# Name that tree, and can i use it for fenceposts?



## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

So whatever these are seem to be the first thing to shoot up here (northern virginia) andi have a ton of them. They seem to grow real fast and are chocking out some nicer older trees 

They come up so fast i see them in the grass near the house between mowing! 

Here are the pictures
























This is a bigger one the younger one have red/purple leaves at the ends

Reason im interest is i have about 50+ of these and alot of the are 5-6" and 10-15 feet straight which would make some easy fence posts! Seems like pretty hard wood but i dont wanna bother if they will rot in 5 years!


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## primal1 (Aug 22, 2003)

My first guess was black walnut but then i noticed the flowers which look like a type of sumac


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## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

I thought summac as well but couldnt find any pics that look exactly like it. Do they have alot of variation?


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

I have these trees. They start out with purple, powder coated trunks as very young trees. They grow fast and show up all over. No idea what it's called. I tried to ID mine a year ago, too many trees look like this one and couldn't get a real answer. =/


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## primal1 (Aug 22, 2003)

There are several different varieties, did you notice last year if the flowers you see now turned into bright red clusters of seed.. same shape/size as the flower just more compacted/tight?


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## secuono (Sep 28, 2011)

tree of heaven, ailanthus
possibly that tree. dont remember what mine flowering looks like...


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

Tree of heaven, invasive species. They used to plant them in towns and such, as the roots are not very harmful to sidewalks and such. The crushed leaves smell somewhat like buttered popcorn. Good for shade and that's about it. I'd find a better shade tree. 
In other words, exterminate with extreme prejudice.


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## primal1 (Aug 22, 2003)

That is nasty!!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ailanthus_altissima


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

I actually met the first one in Boston. It grew on the corner of the apt. building I managed and was on the corner where my apt was on the 4th floor. I was rather fond of it, because it shaded my bedroom windows and I figured I could use it as an emergency escape, should the need arise. I hated when the landlord decided to cut it down. Now, I would kill them if I found them on my place. I suppose everything has its place, and those are nice if they are in a contained area where nothing else does well. Now days, I think they are considered noxious weeds even in the city. They do have some reported medicinal uses. I think I would use them as firewood.


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## primal1 (Aug 22, 2003)

It is a nice looking tree for sure but better it be in China where it belongs seeing how invasive it can be.


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

According to this site they are best for burning and some woodworking projects. Supposedly resists insects but not fungi. Considered a soft hardwood. (FYI, deciduous trees are considered hardwoods)
http://ohioline.osu.edu/for-fact/0009.html


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

Here is another good article that includes uses, and eradication methods. 
http://www.dof.virginia.gov/health/resources/pub_Ailanthus-Control-and-Utilization.pdf
Sorry, conhntr, I'm sure it is not the news you were looking for. It looks like it is a problem in your area. I remember seeing a good many of them along the highway in the DC area when traveling between WV and Boston. I would think it would have low rot resistance.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

Yep.. Ghetto Palm. (alainthus)
Stuff is a horror.
Not good for anything.. burns at a ridiculously low BTU, soft wood, weak...
however!
It does grow fairly straight.
We have been cutting them down adn I like to use the long straight poles to lay on the ground to mark herb beds.
Convenient.. and that way they are put to some use.


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

Ghetto Palm, I like that  That one in Boston was the only real tree for several blocks. There were many sick looking Black ash that lined the streets, but that thing was 24" at the base, well over 50' tall and had a crown of 30-40'. If I found it on my place I'd attack it, but it sure was nice there


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## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

Dangit! Yes they are everywhere. Its easy to exterminate ith extreme prejudice once i get the chainsaw started i have trouble controling myself!!!! Most of em are 5-8" that one in the pic is almost 12" ive learned long ago that is a waste of time for firewood. Id rather cut 1 big tree it goes much faster! I need to rent a big 30-35hp chipper to finish up cleanup out here anyway so they will be going in there! 

Thanks guys


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## rockhound (Sep 25, 2009)

Not good for posts or firewood but should make good chips and mulch. At least you'd get some good out of them one time.


