Long story short the power company (FPL - I live in Florida) cut down a tree in my backyard. I just came home one day and it was gone leaving a huge hole in the canopy and back of my yard not to manage damage to surrounding plants and a fence.

I'm in communication with them about getting compensated for damages and they've asked me to tell them what kind of tree it was. I have no idea but have pictures of the stump, bark and some dead leaves. Can anyone help me ID what this was?

Welcome to the site! Do you have any pictures of the tree before it was cut down?

Maybe a Brazilian Pepper Tree?

It's kind of hard to see the tree in the shadows (this is why we loved it). There is a large tree in front of it that is still standing. I'm going to take a picture of the backyard today from the same angle and do a before and after to help show the difference which will highlight the tree. For now here it is.

That said a Brazilian Pepper Tree is an interesting idea. I think you could be right - the leaves and bark definitely match. The only thing is the wood in the stump is that bright orange color. Do Brazilian Pepper Trees have a wood colored like that?

I suppose if it is a Brazilian Pepper Tree I'll know it soon enough by the shoots that one would expect should come up from the stump. From my very quick google searching on the tree that is a common experience people have when cutting them down. I'll keep an eye out and post follow-up pictures to confirm. I actually think I already saw one the other day.

It is a Live Oak.
The bark on the stump looks like so many other oaks. The leaf size is correct too.
Brazilian pepper is at most an overgrown, dense shrub. In my 9 years in Florida and being exposed to thousands of peppers, not one ever came close to the girth that you see from the cut wood.

The image of the tree is classic live oak with dark green, rather small leaves. As they get really big, their foliage at times appears gray green or silvery green in color.

BigBill said:It is a Live Oak.
The bark on the stump looks like so many other oaks. The leaf size is correct too.
Brazilian pepper is at most an overgrown, dense shrub. In my 9 years in Florida and being exposed to thousands of peppers, not one ever came close to the girth that you see from the cut wood.

The image of the tree is classic live oak with dark green, rather small leaves. As they get really big, their foliage at times appears gray green or silvery green in color.

Interesting - yea googling "Southern Live Oak Leaves" does match from a leaf standpoint.

So one way I presume to confirm that would be to look around for acorns right?

Also would a Live Oak stump Ooz sap like that when cut? (see the pearls of clear super sticky liquid beading on the stump)

Brazilian Pepper Tree actually fits for this reason as well. According to its Wikipedia entry Wikipedia / Schinus_terebinthifolia

"The species, including the seed, is legally prohibited from sale, transport, or planting in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Noxious Weed List. It is classified as a Category I pest by The Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council (FL EPPC). To keep the plant from spreading into native plant communities and displacing them, local regulations and environmental guidelines require the eradication of Brazilian pepper wherever possible."

So if it was that - it would make sense why it was rather abruptly and completely removed.

I doubt power companies have the time to travel around randomly cutting down invasive plant species.

Yes you can look for acorns but they are prized by wildlife as a food source. They are shaped like Good & Plenty candy or like Ike & Mike candies, round at both ends. Kind of like a turtle egg. They are not very big, maybe 3/4" long or slightly larger. They are chocolate brown with varying amounts of mustard yellow.

You are in Delray Beach. I used to go to Flamingo Gardens all the time for Orchid Shows and judgings all the time. They have dozens of HUGE live oaks there.
But the reason Brazilian pepper does not make sense in my mind is, it is not a tree, it is a shrub. Shrubs don't produce 8 to 10" diameter stumps. Live oaks can get to be 3-4' across.

Agreeing with Bill, live oak

https://www.sptreefarm.com/que...

Some of the leaf pictures seem to show opposite leaves or possibly compound leaves. Oaks have neither.

Hmmm - those are two very different answers that would result in different conversations with the power company. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to either confirm or rule out either Like Oak or Brazilian Pepper Tree?

Does anyone have any experience with or know about this free wood identification service from the Forest Products Laboratory
www .fpl .fs .fed .us /research/centers/woodanatomy/wood_idfactsheet.php
(delete the spaces to get the link, I can't post links yet)

Were 2 trees cut down?

purpleinopp said:Were 2 trees cut down?

Just one. The one in the back. It's labeled in the image I uploaded.

Perhaps contact the University of Fl extension service for your county

OK. The foliage in the live-tree phot does look like oak.

purpleinopp said:OK. The foliage in the live-tree phot does look like oak.

Right I'm fairly certain you're right. Here it is after the other was cut down.

crawgarden said:Perhaps contact the University of Fl extension service for your county

Ok great idea will do

Somebody had already said that, but I'm happy to suggest as well.

Yep a live oak, a great tree. Shocked they did that, Even a tree service cant cut a healthy one down in our county. Since they get so big I guess they thought it was now or later so better now. I dont agree with that, they are very strong trees, but the lines are right there.