identify this tree please

[Zahid Naqvi]

I've got about 4 of these in my BY, and I am really tired of the plethora of nuts it drops all year round. Can someone tell me what kind of tree this is, I am under the impression it is sweet gum. The squirrels are really fond of the nuts, they leave a boat load of the fragments behind. I don't know how they are able to break through atleast a 1/8" thick outer shell.

The leaves
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Here are some nuts that fall off these, an outer shell is like a fruit of some sort(shown here after it has dried and split) while the innner shell is hard like a walnut only smaller.
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The tree
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The bark
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[Joe Horne]

Looks like a Hickory Tree to me Zahid. You're right, the squirrels love them. HARD wood, used for hammer handles and the like. Also, makes great firewood.

[roy knapp]

It is a Hickory and boy after the squirrels get done with nuts if you get the broken nut shells embeded in shoes, what mess to floors in the house.:)

[Scott Banbury]

If not Hickory, Pecan.

[Zahid Naqvi]

It is a Hickory and boy after the squirrels get done with nuts if you get the broken nut shells embeded in shoes, what mess to floors in the house.:)

Tell me about it, I have a deck just under one of these trees. It serves as the dining table for the squirrels, needless to say the broken shells get stuck between the boards and must be removed by a hard object, can't mop them off.

[Steve Rowe]

Zahid - That would indeed be a hickory tree, have several in my yard too.
Steve

[Keith Christopher]

Shell bard hickory.

http://www.oplin.org/tree/fact%20pages/hickory_shellbark/hickory_shellbark.html

[John Shuk]

I was gonna say Hickory too. I have a bunch of shag barks at my house and they look alot alike as far as leaves and nuts go. Those nuts are a mess and a half.

[Kelly C. Hanna]

Forget the firewood, it's COOKIN' WOOD! Hickory is also very beautiful wood for cabinet doors and the like.

[Karl Laustrup]

I'd have to say Hickory also. I've taken two down and had a sawyer come in and make boards for me. I still have 3 left, but for the time being they are away from the house so they can stay for a while longer. They are very messy trees, but they do make for some good wood for making things like cabinets, flooring etc. Very hard so you need sharp tools to work with it.

If they are at least 12-13" wide and you can get an 8' length it might be worth felling them for the lumber. Use the chips and small stuff as hickory chips for grilling and BBQ or firewood.

Karl

[Bob Oehler]

My vote is Shellbark Hickory
Have several in my woods near the pond. Man they make strong cabnets. Our kitchen is in hickory and so is all the woodwork, (as much as I have done :rolleyes: so far) in our down stairs (1st floor )

Take care
Bob Oehler

[Mike Monroe]

Here's a link to a tree identification guide for trees in Iowa. Should work for other states, it's pretty easy to use. It's an interactive guide, just click away. Should help you identify the tree you are dealing with.

You could also use it to just look up hickorys in the index of trees section and see what you have.

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/pages/tree/

[Jim Dannels]

Forget the firewood, it's COOKIN' WOOD! Hickory is also very beautiful wood for cabinet doors and the like.

Glad to see you mention that Kelly. A few weeks ago I was discussing some of the issues of using Knotty pine in some cabinets with a couple of sales people at the Woodsmith Store in Des Moines. They reccomended Hickory, as it would give the rustic country look I`m aiming for w/o the knots(machining) and pitch bleeding problems. I was surprized to discover I could buy the hickory in their store(not cheap but good quality) for less than select knotty pine.

By the way, you might want to fight the squirrels for some of those nuts, they are tasty.

[Keel McDonald]

I've got several of them in my yard. Definitely a Hickory tree.