HICKORY HARDWOOD IDENTIFICATION GUIDE
An In-Depth Look at Hickory's Characteristics, Color, Grain & More
Hickory
OTHER COMMON NAMES
There are more than ten different species of Hickory wood, including red, sand, black, shagbark, shellbark, mockernut, pignut, pecan, bitternut, and scrub. Different types of hickory trees provide wood for a variety of uses, from hardwood lumber to wood chips for smoking meat. [5]
LATIN NAME
Hickory is the common name for trees in the Carya genus. (For example, shellbark hickory’s scientific name is carya laciniosa, shagbark hickory’s scientific name is carya ovata, and carya glabra is pignut hickory.) With species so close in characteristics, most hickory lumber is not distinguished between which species is being used. [4]
ENVIRONMENTAL PROFILE - HICKORY
Hickory trees grow all over the world. North America has the most diverse population of hickory with up to 12 varieties in the United States, four in Canada, and four in Mexico. There are also six species that can be found in China, India, and Southeast Asia. [2]
Commonly, hickory trees are native to the midwest and eastern United States and grow near streams and rivers as they prefer moist soil. Alternatively, the mockernut hickory can grow on hills and ridges using a drier soil, as can pignut hickory. Because of their hardwood characteristics, hickory trees grow very slowly with an average of less than 12 inches a year. [6]
While hickory trees grow too large for most urban settings/yards, they provide large amounts of shade for parks and public spaces. The largest species of hickory tree is the shagbark hickory, which can grow up to 90 feet tall, sometimes growing up to 120 feet. This large tree has a trunk diameter of two to three feet and provides a canopy of shade up to 50 or 70 feet wide.
Volume of live trees on forest land, 1000 m3
All data derives from Forest Inventory Data Online (FIDO), a component of the U.S. Forest Service Inventory and Analysis Program (FIA). Data was compiled by AHEC in January 2016 using the most recent state inventory available (2014 for most states). "Forest volume" refers to "net volume of live trees on forest land," as defined by FIA (see glossary). FIA forest volume data is available for 49 U.S. states (Hawaii and Washington D.C. are omitted) with total hardwood forest volume of 18.1 billion m3 of which 13.5 billion m3are commercially significant.