Earlier in this thread, on page one, when I said that I thought Red Elm (Slippery Elm) was the rival of Red Oak I figured I was setting myself up to be "flamed" clean of this board... guess I was wrong. Many will say that Elm isn't worth messing with... it's all junk. Most haven't burned Red Elm, or have burned what they believe was Red Elm when it actually was not. So... how do you know if it really is Red Elm?
The easiest, and simplest way to identify Red Elm is by the leaves. Red Elm has the classic elm shape but with one unique characteristic; the leaves are rough, really rough, like 80-grit sandpaper. But much elm cut is standing-dead, and that makes quick identification a bit more difficult. One clue is size; although Red Elm can grow to massive size it is typically smaller (diameter) than the American Elm standing-dead in the same area. Red Elm will also (usually) have a longer trunk, forking much higher up than American Elm, and a narrower canopy. The absence of bark is another cue; Red Elm tends to loose all of it's bark clean to the ground while American Elm tends to hold some on the main trunk and crotch areas. The bark-less trunk and branches of standing-dead looks different, but not as noticeable unless they're standing side-by-side; in sunlight, American Elm will appear "bleached" white, Red Elm more of an off-white, or very, very pale reddish-gray/brown. Red Elm, because it's harder/denser/stronger, will also tend to hold more of the small branches, down to thumb size diameter.
Of course, cutting and splitting dead elm is the final, "Yep, it's Red Elm alright!" American Elm has white wood, often a bit punky (especially on the north side of the trunk) and stringy as all-get-out when split, and the trunk tends to be wet, real wet, up to 10-15 feet high. Red Elm has reddish-brown wood, usually solid all the way through, splits much cleaner (but will still give a splitter a good work-out), and a lot dryer in the trunk; often dry (enough) to toss in the stove on the same day it's cut.
Holding a dry split of American Elm in one hand, and Red Elm in the other is like holding a split of Pine in one and Oak in the other... the difference is overwhelming.
