The leaves looked relatively buckeye-esque, but I have never come across this kind of catkin before. Thanks!
Catkin


Bark (minus vine and sapling in front)

Maybe a walnut?

Oh (light bulb moment)... Hickory!

The leaves aren't a match for any walnut I know. They are palmately compound.

Could it be a boxelder? The leaves and catkins/seeds/whatever look very similar to my neighbor's old tree. But it didn't have that shaggy bark.

No to the boxelder, but I am leaning towards the Bitternut Hickory. Very strong leanings. But I'd love someone else to verify that.

Hello all:

Absolutely a Hickory (Carya sp.), and I'll ask all to sharpen their scrutiny of the parts being described.

The leaf morphology of a Hickory is pinnate compound, with alternate arrangement along branches/twigs.

Hickory will have the catkins as illustrated. When pollinated, they will form single nuts inside a usually 4-parted husk which will split open when mature.

Hickory (depending on the species) can have quite exfoliating (peeling, shaggy) bark - as illustrated.

I think the not-fully-expanded pinnate compound leaves on this plant were mistaken for palmately compound leaves. In any event, the leaf arrangement, bud arrangement, and branching arrangement will all be alternate - which eliminates Buckeye (Aesculus sp.) and Maple (Acer sp.) from consideration, as does the shaggy bark and the presence of catkins as reproductive structures.

Walnuts (Juglans sp.) will not have that shaggy bark.

Boxelder Maple (Acer negundo) will not have that shaggy bark, nor catkins.

I'm fairly certain you have a Shagbark Hickory there - Carya ovata - which is a great Ohio native tree. The other species which is similar, but not as likely, is Carya laciniosa - Shellbark Hickory. Both of these species have quite large brown dormant terminal buds, and form very large seed (nuts) inside the husks. They both form quite large leaflets on the pinnate compound leaves, but not very many (in the 5 - 9 range)

Bitternut Hickory is a great tree as well, but it will not have that shaggy exfoliating/peeling bark. It will have - as a great dormant diagnostic feature - small sulfur yellow buds. It forms a much smaller nut in a smaller husk in comparison. It has many more and smaller leaflets on its pinnate compound foliage.

Thank you, John! I knew you would be able to pick it out.

We went back to the land yesterday and got a better look at the leaves. They are certainly hickory. The young leaves looked palmately compound, but they were pretty droopy and hard to see. On second inspection, they are indeed pinnately compound. We also noticed a second type of hickory right next to the shagbark with distinctly lighter coloring to the leaves. Forgot to take the camera, though.

You were too quick for my second post to be as helpful.

I want to note that in your second picture, you have clearly shown a clinging vine with branched extensions on the trunk of that tree. That is none other than Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) which probably needs no other introduction to you - other than the admonition to be careful to not touch it, even in its dormant state!

Many people don't recognize this plant nor its branching traits during dormancy, but it can leave its oils on you just the same.

Goodness! That is super helpful. I did not know how the vine of poison ivy looked. I am more familiar with the waxy leaves on the forest floor. The plus side being that both husband and I are non-reactive to poison ivy, I will get rid of that vine ASAP.