new to all this and learning daily. I have a tree that was given to us to mill I thought was a ERC but after milling it the slabs look like it could be cypress cant find much on the web except that those 2 species are similar in looks. Can anyone offer a way for me to find out again Iam new to this so please no smart a** replys. Thank you for your help

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Looks like cypress to me, although without knowing your location, and what types of Cedar grow in your location may differ from mine.

If you were thinking Eastern Redcedar, Juniperus virginian a, you should be able to ID it with your eyes closed, by using your nose.

that's what I was leaning towards is cypress I think they may call it sinker cypress?? not sure tho... Iam in Mississippi have done one other tree that again looked very similar until I milled it. This is the other tree I believe could be ERC

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I don't think you will ever find a ERC with the heart that clear of knots.

As for sinker cypress, I would be surprised to ever see any that still had it's bark, since what I normally think of as sinker cypress, are trees which were cut about 100 years ago, then sank while being floated to a mill somewhere. Plus, I don't think anybody would find it economically feasible to bother with salvaging trees that size. If someone is offering it to you as such, I would ask them to show me their boat and loading operation.

That orange streak up the right side looks like reaction wood to me. While you may be able to dry and sell the board, I would bet that when someone rips anywhere near it, it will turn into a pretzel.

I mill for the first time Friday a cypress log. It look just like the one you show here. I found why milling it the sawdust came out very wet. Did yours do the same? Also a sinker cypress like said above is just one lost on the way to the mill years ago.

All the pictures seem to be cypress.

ERC (also called aromatic cedar) has such a strong sweet aroma that it should be obvious when sawing, while cypress has a much more acrid aroma. eRC is also clearly red or purple red in color. Both have about the same density or weight.

When cypress is growing, it apparently gets a bacteria in the living tree that increases the moisture content so much that the logs no longer float. (Wood itself is 1.5 times heavier than water. It is the many air bubbles within the cells in the living tree that makes wood logs float in water.). This bacteria is present in the butt logs, mainly. So, there are butt logs that did not float but sank as they were floated to a mill. Today we call these sinkers. The bacteria also affects wood's strength so such sinker logs require special care when drying and machining to avoid cracking and splitting, etc. The bacteria can also create foul odors within the wood. The bacteria are found in many species...hemlock, cottonwood, aspen, red and white oak and elm to name a few. Note that sinker logs do weigh a lot more than other logs of the same species.

thanks for taking the time to explain to a newbie the info its all for personal use or to be given to friends and family {yes we still do nice things without charging for folks here in the south} I have a lot of pine we dropped on my farm I plan on just making cants out of to drying until someone has a need for them. I just wanted to get these milled because it wasn't pine and all I had done prior was pine. Yes it was very wet when sawed. Thanks again folks for the info

I was under the impression that sinker cypress meant simply it was old growth pulled from underwater. I'm currently working on a house full of the stuff, and according to the guy that supplies and works with this stuff as his primary material his sources are pulling mostly naturally fallen trees from storms long ago and whatnot. Never heard of the bacteria bit before, interesting. Could one even tell the difference between the two after milling?

I'm also told that it is very corrosive and to only use stainless steel fasteners - is this a common trait of sinker woods or might it only be because it was pulled from brackish water and has a salt content?

It's really beautiful stuff. The parts embedded in the mud can have deep chocolate and green tones, to a wide range of blonds and reds.

Logs float normally. Sometimes they sink because of the lack of air bubbles within the wood cells. The lack of bubbles is the result of,bacterial activity in the living tree.

Sinker wood has more beauty, in part because it is from a butt long, it is usually slow growth and the bacteria create some different colors. The big difference will be seen in drying...slow drying is required for sinker due to the bacterial weakening the wood. After drying, sinker wood is not as strong, so if used for a chair leg, it needs to be larger, etc.

When using nails and screws, corrosion occurs when the wood is wet, so if dry, it is not an issue. The bacteria do change the pH and I have seen reports where the infected wood (sinker) is more likely to corrode fasteners when wet.

I don't think anybody would find it economically feasible to bother with salvaging trees that size.