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## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

Dont feel too bad overal i think this property is pretty blessed tree-wise. 
S far what i have i.d
Bad-- the ghetto palm!! Have about an acre of it but there are (mature) maple and pine mixed in. Im going to cut em all down and maybe mulch them notnsure yet. 
Here is the "stand" around the edges they are the thickest but are growing under the canopy as well 








Kinda bad- tulip poplars. I just never liked these trees but i have about 40 all in the 100+ foot size. These do make ok firewood 
Pear tree that is blighted really bad over 75%. This might be a gonner but ill try and prune it and see what happens
Good
1 very nice peach that is producing a strong crop!
4 apples all in good shape
3 sweet cherries look good
Bunch of walnuts (i like hunting alot and walnut=game)
A TON of big black cherries! Big and most of em pretty straight. 3-4' big old things. ~50 of them this size could be worth some money
And have some planted pines all mature and tall might be getting too old to sell but have ~150 of them. Even taller than the tullip polars well over 100' grew pretty straight but alot have double trunks


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

Cutting ailanthus down doesn't kill it. They'll resprout from the roots and also spread that way. Injecting them with a poison is the best way to kill them.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

If you cut them down you will only make them angry!
Where there was one, there will now be 50 little shoots, making for a bigger mess, a wider 'tree' etc..
And..and.. if it is a big tree and has a massive root ball and you cut it down it will send up new shoots from all over the root ball. The roots can extend 80 ft in some cases.
In cities they pop the foundations from house, pop up through garage floors.. cement garage floors!!
It is an unstoppable monster.
Perhaps if you treat it kindly it will not attack. Shrug>>>


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## littlejoe (Jan 17, 2007)

Looks like a tree of paradise to me? Hard to kill and invasive. If you cut them down they will send up suckers everywhere. Drill a downward hole or make a stab cut with a chainsaw near the base,and fill it with glyphosphate or six pound 24-D. Helps prevent the roots from suckering.


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## primal1 (Aug 22, 2003)

Girdling will also achieve the same results without chems.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

primal1 said:


> Girdling will also achieve the same results without chems.


That doesn't kill the roots. They'll still resprout. You have to kill the root mass. Poison the trees in fall when the sap is flowing to the roots.


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## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

Do goats like the shoots that come up?


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## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

Check with foresters in your area. You may have a State office near you. Someone nearby should have an injector attachment for a tank sprayer. It looks sort of like a hatchet with a line going in. When you chop the tree it will inject the chemical. It is a fast tool once you get used to it. I don't like using them much, but would on what you have. I don't know if goats will eat them or not. Where you can mow won't be a problem, but the ones in the woods will require a regime of spraying suckers for a while. Look at the Virginia article I posted. It has info on eradicating them, but that might not even be feasible if you have a lot. The State may help you. I know that WV has incentives and help to eradicate Autumn Olive.


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## primal1 (Aug 22, 2003)

It won't kill the roots, it just 'Helps prevent the roots from suckering.' I got the advice from my teacher who was a forester and teaches agroforestry.



Darren said:


> That doesn't kill the roots. They'll still resprout. You have to kill the root mass. Poison the trees in fall when the sap is flowing to the roots.


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## Conhntr (Aug 7, 2010)

vicker said:


> Check with foresters in your area. You may have a State office near you. Someone nearby should have an injector attachment for a tank sprayer. It looks sort of like a hatchet with a line going in. When you chop the tree it will inject the chemical. It is a fast tool once you get used to it. I don't like using them much, but would on what you have. I don't know if goats will eat them or not. Where you can mow won't be a problem, but the ones in the woods will require a regime of spraying suckers for a while. Look at the Virginia article I posted. It has info on eradicating them, but that might not even be feasible if you have a lot. The State may help you. I know that WV has incentives and help to eradicate Autumn Olive.


I dont think i can spray. The trees are about 50 yards from my house and take up about 30% of the view out the back. I cant sit and stare at a bunch of standing dead poisoned trees for months! I may try the part in the article about painting the stumps with poison


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

You won't need to paint the whole stump, just the outer ring between the bark and the "wood".


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