Telling the Difference between White & Red Oak Logs

[flotek]

White oak bark

 

[flotek]

Red oak bark

 

[blacklocst]

Plus White Oak will not have any shade of red to it.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Still can't see the pores in the end grain but the bark looks like red / pin oak.
You can also tell by the smell. White Oak will have a pleasant bourbon-like smell. (if you like bourbon).

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I'm voting red oak, it's not like the white oaks we have around here...

SR

 

[sb47]

When you cut into it the smell should be a good indicator as to what species it is.
Red oak will have a stronger smell then the white oak does.
Though they do smell similar the red oak will be a stronger sent.

 

[f1100turbo]

Pin oak.


Turbs

 

[Chris-PA]

I agree with northern red. Around here probably 60% of our red oaks are actually schumard oaks, and it is hard to tell the difference except in the spring and fall. Likely there are fewer schumards up there, if any.

One thing that is interesting is that both northern red and shumards have different leaves on the sun side vs. the shade side, with the ones on the sun side being more like a pin oak leaf, though not quite as extreme. That fooled me for quite some time.

 

[brewmonster]

Around here probably 60% of our red oaks are actually schumard oaks

That's interesting. I'm not at all familiar with Shumard oak, but according to my books its distribution is pretty southerly. Is there some oddball disjunct population where you live?

When I first moved here I was always looking at black oaks and thinking they were red. Took me a while to learn the difference. Not saying that you would make the same mistake, of course.

 

[buzz sawyer]

Here's a photo showing the difference in the end grain and chart showing the two groups.


Red and White Oak Groups
Red Oak (Quercus rubra)
Black Oak (Q. velutina)
California Black Oak (Q. kelloggii)
Cherrybark Oak (Q. pagoda)
Laurel Oak (Q. laurifolia)
Pin Oak (Q. palustris)
Scarlet Oak (Q. coccinea)
Shumard Oak (Q. shumardii)
Southern Red Oak (Q. falcata)
Water Oak (Q. nigra)
Willow Oak (Q. phellos)

White Oak (Quercus alba)
Bur Oak (Q. macrocarpa)
Chestnut Oak (Q. prinus)
English Oak (Q. robur)
Holm Oak (Q. ilex)
Oregon White Oak (Q. garryana)
Overcup Oak (Q. lyrata)
Post Oak (Q. stellata)
Sessile Oak (Q. petraea)
Swamp Chestnut Oak (Q. michauxii)
Swamp White Oak (Q. bicolor

 

[Full Chisel]

My bet is on Pin Oak, unless it's a variation of Red Oak that is different from the reds around here(So. IL). The bark looks way too smooth, not furrowed like Red Oak. Looks like the smoother Pin Oak bark. It's not White Oak, this I'm sure of.

 

[Chris-PA]

That's interesting. I'm not at all familiar with Shumard oak, but according to my books its distribution is pretty southerly. Is there some oddball disjunct population where you live?

When I first moved here I was always looking at black oaks and thinking they were red. Took me a while to learn the difference. Not saying that you would make the same mistake, of course.

Yeah, I had one of each out front of our house. We live in a house on a steep bank, so the front porch ends up looking pretty high up into the trees. I could tell they were not the same but it took me a long time to identify them, since the shumards are not supposed to be up here.

The leaves of the shumards have a pronounced red tint when the first leaf out. The northern reds hold their leaves much longer here, which is why they took such a pounding during the Halloween storm we had a few years ago (that northern red out front is now gone). The leaves of the shumards are a little different, but it is subtle - if I recall they are less symmetrical. But give the difference between sun and shade leaves on the same tree ID gets tough.

 

[Marine5068]

Nice leaf pics Flotec
It does look like Red Oak to me, but a leaf always tells the truth.
Great firewood nonetheless, after two years seasoning that is.
I burn lots of it here.
I also have three mature(80-100 year old) Red Oak trees on my property and so many young ones I can't count them all.
That'll be good burning and you can do like I do and use a steel splitting wedge to get the larger rounds down to manageable size.

 

[Saddle Mander]

Broadly speaking, white oak bark looks "flaky" and red oak bark looks like "dinosaur skin."

At least they do to me.

 

[NCSteveH]

I bet in two to three years you find that it is an ash tree.

 

[Al Haase]

I’m sure it’s a variant of red oak. Definitely not white oak. Pin would have myriad small branches and a maximum height of about 70 feet. Burr oak is very hard like white, also a nice whiskey-like aroma. In any case, you’re a winner with a pile of great wood!

 

[Sawyer Rob]

SR

 

[sunfish]

Red Oak.

 

[lone wolf]

Looks like Pin Oak or possibly Red Oak.

 

[EchoRomeoCharlie]

Red Oak

Surprised to see one from CT that large in dia. without a bunch of core rot. Lot of them when they reach 24 inches or so dbh, the centers start getting punky.

Looks like you got some noodlin' to do.

Take Care

No noodlin necessary.

Red oak will split like a dream. I have some 24-32" rounds. Haven't got to the real big ones yet, but I had a 24" cleave with one shot from a 5lb felling axe. Super easy stuff to hand split.