, fruit or seeds a tree bears can help to identify it.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Christian Guthier
