Wood species identification

Where in the world are you located?

I think it looks like it could be a spruce, or maybe a fir. Not a pine, they have needles in clumps. Not a cedar, they have scaly needles. Could be a blue spruce. Could we get a closer up photo of the needles and how they attach to the branch? Are the flat or triangle/square in cross section? Also what did the cones look like? Pointing up or down?

At 15" diameter you may be able to get tops out of it, if you can't split a clear billet big enough for tops then it certainly seems fit for bracing. Or at least split some off, dry it, and see how stiff it feels.
 
Located in western Missouri, USA.
No cones available.
Needle is square in section.
Google pic of tree:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.059...4Z6dI5zzKg6GgCcOgIOA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

I got some usable material, but a lot of waste. Half the log had a pretty good twist.

https://i.imgur.com/mTrrD2q.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/DXCuupn.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/lJ5Fr7x.jpg

Or it could be this one. They were both taken down.
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.059...7_RtxPL160pRireYPqCA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en
 
Square needles would make that a spruce (fir have flat needles). One final way to confirm - on a spruce, the needles will attach to the branch at tiny woody "stumps" and those stumps will tend to stay on the branch if you pull the needle off. Fir trees don't have those stumps - the needle attaches directly to the branch - if you pull the needle off, it'll come off cleanly and leave behind what looks like a tiny suction cup mark. Looking at your closeup of the needles, again this strikes me as a spruce.

The google maps photo sure looks like a blue spruce to me, but it can be hard to tell for sure. There are blue spruce all over the US.

Looks like you got at least some good brace wood! I get a lot of pleasure out of breaking trees down into something I can use, even if it doesn't always make "sense" from an economical or time-investment perspective.
 
Square needles would make that a spruce (fir have flat needles). .

Correct. Yes, spruce not fir... Another big guess on my part: Norway spruce. Reason: They were planted as fast growing ornamentals all over the country... To find the cones, look around on the ground where the tree was cut to find old cones. That would nail the identification.

Will need some seasoning before you use the wood. Dry in an oven maybe.
 
Not to be a wet blanket, but the growth rings seem to be too wide to be useful as brace material. I have had a number of Sitka spruce about 3 feet in diameter cut down across the street from my house in Cannon Beach but the growth rings were at least 1/4” apart. They grow too fast at sea level, not really good for anything unless they are old growth.
Brad
 
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