Outland Specialty Wood,LLC

03/07/2026

The 1” rebar handle makes a statement!

01/16/2026

11/27/2025

10/26/2025

This is legit truth!!!

09/26/2025

Interior stain finished and white wood is cleared… awesome way to finish out a great week

08/30/2025

“Heavy timber. Zero shortcuts.”

04/16/2025

I’d love to see this in person!!!

03/15/2025

We’ve had a productive week... there has been lots of design, planning, and hardwork put into this project!

02/13/2025

A little interior timberframing work, where it’s warm and dry!!

01/01/2025

New year = new skills. Why not learn how to identify oak trees in winter?

In eastern North America, oaks can be divided into a few groups including the red and white oak groups. In this image, white oaks are featured in the top row and red oaks are featured in the bottom row.

Bark patterns among oaks within a particular group tend to be similar, but subtle (and sometimes major) differences do exist. For example, white oak and swamp white oak share similar bark features (platy, somewhat shaggy), while chestnut oak is unique (ridged and deeply furrowed).

Looking at the bottom row, scarlet oak, pin oak, and northern red oak all have similar bark features, but the bark of northern red oak characteristically displays “ski track” patterns more consistently than the other two trees. The bark of black oak is typically the darkest.

If you find it challenging to identify oaks by bark alone, look for leaves still attached to the trees or those that have fallen near the bases of trunks. You can also look for acorns on the ground and try to figure out which trees produced them.

With practice, your tree identification skills will improve and you’ll be glad you put in the work. After all, and to slightly modify something Ben Franklin once said, an investment in knowledge [of trees] pays the best interest.

09/27/2024

09/25/2024

Some of our most rewarding work!